BOXING -- A TRUE WARRIOR SPORT

Boxing, one of the most ancient sports in history, is turning off many afficionados because of the ongoing fiasco in the Pacquiao-Cotto fight overture. Sure, it's been agreed upon by the two gladiators verbally, but is it really the perfect match to make? No doubt, it is an exciting battle between these two excellent fighters, but without a welterweight championship belt on the line, it is more like a tune-up fight for either protagonist.

Miguel Cotto, all of a sudden, does not want to put his WBO welterweight strap on the line against the King of boxing, no. 1 pound for pound hero, Manny Pacquiao - well, not if the fight is below the 147 pounds maximum welterweight limit. First of all, Cotto agreed to fight the Pacman at a catchweight of 145 lbs. The latter is basically risking everything for this duel, including his lofty throne as the pound for pound Lord. And what does Cotto offer to the table for this fight? Nada, zilch, absolutely nothing but disreputable and timorous aura of vincibility. It makes us wonder if there is truth to the incriminations toward the champion Cotto being a damaged commodity.

Pacquiao already indicated that he wants Cotto's welterweight title included in the contract, and recently, Pacman's astute trainer and seer Freddie Roach, has shown the same interest as his prised pupil. However, Top Rank's big boss Bob Arum seems to be ignoring the Team Pacquiao's incomplicated demand. It cannot be considered a convoluted request because even the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds versus Bernard Hopkins for the middleweight championship belts involving all four major boxing organizations (WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF). Sugar Ray Leonard and Don Lalonde also fought at a catchweight for a super middleweight title back on November 7, 1998.

If Cotto is not willing to stake his welterweight belt for this combat, then Pacman should also not be forced to wager his pound for pound domain to an unworthy opponent like Cotto. Mosley is still waiting in the wings and very amenable to inconsequential contract adjustments just to fight Pacquiao. Perhaps it is not too late to consider Mosley as Pacman's next deserving rival for pound for pound supremacy. These two fighters have the talents, followers, and warrior spirit to make another boxing championship saga - and that is much more appealing than a non-title bout between the People's Champ Manny Pacquiao and the Boricuan pride yet reluctant welterweight defender Miguel Angel Cotto.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-26215.html