GRATEFUL FOR PACQUIAO VS. COTTO

Although I'm grateful for Manny Pacquiao's upcoming clash with Miguel Cotto, I honestly believe that a bout with Shane Mosley would have been a much more explosive fight. Shane's the bigger man and a much more legitimate challenger in Pacquiao's pool of available fighters. He is widely recognized as the top champion in the welterweight division after his destructive win over Antonio Margarito, the same guy who handed Miguel Cotto his first loss.

That being said, it can be argued that the beating Cotto took from Margarito is in question after it was discovered that Margarito's handwraps were sprinkled with Plaster of Paris prior to his battle with Mosley. That fact alone leaves much to be debated and Cotto could almost be considered an undefeated fighter.

So even though it's not Shane Mosley, I still find myself excited over the prospect of Pacquiao slugging it out with Cotto in the squared circle. What's not to like? Pacquiao, who started his career at flyweight (106 pounds), will be fighting a true welterweight in Cotto, who's still in his prime, with a championship belt at stake. Adding more intrigue to the bout, Pacquiao is gunning for a seventh world title in his seventh weight division, a feat that no man has ever accomplished in boxing. Meanwhile, Cotto will be stating his case that contrary to what some people belive, he is not damaged goods after the brutal TKO loss that Margarito handed him.

The real excitement of this bout, however, is the fact that both of these guys have continued to take on tough challenges. Pacquiao fought the best there was in the lower weight classes, including the Mexican triumvirate of Morales, Barrera, and Marquez, on his way to the top. His most impressive performances have come recently, scoring victories over the legendary Oscar Dela Hoya, who many thought would win easily easily, and Ricky Hatton, who was once considered the top dog of the junior welterweight division. For his part, Cotto has also faced the best in the jr. welterweight and welterweight divisions. He defeated Shane Mosley in a close and difficult battle, stopped a prime Zab Judah, who was once considered to have the fastest hands in boxing, and also earned victories over former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey and former jr. welterweight champions Paulie Malignaggi and Ricardo Torres, who decked him twice before Cotto ultimately knocked him out.

What we have here is a legitimate contest where everyone can make a decent argument as to who can win and why he should win. We've got ourselves two of the elite fighters in the sport today that will march into the ring and lay it all on the line and hopefully, give us a fight of epic proportions that will reverberate for the years to come.

For that, we fight fans should be grateful.

Source: http://fighthype.com/pages/content5976.html