No Floyd? No problem.  How Pacquiao/Cotto can be huge for boxing

By Rui Zheng 

Hours before Miguel Cotto embarked and ultimately persevered in the toughest victory of his career, a reserved man dressed in a fine blue-colored vest sat down at his ringside seat in Madison Square Garden.  But this was no ordinary man and he did not make a typical entrance.  The remarkably humble individual was the best boxer on the planet, Manny Pacquiao, and his status as the world’s top fighter also meant that he was instantly swarmed by star struck fans who yearned for a mere glance at the boxing superstar. 

But when Pacquiao sat down, he was reduced to being one of the nearly 18,000 spectators who awaited WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto as he made his highly anticipated return to New York City on the eve of the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade.  Cotto had previously fought on this date in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and each following year produced a tougher adversary.  From his Olympic rival Mohamad Abdulaev to the brash and fast-punching Paul Malignaggi to the former undisputed welterweight champion of the world in Zab Judah, Cotto conquered all of his opponents and was a perfect 3-0 on this precise date. 

When the bell rang to conclude the fight, there was severe doubt among the Puerto Rican fans for the first time ever on such an occasion.  For the past 36 minutes, Cotto had endured a punishing fusillade of Clottey jabs, crossed, and uppercuts -- it didn’t help that Cotto suffered a dehibilitating cut above his left eye in the third round.  Yet the Puerto Rican icon chose to box selectively at some points while mixing in aggressive flurries in other instances en route to a split decision victory, and a highly controversial one at that.  As far as I’m concerned, there were only 4 definitive rounds in the fight: Rounds 1 and 6 in favor of Cotto and Rounds 5, 7, and 8 in favor of Clottey.  That means there were a total of seven rounds that were relatively close and however you scored those 7 rounds would ultimately determine who you thought won the fight.  For the record I gave Clottey seven rounds (2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10) and Cotto five (1, 4, 6, 11, 12), however there were enough swing rounds to silence any outcries of robbery in my opinion. 

Unfortunately for Clottey, this fight could be the beginning of the end for the vastly underrated fighter from Ghana.  We’ve seen this scenario played out countless times in boxing.  An underrated fighter shows tremendous courage and puts on a great performance in a losing effort ends up being relegated to fighting on minor cards until he finally gathers enough steam to land another solid main event showing… which he would lose again in another gritty performance.  This may well be the path for Joshua Clottey, but he has a rugged determination about him that could possibly destine him for greatness.  He possesses an excellent chin, a solid defense, and throws impressive combinations -- quite a scary mix of attributes for any opponent.  However he has a propensity to take rounds off which proved to be his undoing against Cotto. 

As for Miguel Cotto, I tend to view him as an elite version of Arturo Gatti; his skills and abilities far surpass the level of Gatti, however Cotto’s flaws in terms of succumbing to the occasional power shot as well as numerous cuts creates drama in the ring.  The type of theatrical environment Cotto manages to lure the boxing fans into is something that Floyd Mayweather has never managed to accomplish, and is something that Pacquiao knows all too well as evidenced by his back-and-forth wars with Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales.   

A Pacquiao/Cotto matchup would undoubtedly be both exciting and competitive.  On paper it’s a tossup, perhaps a slight edge to Pacquiao.  It should be noted that Cotto doesn't struggle with speedy opponents as much as he does against fighters who possess a solid chin and the ability to effectively cut off the ring.  Cotto has also mastered the art of distance and timing in boxing and so he'll adjust better to the quickness of the Filipino.  It’s a common misperception in boxing that a fast fighter versus a slightly fighter would be a competitive bout assuming all their other attributes were even.  I tend to disagree; I would see that as a mismatch with the faster of the two fighters dominating.  However if that slower fighter were to be blessed with a fantastic jab as well as an impeccable sense of timing, then he would be the clear favorite.  It’s no secret in boxing that a jab and superior timing can offset whatever quickness advantages a fighter might have.  Cotto is no stranger to fighting fast opponents; he outclassed both Paul Malignaggi and Zab Judah earlier on in his career.  And while Pacquiao is light years better than the likes of those two, to say that Cotto has never seen anyone with the speed of Pacquiao would be stretching the truth just a bit.    

Cotto doesn't have the shot reflexes of De La Hoya nor is he going to come charging in there with wide hooks like Hatton, which would make a potential megafight with Pacquiao all the more enticing on behalf of the Cotto camp.  It's also beneficial to Cotto that his two toughest opponents, Margarito and Clottey, both possessed tremendous uppercuts in their offensive arsenal, something Pacquiao doesn't display very often. It may seem like a trivial matter, but I've always maintained that you absolutely need an effective uppercut if you want to defeat Cotto. 

As a boxing fan, I salivate at the thought of Pacquiao and Cotto meeting in the ring.  It could mean the difference between a $15 million payday against Floyd Mayweather Jr. for both men assuming that Mayweather gets past Marquez later on in 2009.  Pacquiao is taking a bold risk that some might even call impetuous.  Impetuous or not, not since the days of Shane Mosley have we seen the top pound-for-pound fighter so willing to fight anyone out there.  Between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones bickering childishly over how to split $30 million and Floyd Mayweather’s blatant ducking of legitimate opponents, Pacquiao just keeps moving up and up.  And if his previous dynamic wins are any indication, the sky’s the limit for this boxing sensation. 

But like I said, by taking a fight with Cotto, this would be a major risk in the career of Pacquiao.  Cotto will enter the fight with an enormous chip on his shoulder as well as a concrete resolution to show that he is no stepping stone of Pacquiao’s.  Pacquiao could simply ask his team to arrange an easier fight at junior welterweight against the likes of Edwin Valero or Timothy Bradley that would net Pacquiao millions of dollars.  However the ambitions (and apparently checkbook) of the Filipino grows exponentially with each fight and it is Pacquiao’s intent to fight the very best at boxing from 140-147 pounds.