Many posters have pointed out that Pac will not be as strong or as big as Cotto naturally is. This may possibly very well be the case (is a chance Pac ends up being stronger and heavier come fight night-slim chance though). But where the statements and arguments begin to fail is concerning Pacs ability to KO or TKO Cotto because he may not be powerful enough. ODH recently stated Pac didn't hurt him or punch that hard. I actually agree with ODH. Diaz also said the same thing. But what Diaz also did say if you remeber the post fight interview was: Pacman didnt ever really hurt me with a single punch, he JUST KEPT PUNCHING AND FROM EVERY ANGLE, IT WAS NONSTOP AND HE WAS SO FAST (not exact quote but if you hear the post fight interview, same points made). Those punches that didnt hurt him endend up causing him to be KO'd later in the fight, the accumulation of NONSTOP, FAST, PUNCHES COMING FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. ODH made the same point during a past interview: Pacman was very fast and punches came from odd/every angle. Both these boxers have stated that Pacman never really hurt them with a single punch, but both were KO'd or TKO'd. My main point being that is appears Pacman can still win possibly via KO or TKO even if he is not the stronger puncher and doesnt have one-punch KO power vs a bigger Cotto. And yes, I know ODH was not in his prime and Diaz is no great champion (correct me if im wrong, but I dont believe Diaz had ever been stopped in a fight until Pacman-a nice accomplishment considering Diaz said he never was hurt by a single punch and Pac was moving up in weight). This post isn't to discount or imply that Pacman will win. I just think that Pacman definitely has the capability of possibly winning via KO or TKO even if his power is not near the level of Cottos, simply due to his fight style of nonstop, FAST punches. Cotto presents a whole world of problems potentially for Pacman, as Cotto has KO power and also can fight nonstop. To me this fight is a toss up as to who will win but, I think if Pacman doesnt get bullied around the ring by an aggresive Cotto, his speed and punch output can tilt the fight into his favor towards a KO or TKO in the later rounds or a decision. Im a believer in speed over power among great fighters. The great thing is all it takes is one or two punches from that power puncher, to negate all speed and end a fight. So if this fight doesn't end early, it can be anyones game come the later rounds-cant wait!
if anything ODLH's statement shows that Pac can stop Cotto. He says Pac's punches didn't hurt him, yet Pac was still able to stop Oscar. Now, Pacquiao is even more adjusted to the heigher weights. When Pac fought Oscar, he had fought at 130 just 9 months prior. Cotto is facing a Pacquiao who has weighed in at 135, 142, and 138 consecutively, and who will be even stronger this time around. To top it off Cotto does not have the same quality chin as Oscar and his defense is not that much better. So if Pacquiao was able to stop Oscar despite not punching hard, then that shows that he has the capability to stop Cotto, regardless of his power. Knockouts often have as much to do with how many punches you're landing than how hard you punch. On the flipside, I don't think Cotto can knock out Pacquiao. Pac is an extremely fast fighter and very hard to land on consistantly. To top it off he has a great chin. If Cotto is winning rounds against Pac then its likely that Pacquiao is just dropping his punch output because Cotto is so strong that its keeping him on the defensive too much. Don't expect Cotto to be landing more than 5-10 power punches per round which is about what Marquez was averaging in terms of power connects in both fights. Thats definately not enough to knock a guy like Pacquiao out no matter how strong Cotto is. Honestly I see absolutely no way that Cotto can stop Pac, I actually think the opposite scenario is alot more likely. In the end though this fight will probably go the distance.
DLH statements are as null as a mummy punching bag who was lifted from his grave, because thats what ODL was that night. Any punches Pacquiao landed probably had 3X the effect they normally would have simply because Oscar was in no health to be boxing professionally that night.
Pac can definately KO Cotto but I still think Cotto's natural size & strength will see him win the fight.