by Geoffrey Ciani – In my previous article Can Miguel Cotto beat Manny Pacquiao in a rematch at 154? I asked fans for feedback on whether they believe Miguel Cotto has a chance to beat Manny Pacquiao if the two squared off again for Cotto’s WBA junior middleweight title. In my opinion, if a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather cannot be made, this may be one of the best alternatives available for Pacquiao. With Emanuel Steward in his corner, Cotto adds a new dimension to his fight game. In addition, fighting nine pounds north of where they first fought seems to be something which favors Cotto. In the end, I’m not sure the added weight or Hall of Fame trainer will be enough for Cotto to win but I do believe it’s more than enough to help make things interesting.
Here are what some of the fans who replied had to say about this possibility:
With Manny Steward in his corner Cotto probably wins at 154. In the first fight Cotto’s corner was terrible and inexperienced. Cotto already showed vast improvements under Steward in just one fight. Pacquiao and Roach knew they needed an advantage over Cotto so they forced him to come in at 145 which shows how cowardly they really are. If anyone has any doubt about Roach and Pacquiao fearing Floyd Mayweather Jr, just look at all the BS they pulled already.
Mike Ferguson
Cleveland, OH
I would say yes, a rematch at 154 may have a different result. My opinion is based on experience looking how some fighters improve or not at different weight levels. I think Cotto looks more natural at 154, the same for Pac Man at 147, no drain, no jumping rope, no struggle to make weight. I read various articles from fitness pros were they explain how hard it is for a person that doesn’t have much body fat to lose a single pound, basically they sacrifice muscle too. Cotto was high at the 150’s or maybe even more and have to make the 145, in my opinion that’s a lot to compare with Pacquiao who had breakfast the day of the weight in. The fact that he is also now coupled with an elite trainer is a huge improvement for him in all aspects. We all know how important it is physical conditioning and weight; ask Roach who insisted the fight must be at 145, not at 147.
Eric Gonzalez
Miami, FL
I agree with Bernard Hopkins—Manny Pacquiao is the Bruce Lee of boxing.
Christian Twiste
Nutely, NJ
I think Miguel has a chance if he works on speed, Manny was just to fast for him. Miguel can’t beat Manny if he can’t hit him. If Miguel hits Manny he could hurt him bad. He needs to work on speed and also it should be at 154 pounds not a catch weight. I think that hurt Miguel, too. I would also like Miguel to fight Floyd Mayweather. This fight I think would be a good fight too. If Floyd does not want to fight Manny, Miguel Cotto should see if he would fight him.
Onix Sanchez
Norfolk, VA
From the announcement of the first Cotto/Pacquiao fight I knew the odds were against Cotto. The reason is that Roach and Arum are masters at match making. To this day I still don’t understand why Pacquiao gets so much credit for beating his opponenents. Both Barrerra and Morales were at the end of their careers. Both had endured numerous and tremendous wars. Not just with eachother but with other opponents as well. The one guy who was still relatively fresh was Marquez and to this day some boxing writers believe Marquez won both fights. De La Hoya was forced to fight at a weight he had not fought in years. Not to mention the fact that he was passed his prime. When he fought Cotto, he was forced to fight at a weight that was no longer comfortable to him. Clottey has never been known for his offensive skill. And he is certainly not in the same class as these other fighters. Neither was Hatton. Can anyone say Hatton was a top tier fighter? Hatton was knocked out by Mayweather who is not known for his knock out power. At least not in comparison to his skill. I mean, Mayweather was not able to put a much smaller man in Marquez away. Yet he was able to knock out Hatton cold. My point is; which of these fighters can we honestly say was a great fighter and was in his prime when he fought Pacquiao? De La Hoya was, but he was not in his prime. Barrera and Morales were, but they were no longer in their prime. Cotto might be considered a great fighter, but was he in his prime and was he allowed to fight in the weight that was comfortable to him? Clottey is a good and durable fighter but he is not in the same class as these other guys. Hatton definitely is not in the same class. Hatton comes in head first which is perfect for Manny’s style. What I’m talking about is like when De La Hoya fought Mosley both times. They fought in their weights and were absolutely in their prime. When Barrera fought Morales in their trilogy they were in their prime. Like when Leonard fought Hearns or Leonard fought Duran. In my opinion, Pacquiao’s camp has been strategically promoting him. This is not to say he is not a great fighter, but how does he truly compare to other great fighters? The only close fights he’s been in have been with the only undamaged fighter which is Marquez. Although I think by now, Marquez is definitely on his way out. I think a rematch with Cotto at a better weight will prove tougher for Manny especially with a top tier trainer like Steward. But I think that since Cotto swells up and cuts much easier now, Manny will win again. For the record, I was just as skeptical about De La Hoya when he was coming up. He was being talked about as one of the all time greats just because he beat lower tier fighters such as Genaro Hernandez and Rafael Ruelas. So until I see Manny beat someone in their prime without any special weight requests, I’ll remain skeptical about how great he truly is.
J.Carlos
California City, CA
Just want to share my thoughts to your question if Cotto can beat Pacquaio in a rematch at 154. For me, I cannot see this happening, even they do it at 160 or higher, the weight does not matter and the result will be still the same or even worst. Even Freddie Roach said before that ”you cannot teach old dogs new tricks”, and this is exactly what happened to Oscar DelaHoya with Nacho Beristain and Ricky Hatton with Floyd Mayweather Sr. Emanuel Steward is a great trainer but he can’t do anything more on Cotto’s style at this late stage of his career. Even Roach took 8 years of transforming Pacquiao into a complete fighter. I guarantee you that if Cotto was hurt by Pacquiao again, he will go back to his old style and all the teachings of Steward will be thrown out of the window. I see Pacquiao will be more dangerous on the rematch because his more confident and don’t need to adjust to anything Cotto brings to the table. It will be a shorter night for Cotto like what happened to Morales rubber match.Lastly, I’d rather like to see Cotto to avenge his contoversial loss to Margarito and his unfinished business with Clottey. And of course like everyone else I want to see Pacquiao-Mayweather.
Isaac Beautista
Singapore
I think what’s going to help Cotto out is not fighting Manny at 154 but having Emanuel Steward in his corner. Cotto just needed to box Manny the first time they fought and the outcome would have been totally different. Cottos corner was way to green. Steward will come up with a solid game plan for Cotto, bring him great sparing partners, and make Cotto box and only box. I believe Cotto has a great shot to win with these things I mentioned. You cannot sit in the pocket and exchange punches with Manny, but if you take your time and think and keep your defense tight you can beat him. This is why Floyd will kill Manny.
Javi Jav
Pacquiao beats Cotto ten times out of ten regardless of who trains him and regardless of what weight limit. Pacquiao is just better than Cotto and nothing will change that.
Jamar Harrell
Sarasota, FL
No! Watching from his latest boxing match with Yuri he did received a lot of good punch every time Yuri tried to engage with Cotto. Yuri was just not a big puncher and that made Cotto a bit lucky. Yuri just seems to enjoy running instead of punching in combinations. Try giving Pacquiao a chance of opening up for twelve rounds. A chance to Pacquiao would mean a combo of at least four punches x twelve rounds. Cotto will really be softer as marshmallow by round ten.
Rojune Entereso
I think the extra weight and improvements to balance would help Cotto with Manny. He would be able to absorb the shots better just because he does not need to cut weight, much like Manny benefited from his move to 140-147. Also, he would see more of the punches coming, he would either get hit less or be able to roll and mitigate some of the damage, so Cotto would not be stunned as often and take as many hard shots unaware. With his balance and movement improved, he may also be able to counter Manny more effectively and generate a little more smart offense. All that said, I think the activity level of Manny still wins a unanimous decision over Cotto at 154. It’s kind of like the adjustments Barerra was able to muster in his rematch with Manny, enough to survive, but not enough to win. I think Manny and Cotto have both shown that their chin, stamina, and power are all improved when they do not have to cut weight. The can spend their camps prepping to box, just not conditioning to make the weight.
Jonathan Cabildo
Pacquiao will never come up to that weight, Roach has already stated as much in interviews. Cotto could come down some though because he’s carrying a little extra.In their last fight, Cotto was unprepared. With a new strategy he has the tools for the job. Pacquiao is fast and powerful, if he has the room to move. Cotto works best inside coming forward. In their last fight, Cotto got hit in open water or on the retreat. You cannot retreat against a guy who’s fast than you, who generates power through distance. I think it takes explosive power to beat Pacquiao or an airtight defense that exposes his clumsy-style and preferably both in the same fighter (like Mayweather). I also think a decent southpaw would give him serious trouble but Roach won’t go there – a prime Judah would have put Pacquiao to sleep in three rounds. Clottey had an effective defense and scored well against Pacquiao. He didn’t press the fight however and never sustained an attack. Marquez hurt Pacquiao by fighting in the same way as Pacquiao – fast hands, using distance to generate power but it was tit-for-tat. Cotto needs to work to his strengths, on explosive combinations, closing distance and tightening his defence against a faster fighter (particularly against Pacquiao’s jab). I’m not sure you can teach an old dog that many new tricks. I think a fighter like Berto, who has already proven an aptitude for fighting southpaws and who hits with explosive speed, is a better bet for beating Pacquiao.
Finn Dudaniec
If they have a rematch the fight should be at 150. If it’s 150 or lower, Pacquiao wins again, if not, Pacquiao probably loses. Anything over 150 would be terrible for King Pacquiao.
Chester Glass
Seattle, WA
***
To view a complete list of past guests from On the Ropes Boxing Radio please visit our website:
http://www.ontheropesboxingradio.com/profiles.html
To contact Geoffrey Ciani or Jenna J:
ontheropes@boxing247.com
To read more by Ciani or Jenna please visit The Mushroom Mag:
http://www.eatthemushroom.com/mag