Nothing left to chance for Cotto

Miguel Cotto’s eyes are now burning with desire, the Puerto Rican’s conditioning coach Phil Landman disclosed on Tuesday.

Landman told the newspaper Primera Hora that Cotto “is strong, happy and very motivated” heading into the final 12 weeks of preparation for an all-important showdown with Manny Pacquiao on November 14 in Las Vegas.

“(Miguel) knows that this is a very important fight and he is taking it very seriously,” said Landman, who is originally from South Africa but is now based in Los Angeles. “There is something different in the way he looks. Mentally, Miguel is prepared for the long preparation.”

Cotto actually started training early in anticipation of a tough grind under Landman, who is expected to work alongside lead trainer Joe Santiago in whipping the 28-year-old Cotto into the meanest form ever come fight night at the MGM Grand.

Cotto admitted that Pacquiao’s quickness is his main concern and that Landman and Santiago will join hands in the coming weeks to come up with a plan to offset the Filipino’s strength.

Landman said by the time Cotto goes on a four-city press tour with Pacquiao beginning September 10 in New York, he would have already been in an advanced stage of training although the most crucial phase will happen in Tampa, Florida.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao continues to spend most of the day – actually night – putting the finishing touches on his TV shows and movie that will be due for release in December.

“We are like vampires,” said Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal, who often accompanies the fighter in the nocturnal shooting sessions in and around the metropolis.

Still, Gacal said Pacquiao is right on track since he usually begins training camp eight weeks before a fight.

“Once Manny shows up for training, it’s impossible to stop him,” said Gacal.

Under the plan, Pacquiao will kick off his preparation for Cotto following the promotional tour that will bring him not only to New York but to Puerto Rico, San Francisco and Los Angeles next month.

Baguio is being eyed to host the initial phase of Pacquiao’s training camp.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/217638/nothing-left-chance-cotto

Who wins between Manny Pacquiao and the UFC?

We wont have to wait long to answer the question of who wins between the UFC and Manny Pacquiao.

UFC has decided to air UFC 105, on November 14th from the UK, for free via tape-delay on Spike TV. This is the same night Manny Pacquiao fights Miguel Cotto.

Fight Card
Early indications have UFC loading up the fight card knowing that they face strong competition in Manny Pacquiao. BJ Penn is “penciled” in to headline the event. Penn is one of UFC’s most popular fighters. Michael Bisping, arguably the UK’s biggest MMA draw, is also rumored to be on the card.

Recent Numbers

Pacquiao is without a doubt boxing’s best fighter and arguably its top PPV draw. His last fight drew about 850,000 PPV buys, depending on the source. But, UFC 100 doubled those numbers bringing in round 1.7 million, also depending on the source. In fact, UFC’s last PPV (UFC 101) had over 900,000 PPV buys.

Conclusion

So, this fight comes down to Pacuiao’s popularity vs. UFC’s popularity, Free TV vs. PPV, and boxing fans vs. MMA fans.


I pose this question to all of you – “Who wins between Manny Pacquiao and the UFC?

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-21442-Sacramento-MMA-Examiner~y2009m8d24-Who-wins-between-Manny-Pacquiao-and-the-UFC

Pacquiao vs Cotto: Keys to Victory

It’s been more than a month since the fight between Miguel Angel Cotto, WBO Welterweight Champion versus Manny Pacquiao, Lineal Light-welterweight champion and pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, was announced. There have been lots of commotions, drama, intrigue, twist and turn in the plot already. First, about the purse split, then about the official weight-in, then the title; Now that everything is set, contracts were signed, sealed delivered, tickets were almost sold out after the first day it was opened for sale!

That’s how much anticipation and excitement this fight is generating right now.

The fight, billed as “Firepower”. And I think it’s a brilliant title for the fight, for these two warriors are known for their ability to get in that ring and deliver bombs to their opponents. And pitting these two warriors against each other, you can really expect lots of fire power in this fight! The question is whose firepower will be most effective? Will Miguel’s strength, size and pressure type of style be enough to stop the Filipino spitfire? Will Manny Pacquiao’s speed overwhelm the Boricura Bomber? These are the type of questions fight fans want to find out come November 14!

But as they said, “The key to victory is not the will to win. Everybody has that! It is the will to prepare to win.” The fight is not won in the ring, but in the training camp. How a fighter performs in the ring is just a manifestation of what he did in the training camp.

So, the battle is set; What’s the battle plan?

This brings us to Pacquiao vs Cotto: Keys to Victory part 1

PREPARATION

17weeks before November 14, Coach Freddie Roach is trying to convince Manny Pacquiao to train outside of the Philippines, but also outside of Wild Card gym, even outside the United States! Or else, if Manny Pacquiao stayed in the United States more than a month this time, uncle sam will get lots of money from them! But it seems like Manny Pacquiao has other plans in mind. He is the man and what he says will be. It seems like he will be training in the Philippines for most of his training camp, and just one two weeks in the United States, one week in Wild Card gym and another week in Las Vegas.

The last time Manny Pacquiao trained in the Philippines for a big fight was when he fought Marco Antonio Barrera the second time. In his home country, Manny Pacquiao is a hero, a celebrity, movie star, television personality, a recording artist, commercial model, politician, etc. He has so many other engagements outside boxing that Bob Arum needed to call him and ask him to focus on his training. And when he was training in Cebu city, Coach Freddie needed to shoo away all the paparazzi, hangers-on and adoring fans out and closed the gym shut. But somehow amidst all these distractions, Manny Pacquiao still finds his way to get that win.

Freddie Roach seems to prefer Baguio City instead of Cebu City as their new venue for a training camp. Ah yes, this is where Philipine Olympian boxers train. The cool climate, high elevation and hopefully less distractions, looks like an ideal place to train for a 7th World title in 7 different weight divisions. Although I’m still hoping to get an interview and some shots in that training camp when that happen.

I’m sure by now; Coach Freddie Roach’s brilliant mind is studying Miguel Cotto’s videos. Analyzing Cotto’s moves, knowing his strength and weakness and figuring out how these information can be useful in training Manny Pacquiao, while Pacquiao is preparing for his political career, shooting some commercials and new TV sitcom in the Phililppines.

On the other hand, Miguel Angel Cotto; after that big drama regarding his long-time trainer and full-time uncle, which resulted in a brick thrown into Cotto’s Jaguar, Miguel has a new chief trainer. Joe Santiago is Miguel’s nutritionist and conditioning trainer, has now taken over as chief trainer for Cotto.

The WBO welterweight champion looks like he means business about this fight. He is now in his full-blast training 3months away from fight night.

Unlike Freddie Roach, Santiago does not have the same problem with Cotto regarding distractions from the press and the fans. Because as Cotto said “I’m not Tito Trinidad who smile and waves to people on the streets and pose for the cameras. I do my business inside the ring! I’m Miguel Cotto.”

Although I’m not sure if Santiago has the same level of expertise with regards to being a fight tactician as Roach. But there’s another Manny, who wants to step in those shoes if given a chance! Coach Emmanuel Stewart. Oh yes, there’s money to be made in this fight not to mention the prestige and the exposure. Coach Manny Stewart has been lobbying to be Miguel Cotto’s trainer for some time now. But it seems like Miguel Cotto is not biting the bait.

This match up is getting more interesting every minute it draws nearer! So just stay tuned and see what is in store for us regarding the Pacquiao vs Cotto fight.

Source: http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/1850/2009-08-23.html

Pag-asinta sa WBC Diamond Belt

MANILA—Isang magandang araw ang aking inihahandog sa inyong lahat, mga masusugid kong tagasubaybay ng kolum na ito. Malapit na namang matapos ang isang linggo at sa pagdating ng Setyembre ay magsisimula na tayong maghanda para sa susunod na laban.

Marami pa ring mga bagay-bagay ang aking tinatapos sa kasalukuyan at ilang araw na lang ay uumpisahan na ang pag-train kontra kay Miguel Cotto ng Puerto Rico, ang kampeon ng welterweight division. Mabilis maubos daw ang mga tickets sa takilya dahil alam ng nakararami na isang matinding sagupaan ito ng mga magigiting na mandirigma sa ring.

Inaasahang dadagsa ang maraming fans ng boxing sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada dahil alam ng lahat na kapana-panabik ang magiging laban naming dalawa ni Cotto dahil ang style namin ay lumalaban ng walang atrasan, walang sumusuko sa matinding bakbakan.

Si Cotto, ang kampeon ng World Boxing Organization, ay magtataya ng kaniyang welterweight belt kahit na ang paglalabanan namin ay 145 pounds catchweight at hindi ang 147 pounds limit.

Pati na rin ang World Boxing Council (WBC) ay naging interesado sa laban na ito. Nabalitaan ko na ibibigay ng WBC ang kauna-unahang Diamond Belt na isang espesyal na sinturon para sa mga catchweight na labanan. Nagpapasalamat ako sa pamunuan ng WBC sa pangunguna ni Don Jose Sulaiman at ang kaniyang anak na si Mauricio sa pagbibigay ng parangal na ito para sa mananalo sa laban. Isang karangalan ang lumaban para sa koronang ito.

At dahil ang WBC ay isa sa pinaka-prestihiyosong world governing boxing body gaya ng WBO, isang malaking pagkakataon ito upang makamit nating lahat muli ang isa sa mga pinakamadalang at pinakamataas na parangal sa sport na ito. Kung tayo ay papalarin, ito na ang ikapitong titulo sa ikapitong weight class, at malalampasan na natin ang record ni Oscar Dela Hoya na may anim.

Ayon sa balita, ang Diamond Belt na ibibigay ng WBC ay para sa mga laban na wala sa regular na weight class limit gaya ng kung saan kami magtutuos ni Cotto. Gayunpaman, dahil sa WBC ang magbibigay nito, magiging kasing-importante at kahalaga ito ng mga regular na belt.

Kung papalarin mang maging kampeon ng WBO at WBC, isusuot ko ang
korona at ang mga sinturon at bibigyan ng pagpapahalaga ang mga ito gaya ng mga ibang mga sinturon na aking nakamit sa loob ng aking career.

Sana, sama-sama tayong mangarap ulit at sama-sama tayong manalangin upang ang panaginip na ito ay maisakatuparan muli, sa tulong ninyong lahat, gaya pa rin ng dati.

Hanggang sa muling Kumbinasyon. God Bless Us All.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/columns.php?aid=1130&id=26684

I won't be surprised if Cotto beats Pacquiao

It befuddles me how a lot of people are giving Manny Pacquiao such a big edge against Miguel Cotto. To me, this fight is an absolute toss-up. If I was a Miguel Cotto fan, I'd bet on Cotto since the odds in Las Vegas have him as a 2-1 underdog.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Miguel Cotto is Pacquiao's toughest challenge to date. He is naturally so much bigger (with the exception of the washed-up Oscar De la Hoya) and stronger than anybody Pacquiao has had to face. In terms of skill, Cotto will be able to give Pacquiao fits. Cotto is a very good counter puncher in his own rite and throws textbook sweet punches from all angles.

Before Pacquiao fans jump at me without fully comprehending the context of this column, allow me to state my case. See, I am by no means belittling Pacquiao's capabilities, what I am trying to say however is that Cotto is definitely the biggest mountain Pacquiao will have to climb. To me, he is far more dangerous than Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao's past two performances against De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton were incredible indeed and Pacquiao deserves all the credit in the world he gets from both feats. Cotto though, is in a totally different league from those last two guys Pacquiao beat. Call him damaged goods all you want, but to me that is a myth. Had Cotto faced the same De la Hoya and Hatton Pacquiao did, I have no doubt he would've came away with similar results.

Cotto's true weakness for me however is his heart. A confident Cotto is a different fighter compared to a hesitant and pressured version of him. When in doubt and backed up, Cotto wavers and second-guesses himself. That's the reason why I think he quit against Margarito, and the reason why he faded against Clottey after sustaining a nasty cut from a head-butt. Against Pacquiao, he will be fighting someone whom he will have to kill before he gives up. On Pacquiao's part, he will really need all his heart can muster to beat Cotto.

Pacquiao keeps coming. When hurt, "The Pacman" pounds his fists and goes to work. His granite chin will be put to the test against a legitimate welterweight but not more than how Cotto's will be tested by a true knockout artist. If I were Cotto right now, I'd have someone ocassionaly hit the right side of my face with a baseball bat so I can get used to Pacquiao's game finishing left fist.

If Cotto survives all the best Pacquiao throws at him and fights the way he does against overmatched oppoenents, his skill and size advantage may very well be more than enough to beat the pound-for-pound king. If Juan Manuel Marquez's right was able to stagger Pacquiao a year ago, a perfectly placed counter punch by Cotto on an unsuspecting and attacking Pacquiao can definitely lay the Pacman out.

This fight is simply too intriguing and too close for me to predict and besides, it's still too early to do all of that anyway.

If I based it solely on size, strength, skill, talent and their capabilites, I might even say Cotto has a slight edge, but what most people fail to give proper value in the equation is Pacquiao's tenacity, heart and ferocity. Pacquiao was born to be a fighter. As evidenced by the big smile he carries every time he comes to the ring, the thought of a fist fight brings a natural joy to the man's heart and lights a fire in his his eyes. He comes at you in a way only "Iron Mike" Tyson reminds me back in his hay days. It will also be interesting to see how Cotto will fight and react to a passionate and boisterous crowd that will be rooting against him. Most of his fights were enjoyed in the comforts of the Madison Square Garden in New York in front of a pro-Puerto Rican crowd.

Don't hate Pauli Malignaggi for favoring Cotto to beat Pacquiao by KO when he said "the guy (Cotto) hits like a beast." He is merely using his logic. Cotto did afterall make him taste defeat. What Malignaggi hasn't seen however, is a devil of a fighter like Pacquiao in the ring. He may know Cotto to be a beast but Pacquiao is definitely a beast killer. If boxing legends sucked blood and has eternal life it would be fair to call Pacquiao "Manny the Vampire Slayer". Pacquiao can definitely slaughter the biggest beasts with the power in his fists and his blinding speed.

With that said, in a story-book ending, the hero likely kills the beast. This is reality however- boxing of all things- all I'm saying is that I would not be surprised if this time the beast actually eats the hero's head off. Anything can happen, that's why this fight is so intriguing and that's why it's already sold out. It's going to be explosive and exciting unlike other mega-fights that rely on hype and advertising. And just like ticket buyers and fight fans alike, I simply could not wait to see this epic.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m8d23-I-wont-be-surprised-if-Cotto-beats-Pacquiao

Cotto to use ‘good defense’ against Pacquiao

FILIPINO Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s vaunted speed is the only thing that worries him, according to world welterweight champion Miguel Cotto when defends his title against the Filipino pound-for-pound king on November 14.

But Cotto said “good defense” would be his answer to Pacquiao’s speed, indicating he would use the ring and his boxing skills in his coming mega fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

“Pacquiao has to fight another welterweight, if he wants a seventh title,” Cotto said in an interview with Puerto Rican daily Primera Hora.

The Puerto Rican puncher-boxer declined to predict the outcome of the title fight, but his father-trainer Miguel Sr. confidently forecasted that Pacquiao would go down once his son connects “with the right punches.”

Cotto, 27, started training in the first week of August in preparation for a long fight against a fellow puncher-boxer like Pacquiao.

For the first time Cotto confirmed that his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt would be on the line at the 145 pound agreed weight, an agreement forged only last week.

Cotto said he was offered “additional guarantees and benefits” to defend his title. He earlier insisted that he would only risk his belt if the fight were held at the regular welterweight standard of 147 pounds.

While showing tremendous respect for Pacquiao, Cotto said he does not think Pacquiao could overcome his physical advantage and strength, which he added would be the key to his victory.

Filipino ring physician Allan Recto of Laredo, Texas said the slick Puerto Rican flyweight champion Ivan Calderon has offered to spar with Cotto to help hone his compatriot’s defense against the fast-fisted Pacquiao.

“I am also a fast southpaw just like Manny Pacquiao,” said Calderon, who has a rematch with Filipino challenger Rodel Mayol on September 12 in San Juan, Puerto. “We are just entertaining that as a possibility, nothing’s definite yet.”

Pacquiao and Cotto, who are scheduled to hold a press conference in San Juan, are expected to be at ringside during the September 12 fight, a logical sequel to the recent Calderon-Mayol title fight that ended in a technical draw due to an accidental headbutt.

Asked for his prediction on Pacquiao-Cotto, Calderon said: “It’s going to be a hard fight for both but I think Cotto will win. It will be Miguel Cotto. He still got the energy, he’s young, he has the spirit, and his boxing skills are better. Cotto has the heart of a true champion."

Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2009/aug/23/yehey/sports/20090823spo1.html

Mayweather: "I'm Fighting Juan Because He Beat Manny"

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going back at the critics who continue to ask for a legit reason that backs his decision to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19 - instead of Manny Pacuqiao, who is considered by most as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Mayweather sees Marquez as a better fighter and says the Mexican fighter already beat Pacquiao - twice. Pacquiao and Marquez fought to a controversial draw in 2004 and then Pacquiao won a close split decision over Marquez in 2008.

"This fight already has the two best pound for pound fighters in boxing. Marquez is one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. He was knocked down three times [by Pacquiao] and still got a draw. We all know who won there. I thought Marquez won the second time. I picked the guy who won, not the guy who lost. That tells me to take this fight seriously and to train hard," Mayweather told El Boxeo Vision.

Mayweather claims that he didn't pick Marquez for an easy night of work. He wanted a tough fight. Mayweather is returning from a near two-year layoff but Marquez is moving up from 135 to a catch-weight of 144-pounds.

"I didn't want an easy opponent for my return and that's why I accepted the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez is a great Mexican fighter and one of best pound for pound fighters in boxing," Mayweather said.

Source: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=21690