An Early Preview: Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao

With the fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao close to being signed, what can we expect?

All the talk recently has been about what weight the two fighters will agree to meet each other at. Early speculation is that the fight will be at a catch-weight - most likely 144 lbs. I feel, personally, Manny Pacquiao should meet Miguel Cotto at welterweight and forget the catch-weight; if Manny Pacquiao beats Miguel Cotto at a catch-weight lower than 147 lbs., excuses will start to creep up: Miguel Cotto was weight drained. He wasn't comfortable fighting lower than welterweight. Cotto's frame is too big. He was dehydrated . . . and so on. For such a mega-fight, boxing fans do not want excuses. May the best man win ( Let's not forget, Manny Pacquiao is perfectly capable of fighting at welterweight).

Regardless of what weight the fight takes place, Manny Pacquiao will have a significant speed advantage over Miguel Cotto. Cotto will have the power advantage - and will be bigger ( Ricky Hatton was bigger too and look how that worked out for him). Miguel Cotto is no Ricky Hatton, in that he's more of an operator inside the ring; Ricky Hatton was one dimensional, Cotto's not.

I think Manny Pacquiao's in and out south-paw style will give Cotto a lot of trouble. The outcome will be determined by how well Miguel Cotto can adapt to Manny Pacquiao's relentlessness and speed. We already know what to expect from Pacquiao - he brings it everytime he steps into the ring. The question mark remains on Cotto; will his confidence and self belief be where it was prior to his fight with Margarito? I don't think it will be. Not to say Miguel Cotto wont bring the house of cards on fight night, because he will. However, I don't think Miguel Cotto is where he was, say, two years ago.

I think the fight will be competitive until the very end. One reason I do not think Pacquiao will blow Cotto out of the water is for the simple fact that, Cotto has a good jab and underrated speed. The jab of Cotto will give Manny trouble - but in the end, someone is getting stopped and it'll most likely be Miguel Cotto. Manny Pacquiao has better stamina than Miguel Cotto. I think Manny's superior stamina will be the deciding factor in this bout.

My early prediction: Manny Pacquiao wins via 10 round TKO.

Miguel Cotto Gains Split Decision Victory Over Joshua Clottey

Going into the Cotto-Clottey fight, I knew it wouldn't be an easy night for Miguel Cotto. Joshua Clottey is extremely underrated and as tough as they come.

The first round saw Cotto knock Clottey down with a stiff jab. The knockdown had more to do with Clottey's balance than it did with Cotto's power. It was a good shot none-the-less - and I thought it was a sign of what was to come for the remainder of the bout. I was wrong.

Miguel Cotto suffered a cut in the 3rd round over his left eye by Joshua Clottey's head. The cut would bother Miguel Cotto for the whole bout and seriously impacted his performance on the night. Miguel Cotto had a perfectly good reason to quit after the 6th round, but he didn't. He kept on fighting, even changing tactics late in the championship rounds, from stationary target to boxer.

I thought it was a brave performance by Miguel Cotto, given the cut and who he was fighting. Champions find ways to win. Champions find ways to overcome adversity. That's exactly what Miguel Cotto did.

Realistically the fight could have gone either way, but the judges saw it for Cotto. As did I. I had the bout in favor of Cotto, 114-113. The knockdown in round one being the difference.

Joshua Clottey gave a spirited effort, but fell short again. Clottey could have taken the decision if he was busier in the final two rounds. He has no one to blame but himself.

There are serious talks of Miguel Cotto facing Manny Pacquiao, Nov. 14.

Joshua Clottey Is Not A Pushover

Fighting Joshua Clottey (35-20-2) is no easy task for anyone, and I expect that to be the case for Miguel Cotto, when he faces Clottey on June 13, at Madison Square Garden in a scheduled 12-round bout.

Joshua Clottey has never been stopped in his 35 trips to the ring and has only tasted defeat twice, both by unanimous decision; once by Carlos Baldomir and the other by Antonio Margarito.

Miguel Cotto possesses tremendous power in both fists, and is the better technician, but Clottey is a tough nut to crack. Clottey has an iron chin and a tank that seems to never run out of gas. If anyone is getting stopped in this bout it will be Cotto, not Clottey.

This is a dangerous fight for Miguel Cotto because of the aforementioned attributes Clottey brings to the table. Cotto should be able to (should is the key word here) effectively outbox Clottey to win by decision - and I expect that to happen - but not before Clottey makes things dicey for Cotto along the way. Clottey's pressure could crack Cotto before the final bell rings. I would not be surprised in the least if Clottey somehow manages to stop Cotto; he is a live underdog.

My final prediction for this bout: Close but clear unanimous decision for Miguel Cotto.