Pacquiao, Cotto promise a great fight

November 12, 2009

LAS VEGAS: Showing tremendous respect for each other, protagonists Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto promised a “great night of boxing,” but deliberately avoided making predictions.
“This is the most important fight in my boxing career,” said Pacquiao during the final press conference of the welterweight title fight Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).

Relaxed and always smiling, Paquiao said winning the fight is very important to him and the Filipino people who have religiously followed his every fight.

“I don’t know what will happen, but I will do by best and make the people enjoy the fight,” Pacquiao said in brief remarks at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino, the fight venue.

“I respect Miguel Cotto and his team. They are good guys and friendly,” he added.

Cotto was just a gracious promising “a great night of boxing” for what he considers his biggest fight ever.

“I trained a lot and hard like never before [for this fight] because I know the skills of Manny in the ring,” Cotto said. “But we created a game plan for the fight and we are sure we will [have] a great fight.”

There was no thrash talk, dagger looks or shoving and pushing—contrived or real—as two of the humblest fighters in boxing came together to address the media.

The will see each other for the last time on Friday for the official weight scheduled at 1 p.m. at the cavernous Grand Arena at MGM.

Pacquiao earlier said he is dedicating the fight to the Filipino people, especially those who are still suffering from the recent typhoons that hit the country.

Both fighters were mobbed by their respective fans as they entered the hotel for press conference.
A large contingent of Filipinos, some of them bearing placards chanted “Manny! Manny! Manny!” waited at the entrance of and inside the plush casino hotel, the venue for some of the Filipino icon’s biggest wins.
“Manny is like a rock star here in Vegas,” said fight promoter Bob Arum, whose company Top Rank is based in this city that prides itself as the “Gambling Capital of the World.”

Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Cotto, predicted a competitive and exciting fight.

“We have here two of the most exciting and talented boxers who are the prime of the game. I promise you we will have a helluva fight Saturday night,” said Arum after the presser, which lasted only about seven minutes.

Speed is power

Pacquiao says even at his maximum fighting weight he still has the lightning hand speed and ring savvy to counter the raw power of Cotto.

“I feel stronger at this weight than I ever have,” Pacquiao said. “My punches are harder, my speed is intact. I keep getting warned about Cotto’s body attack. Cotto should be worried about my body attack.”
Pacquiao, who turns 31 next month, is seeking to win his fifth major title in five different weight.
Pacquiao’s camp says a win over Cotto would give him seven titles in seven classes but some in boxing circles dispute that figure because there were no major titles on the line in victories over Marco Barrera (featherweight) and Ricky Hatton (junior welterweight). The Hatton fight was for a lightly regarded IBO belt and the Barrera bout was for a WBC international title.

Oscar De La Hoya stands as the only fighter to have won major championships in six different weight classes.

Still what Pacquiao has done in the ring is remarkable. His major titles have came in a weight classes ranging from 112 to 140 pounds and he is the first Asian to win four or more major titles.
He weighed just 106 pounds in his pro debut in 1995 and captured his first title in the 112-pound flyweight division.

And he has managed to achieve what many other boxers failed to do and that is to maintain his speed and power as he moves up to challenge heavier opponents.

“My speed is still there. If you have speed then you generate your own power,” said Pacquiao.

Bookmark to: