Pacquiao vs Margarito | Pacquiao Fight Updates

LOS ANGELES - Sports fans around the world can breathe again as it was announced today that the highly anticipated 12-round welterweight showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manuel Marquez has been officially rescheduled for September 19, after Mayweather, who suffered a rib injury while training for the originally scheduled July 18 date, received clearance from his doctor to participate on the new date..

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," which will still take place at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and be televised live on HBO Pay-Per-View, will now take place on what on what is historically considered boxing's biggest weekend, and falling on the time-honored tradition of Mexican Independence Day.

"I am relieved to be cleared to fight as I was already looking forward to getting back in the ring," said Mayweather. "Trust me, September 19 is a great weekend for boxing, and all of my fans, of which there are many Mexicans too, can certainly hold on to their hats and sombreros when I get back in to the ring and show them what they have been missing these past 18 months. I will destroy Marquez and reclaim my rightful place as boxing's pound-for-pound king all in one night. Don't miss it."

Marquez, who has also agreed to fight on the new date, is excited about appearing yet again on the time-honored tradition of El Grito de Independence.

"I am happy that Mayweather has been cleared to fight and we can get down to business on September 19," said Marquez. "This weekend is not just an important weekend for boxing, but even more so for all of the Mexican and Mexican-American people I will be fighting for who will have a great reason to celebrate my win over Mayweather, which will be for all of the people and for the entire country of Mexico that night. I am sure of victory and si se puede- yes we can and yes we will!"

Mayweather vs. Marquez: "Number One/Numero Uno," is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions in association with Marquez Promotions and is sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and Southwest Airlines.

Tickets priced at $1,000, $750, $600, $300 and $150, not including applicable service charges, go on sale Friday, May 22 at 10 a.m. Ticket sales at $1,000, $750, $600 and $300 are limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com

The Mayweather vs. Marquez pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Marquez fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com



http://www.eastsideboxing.com/

Over the past several months I have made two predictions regarding Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs); one was that he would beat Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) and the other was that he would take care of business with Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs). As Pacquiao looks toward his next bout in November against Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), I will make another prediction; this one not in the favor of the beloved Pacman.

FILIPINO’S LUCK & RUN COMING TO END

Being a fan of both fighters isn’t an issue for me in making this pick. My feelings towards fighters rarely interfere with the objective nature of journalism. However, I will tell you this; Manny Pacquiao will lose to Miguel Cotto. This time, Manny and his team have simply bitten off more than they can chew. I am very, very happy to see Manny and his trainer Freddie Roach finally get their props, but I don’t think there is any game plan that they can come up with against Cotto that will have an end result in their favor.

BE HONEST, OSCAR WAS MORE SHOT THAN TUPAC!

When De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes (34-7, 10 KOs), I could tell he wasn’t who he once was, and when the Pac fight was signed I knew he wouldn’t be able to keep the little Filipino off of him. When Pac signed to face the overrated Ricky Hatton, I knew he would stop him as Hatton doesn’t even know how to spell defense, let alone show it in the ring. But with Cotto, it will be too much. Cotto isn’t just a big name, he isn’t just an icon in Puerto Rico, and he isn’t just a legitimate welterweight with legitimate boxing skills and solid power. He is however all of this and more, and on top of that, he won’t come charging in like a drunk Mancunian and at the set catch weight of 145 lbs, he won’t come in completely drained.

IT’LL BE COTTO’S NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

Even if Cotto has lost a step since getting hit with bricks last year (Antonio Margarito), he still has more than enough left to take care of Pacquiao. He was able to deal with Shane Mosley’s (46-5, 39 KOs) blinding speed, and he will make the necessary adjustments to deal with Pac’s speed. If Cotto comes in injury free and doesn’t have difficulty making weight, this will be a vicious one sided affair in favor of the Puerto Rican. I love Manny Pacquiao not only for what he has done for the sport, but also for the generous, kind person that he is, but in this fight, I can’t see him having much of a shot.

TEN REASONS COTTO WILL BEAT PACQUIAO

10.) Speed- Even though this asset goes to Pacquiao, Cotto will know how use it in his benefit and counter; making it to his advantage; not the Pacman’s.

9.) Power- Pacman has tons of pop, but Cotto still has the advantage here, especially given his size advantage and body attack.

8.) Punch Selection- Cotto knows what to throw and when to throw it.

7. ) Size- No explanation needed here, Cotto is much bigger!

6.) Boxing Skills- As much as Manny has improved, he still isn’t as technically sound as the Puerto Rican.

5.) Defense- Cotto has very good and probably under rated defense. He will be able to parry Pac’s straight left hand with ease.

4.) Experience- Both men have significant ring experience, but I think Cotto’s will better suit him for this fight; mainly because of his fight against Shane Mosley.

3.) Respect- Cotto will show respect for Manny’s power instead of simply running in like an amateur a la Hatton.

2.) Will- Both men have great heart, grit and will, but Cotto has had to show it more often, and has no problem doing so.

AND THE #1 REASON WHY COTTO WILL BEAT PAC

1.) Ring IQ- Cotto simply understands the game slightly better; giving him the knowledge and know how to beat Pac.




http://ringtalk.com/

After the Cotto-Clottey match held at the Madison Square Garden, two major boxing issues have dominated sports headlines; money and Manny. Money refers to the purse for the upcoming Pacquiao-Cotto match while Manny refers to the popular Filipino boxer.
Why is there a mad rush to land a fight with the Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao?

Top promoter Bob Arum gave an honest, straight forward answer. ‘They all want a taste of the money’.

Any rated boxer who lands a fight with Pacquiao at this time when the pound-for-pound king is on top of his career will make a substantial amount of money even if he shares just 30% of the purse.

Pacquiao is today’s hottest boxing property. The popular Filipino boxer is the highest-paid boxer in the world today. Any of the four top rated boxers (Mayweather, Marquez, Cotto and Mosley) will be assured of being called the second highest paid boxer in the world, even if he just share 30% of the fight purse.

Mbcom.ph reports:

Being the undisputed face of boxing, Pacquiao is a certified box-office and pay-per-view star and this is the main reason why Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez have been itching to be rewarded with a date with a Pacquiao fight, noted Arum, who inked Pacquiao to a lucrative contract in late-2006 following the Filipino’s twin demolition job on erstwhile Top Rank top talent Erik Morales


Meanwhile, negotiations for a Pacquiao-Cotto match are now in its final stages. Earlier, Freddie Roach was reported to have agreed with the camp of Cotto on the catch weight issue which was reported to be 144-145.

Michael Koncz, the Canadian adviser of Manny Pacquiao has just met with Bob Arum in Las Vegas, Nevada last weekend and got the proposal for presentation to Team Pacquiao when Koncz reports to Pacquiao on Tuesday.

The Pacquiao-Cotto match is being planned for November 14, 2009 at the MGM Grand garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.



http://www.digitaljournal.com/

MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach has started doing his homework in anticipation of a big match between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas.

The three-time Trainer of the Year told the Philippine radio program Sports Chat that Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion, is no pushover as others would think.

“He is a very strong fighter and puncher. We have to pay attention to that. That is my biggest worry,” he said of Cotto, who’s younger, taller and heavier.

Roach, the hottest trainer in the sport today, is not wasting time.

“We have to come up with a game plan to defeat this guy. I studied his fights last night. I’m going to see his previous fights and see if we could pick up some habits that we can take advantage of.”

Negotiations for the fight are on, and Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who handles both boxers, said it’s close to being sealed. He said it should be done next week.

Roach feels it’s just a matter of time before the fight is formalized, whether it’s held at 145 lb or less, and whether Pacquiao gets 65 percent or everything or more.

Pacquiao, at 30 two years older, should concentrate on the body if he wants to chop down Cotto early. Nacho Beristain, the Mexican trainer, believes that Cotto may go down in six rounds.

“Manny should take advantage of the body. He’s not strong to the body. He has a pretty good chin. He can take punches in the head. But I think we have to break him down in the earlier rounds and work at the body a lot,” said Roach.

Pacquiao was at ringside when Cotto survived Josh Clottey a few weeks ago at the Madison Square Garden, and he probably liked what he saw – a beatable 147 lb champion.

“I think it is a hard fight for us. But I think it is a winnable fight. I think Manny can now box him,” Roach said.

“Whether it is 143, 144 or 145 pounds, it does not matter. I have no problem with 145 pounds. Cotto is a welterweight champion of the world. When we fought Oscar (Dela Hoya) at 147, he was not a world champion. Miguel would be the toughest fight to date at least on paper.”

Another concern for Roach is what people might say after Pacquiao, who has won his last four fights in different weight classes, beats the Puerto Rican champ.

He said Dela Hoya was favored to win against Pacquiao but when the American legend lost in eight rounds people came up with excuses.

“They say he (Dela Hoya) is going to kill Manny. After the fight, they say he is old. After we beat Cotto, what are they going to say?,” Roach told Sports Chat.



http://www.philstar.com/

“They all want a taste of the money,” Arum told the Bulletin early this week when asked about why the likes of Shane Mosley and even his promoter Oscar De La Hoya have been making noise – and almost on their bended knees – appealing that a fight between Pacquiao and Mosley be staged instead of the one that is close to being done.

Arum said negotiations are underway – and proceeding smoothly – for Pacquiao to face Miguel Cotto, another Top Rank chattel like Pacquiao, on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand with Pacquiao, it’s going to be like this in the future because Manny brings the money,” said the Hall of Fame promoter.

Arum said everything is about the money involved in a Pacquiao fight that makes seemingly level-headed men like Mosley suddenly go way over-the-top.

“They want to fight him because of the money (that comes with fighting Pacquiao),” Arum said.

Pacquiao stands to earn much more than what he got from fighting De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton when he tangles with Cotto.

Being the undisputed face of boxing, Pacquiao is a certified box-office and pay-per-view star and this is the main reason why Mosley, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez have been itching to be rewarded with a date with a Pacquiao fight, noted Arum, who inked Pacquiao to a lucrative contract in late-2006 following the Filipino’s twin demolition job on erstwhile Top Rank top talent Erik Morales.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao will get to see the content of Arum’s proposal for a Cotto fight when Canadian Mike Koncz arrives in Manila on Tuesday.

Koncz is one of Pacquiao’s advisers and he told this paper yesterday in an overseas call that the proposal is “reasonable” but it would be all up to Pacquiao to decide whether to accept it or not.

“I don’t want to negotiate in the media. What I’ll do is present this to Manny then we’ll see what happens next,” said Koncz, who met with Arum last weekend in Las Vegas.



http://www.mb.com.ph/

Shane Mosley continues to justify himself as the best fighter to land a fight with Manny Pacquiao. In a recent interview with Sports Chat, Mosley talks about his worldwide fan base, his track record as a fighter and his quest to be the best.

"Bob Arum is offering Pacquiao $12 -13 million, I think Pacquiao's going to make $20 million fighting me. I'm confident he'll make more money with me than fighting Cotto. That fight (Miguel vs. Manny) is only big if they are fighting in New York" said Mosley, who thinks Cotto is not the same top calibre fighter he once was after his loss to Margarito.

"It is not just the Filipinos versus Puerto Ricans. It is a world wide fight. Manny Pacquiao is worldwide now.He is not just confined to Philippines and Puerto Ricans. And that is what I bring to the table. I bring world wide recognition. I have Filipino fans. I have Puerto Rican fans, I have American fans. I have fans around the world. I have been fighting for 15 years. I have been champion for a long time. I just don't come out of the blue. "added Mosley, who has been in the fight scene longer than the Puerto Rican Star.

"I believe Richard Schaefer talks to Bob Arum all the time. He tells him to make this fight. But Arum just cancels him out and says he's going to make the Cotto fight. He just close his mind out to the whole idea. I know Pacquiao is ready to fight but the only problem is Bob Arum. " said a frustrated Mosley as he continues to sell himself to the boxing public.

" Im a multimillionare. This is not about the money. It's about the legacy, it's about fighting the best and be considered the best. That is why I fought fought Vernon Forest, Wrinky Wright, Oscar De La Hoya. Now, the fight that I want is the fight that fans want. It is a fight between me and Manny Pacquiao or between me and Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather may come out of the shell and want to fight me and I might have to fight Mayweather. But I might as well fight Pacquiao first then Mayweather next. "

"People understand that Im a great and legendary fighter.I am a true fighter and a warrior. Manny Pacquiao is the same breed as me. He wants to be the best. I want to fight Manny because I want to be considered the best. It is about having the best fight in boxing"said Mosley, who wants Pacquiao to go and choose the best fight for the good of boxing.



http://www.digitaljournal.com/

One of the best trainers in the sport, Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, said Manny Pacquiao will stop Miguel Cotto within six rounds. The Cotto-Pacquiao bout is being lined up for November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with the catch-weight of 145-pounds being likely. Beristain trained Juan Manuel Marquez for both bouts with Pacquiao, and trained Oscar De La Hoya for last year's career-ending loss to Pacquiao.

Beristain says Cotto has not looked the same since last July's knockout loss to Antonio Margarito. He said Cotto was not himself in the recent fight with Joshua Clottey, where Cotto won a close split decision.

"Cotto remained a little deteriorated after the fight that he had with Antonio Margarito and to be up against Manny Pacquiao, with all due respect - since I respect and I admire Puerto Rican boxing, but I believe that Pacquiao should put him on the canvas in five or six rounds," Beristain told Primera Hora.

He said Cotto may have made too many changes, and combined with the beating from Margarito, could be a dangerous combination for the fight ahead.

"In the fight against Clottey, you could see some of the aftermath of what happened with Margarito. Clotty is not a top-level fighter and nevertheless, in some moments Cotto was put in predicaments and the punches were affecting him," Beristain said.

"Before he was a fighter with good technique, fast and well cared for, but he doesn't seem like himself. He changed his coach, changed some of his habits and catches more punches. I do not believe that it would very advisable to take a fight like this after changing his main trainer. A fight with Pacquiao is serious thing. You have to be well prepared. The fight with Pacquiao can be dangerous."



http://www.boxingscene.com/

This Saturday, rising jr. welterweight contender "Vicious" Victor Ortiz (24-1-1, 19KOs) faces hard-hitting Marco Maidana (25-1, 24KOs) for the interim WBA jr. welterweight title. It will be the first time that the young star will headline a main event on HBO and he hopes to make a statement as he continues his quest to become the new face of boxing. With a number of their fighters either on their way out or having a hard time landing fights, Golden Boy Promotions is eager to create a new crossover star that will carry the company into the future.

"He really is a rising star of the sport. He has the million-dollar smile. He has the charisma. And he has, most importantly, the skills in the ring...HBO looks at him as one of the handful of fighters that can, and hopefully will, carry the sport in the coming years," Golden Boy CEO Richard Scheafer stated in a recent interview with Dan Rafael of ESPN.

With Oscar De La Hoya's recent retirement and stars like Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Ricky Hatton not far behind, the time may be sooner rather than later for Ortiz to carry the Golden Boy torch. Already ranked #3 by the WBA and #2 by the WBO, an impressive win over Maidana will surely put Ortiz on the fast track to a shot at any one of the current champions in the division, including Timothy Bradley, Juan Urango, Andreas Kotelnik and, dare I say it, Manny Pacquiao.

Ironically, the first 22 fights of Ortiz's career were with promoter Bob Arum. After filing for bankruptcy and getting his promotional contract with Top Rank voided by the court, Ortiz quickly signed with Golden Boy Promotions. He would later reveal that he felt Top Rank wasn't giving enough attention to his career. "I'm really happy to be under Oscar de la Hoya's and his team's guidance. I'm going to do everything it takes to become boxing's next big star and one day fill Oscar's big shoes," Ortiz stated upon his signing. Given that Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright have yet to secure any new opponents and fights involving David Haye, Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez were either postponed or canceled, Golden Boy Promotions will be eager to give Ortiz an opportunity to fill those shoes.

Whether or not he is ready to face the best in the division remains to be seen, but this weekend's clash with Maidana is clearly the first step in grooming Ortiz as boxing's next big star. Make no mistake, with 24 knockouts in 26 fights, Maidana is a tough test. His only loss was in his last bout, a controversial split decision that he dropped to current WBA jr. welterweight champion Andreas Kotelnik. If Ortiz can look just as impressive against Maidana as he did in his last bout against former title challenger Mike Arnaoutis, he'll send a message to the rest of the division that he has arrived on the scene. With the history that Ortiz has with Bob Arum, an eventual showdown with Manny Pacquiao somewhere down the road could be at stake. This is definitely one fight that you don't want to miss!



http://www.fighthype.com/

The Ring magazine released their latest pound-for-pound rankings this week and it comes as no surprise that Manny Pacquiao is still at the top of their rankings. The magazine is known as the bible of boxing and is considered the ultimate source of boxing information for fighters and fans alike.

The pound for pound rankings have been around for years and are based on the premise that if all fighters were the same weight where would they rank. The current rankings include boxers, sluggers, veterans and two very exciting young fighters making their mark on the boxing scene.

Below are the current rankings as of June 21, 2009. Listed along with each fighter is their record , titles they hold , weeks The Ring have listed them in the top ten and any upcoming fight they may have. Please note that The Ring doesn't pay too much attention to alphabet trinkets. If a boxer has The Ring belt then he is considered the one and only world champion of that division.

1. Manny Pacquiao, Philippines, 49-3-2 (37), is currently The Ring junior welterweight champion after his destruction of former champ Ricky Hatton. Scheduled as now to fight Miguel Cotto on November 14. The Ring has had Pacquiao in their top 10 for an amazing 290 weeks.

2. Juan Manuel Marquez, Mexico, 50-4-1 (37), is The Ring lightweight champion after defeating Joel Casamayor last year. Marquez also holds the WBA and WBO lightweight belts. A July fight with former pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has been rescheduled for September. Has been in the top 10 for 119 weeks.

3. Bernard Hopkins, Philadelphia , Pa., 49-5-1 (32), fights at light heavyweight and still hopes to get a fight with current cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek. As of now he has no fight scheduled. He entered the rankings 159 weeks ago.

4. Shane Mosley, Pomona , Ca., 46-5 (39) , is ranked number one at welterweight after dismantling Antonio Margarito earlier this year. He owns the WBA welterweight title. Mosley was hoping to secure a fight with Pacquiao or Mayweather , but nothing is scheduled. Mosley has been in the top ten for 22 weeks.

5. Israel Vasquez, Mexico, 43-4 (31) , is The Ring world champion at junior featherweight. Vasquez has suffered medical problems after his three wars with Rafael Marquez. He has not fought since last year. He currently has no fight scheduled and has been on the list for 99 weeks.

6. Rafael Marquez, Mexico, 38-5 (34), is the number one ranked junior featherweight. He lost the last two battles against Vasquez , but recently came back with a quick knockout in May. He currently has no fight scheduled. He has been ranked in the top ten for 57 weeks.

7. Nonito Donaire, Philippines, 21-1 (14), is the current IBF flyweight champ. His age and his style make him a fighter that could possibly move up in the rankings in the coming years. He is boxing's biggest kept superstar secret. He has a stay-busy fight scheduled against Hugo Fidel Cazares in August. He has been on the list for eight weeks.

8. Vic Darchinyan, Armenia, 32-1-1 (26), holds the WBA , WBC and IBF junior bantamweight crowns. He has a fight scheduled against tough Joseph Agbeko in July. He is ranked number one at junior bantamweight and has been on the list for 20 weeks.

9. Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico, 34-1 (27), currently holds the WBO welterweight title and is ranked number two at welterweight. He is coming off a grueling fight against Joshua Clottey and is scheduled to fight Manny Pacquiao in November. He has stayed on the top ten list for 8 weeks.

10. Celestino Caballero, Panama, 32-2 (22), is the WBA and IBF junior featherweight title holder. He is another of boxing's best kept secrets. He currently has no fight scheduled and has been in the top 10 for 22 weeks.

Thanks to The Ring for maintaining and bringing class to the world of boxing. They do not play favorites and have no political agenda. So you can be assured that these rankings are as good as it gets.


http://www.examiner.com

Miguel Cotto is an excellent young fighter. He has great skills, and he has perhaps the best left hook to the body in the business. He is very deserving of fighting anybody, and he is a top 10 pound for pound fighter. With all of that said, he is not Sugar Shane Mosley. Yes he beat him in 2007, close fight that I will discuss in a bit. But in totality he is not yet even close to Shane in accomplishments and achievment. Beating the man, does not make you the man. Jermain Taylor beat Bernard Hopkins twice, but does anybody really think he is as good as Bernard Hopkins. Iran Barkley knocked out Thomas Hearns, but does anybody rational really believe Barkley was a better fighter. No I am not part of the Shane Mosley PR team. In fact, I think Manny Pacquiao beats both him and Cotto, but Mosley is leaps and bounds above Cotto. I know this has been a recurring theme of some of my other stories. But I still can’t believe people are justifying Cotto as a better opponent for Pacquiao instead of Mosley.

History

Miguel Cotto was a good Jr. Welterweight fighter. He beat some solid fighters and won a title belt. But he was in life and death struggles with above average fighters like Ricardo Torres and Demarcus Corley. And he failed to knock out Paul Malignaggi, in a fight of which he lost 3 or 4 rounds. He moved up to Welterweight and scored a spectacular win over Carlos Quintana to win the WBA crown. He would go on to beat Zab Judah in a great fight in 2007. He proceed to beat Mosley in a fight I will discuss in a bit. Then he would lose brutally to Margarito.

Shane Mosley on the the other hand was a destructive lightweight. He defended his title 8 times and probably it would be hard to find a round he actually lost in those 8 defenses. He was the 2nd best lightweight since Roberto Duran. (Pernell Whitaker was better) If anybody questions how good he was pop in the tape of his fight against John John Molina in 1998. It was brilliant. He earned the 1998 BWAA fighter of the year award. He proceeded to jump 2 divisions and beat a prime Oscar De La Hoya. He defended his title 3 times. He was considered at that time by most, to be the best fighter in the world pound for pound. 38-0-35 knockouts.

Vernon Forrest put an end to the Sugar Ray Robinson comparisions with a devastating win in early 2002. He repeated the win in a much closer fight later that year. Mosley would go on to beat De La Hoya again in 2003, controversially(Balco and Scorecards)
He lost to Winky Wright 2 times in 2004, 2nd fight closer then the 1st. Then he would go on a roll with great wins over Fernando Vargas, Luis Collazo, and recently Antonio Margarito, to win the WBA and World(Cyberboxingzone.com) Welterweight Crown.

Just by looking at this. Cotto would have to beat Pacquiao convincingly and win the legitimate title at Jr. Middleweight to equal Mosley. Could it happen? Yes. Will it. I have my doubts.

2007 Fight

First off let me say, I have no problem with the decision. Cotto fought great against Mosley, and anytime there is a close fight, nobody should have a problem with the decision.

But looking back at the fight. It was basically an even fight. Just as many people scored the fight a draw as they did score Cotto the winner, some even had Mosley up in the cards. The Associated Press had it 114-114. They both landed 248 punches. Cotto landed more jabs and boxed better, but Mosley landed more power punches and was stronger down the stretch. It was a very close fight.

Rewatching the fight there are 4 acceptable cards. 116-112 Cotto, 115-113 Cotto, 114-114, and 115-113 Mosley. It depends on what you were watching for. Some like Cotto’s excellent jab that night, some like Mosley effective agressiveness. Personally I had it a draw, but like I said I had no problem with the decision, and nobody should.

But the point here is just because you beat somebody closely and not clearly, it doesn’t make you better then that fighter. My example is Jermain Taylor beating Bernard Hopkins twice. Both of those fights were close, a lot of people had Hopkins winning. But does anybody really feel that Taylor was a better fighter. In my opinion Cotto is a better fighter then Taylor, but Cotto’s win over Mosley was far from decisive. There should have been a rematch to clear it up, but Cotto’s people did not want it.(Cotto would fight anybody, so nobody is blaming him)

Also not one legitimate ranking organization has Cotto ranked above Mosley currently. Everybody has Mosley the number 1 welterweight in the world and higher on the Pound for Pound list then Cotto.

Margarito

Antonio Margarito is the most polarizing fighter in boxing right now. He has even earned the name “Margacheato” for his attempt to load his glove against Shane Mosley earlier this year. Last year, Margarito knocked out and beat up Miguel Cotto in a fight now that has a shadow over it. But for every body who wants to say Cotto is still undefeated, he is not. Margarito style and activity will always give Cotto problems. And while we have our suspicions. We don’t have any evidence to prove it. (I think he did load his gloves)

Now back to Mosley. If anybody watched that fight in January they know that Margarito could have had brinks in his gloves that night and it would not have mattered. Shane Mosley flat out destroyed him. He knocked him out in spectacular fashion. You can’t load your chin, and Shane Mosley laid a whooping. Paul Williams, Joshua Clottey, and Miguel Cotto all landed their best shots, but none made the dent Mosley did. It reminds me of Kelly Pavlik beating Jermain Taylor, who beat Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins proceeded to dominate and humilate Pavlik, much like Mosley did to Margarito.

Closing

In closing, nothing is going to change the fact the Shane Mosley is a better fighter historically then Miguel Cotto as of right now. Mosley beat better fighters, he has accomplished more, and every reputable person who can see believes he is higher ranked then Cotto, even right now at 37 years old. (a rematch could change that but it never happened.)

For the Cotto fans, this is not a slight at your fighter. He is an excellent fighter. But he has a long way to go. Yes, he beat Mosley in 2007, but in the end it was a close and undecisive win that deserved a rematch.

Can Cotto beat Manny Pacquiao? No, I don’t think he can. But I don’t think Shane Mosley can either. But my point is Mosley is more deserving of the fight with Manny Pacquiao and it is not even close. Sorry Cotto fans, its the truth. Mosley is just better right now.



http://www.boxing24.com/