Pac vs Cotto......

It all comes down to how well Cotto will be at 145. If it doesnt affect him then he beats pac easily but if he is drained (which is quite likely) then pac will do it. I know there are plenty of people saying 'its just 2 lbs, thats not really anything' but if its that insignificant then why make the rule in the first place.

Cotto by early KO if the weight isnt an issue. You will be able to tell by looking at Cotto at the weigh in. If he looks gaunt then it could be pacs night.

 

I doubted PAC before now, twice. I cannot again. From what I have seen recently, PAC should destroy Cotto, but we may be surprised just how good Cotto could be. If Cotto is competitive, it could be a war.
Could be one of the best fights ever, It's safe to assume Cotto should put up more resistance than De La Hoya and Hatton.
Both fighters have the KO power here.

 

Great post threethirteen

For me, Cotto has beaten Mosley, he's beaten Quintana, Judah, Clottey. He lost a war to an animal in Margarito (boxing brilliantly) against probably loaded gloves.

It STILL doesn't make any sense to me that Pac can come to this weight and beat a guy who HAS beaten the best at the weight.

But it's gonna be a sickener if Cotto looks **** in there because of this catchweight nonsense.

That will be 2 out of 3 of Pac's amazing recent wins decided on the scales, I hope Cotto looks fine in there.

 

For me it is looking as though the supposed problems between Roach and Pac's entourage are genuine, I have gone with Cotto almost from the start in this one and I am becoming more and more confident with my pick every day.

Cotto is a 13/8 underdog with Paddy Power if anyone fancys a flutter.

 

Pac always gets a little weird between/in the build up to fights doesn't he, goes back to the Philippines and sends messages to Arum that he wants 5% more of the purse etc, but nobody can actually find or contact him, that kind of thing

However, for a guy who has rebuilt himself as a fighter and achieved what he's done I'd be surprised if he wasn't bang on come fight night

You never know though

A few variables at play in this one, hard to call

 

The issue for me is that much of Pacquaio's current form is a mirage. Yes he's looked great but you must take into account the performance and quality of the fighters he's in with.

You need to do the same with Cotto and, quite simply, he's faced much better opposition over a similar period. Yes, he's looked less dominant, but the last time Manny faced a genuine threat he looked pretty ordinary (against Marquez). Cotto blasted through the two average guys he faced (Jennings and Gomez), same as how Manny went through Oscar, Diaz and Hatton - who WERE average by that point.

Manny struggled with Marquez, Cotto struggled with Mosley, Clottey and lost (suspiciously) to Margarito after looking incredible in the first five rounds and still giving a good account of himself until he retired.

This is very even, but the difference is that the guys Cotto's been facing have been able to ask questions of him and he's answered in most cases. Manny hasn't been asked a question since Marquez.

I strongly believe Manny's "superhuman" status is smoke and mirrors simply because of the guys he's been fighting.

 

threethirteen, I agree with the questions you pose about Pac, but I'm just not as convinced as you about the answers

It's not just the oppo he's beat lately but the way he's done it

Still can't decide whether it's great matchmaking or a once in a generation fighter

Probably a bit of both

 

I think this is Cotto's night. He's started training already and has a nutritionist on board so hopefully coming down a few extra pounds shouldn't be too difficult.

Also i agree with what alot of people have been saying about Pac being 'untested' at the higher weights. Yes he has scored some fantastic victories, but questions can be raised about all those victories ie Hattons poor preparation and DLH's weight struggles.

The two big issues for Cotto will be his tendency to cut easily and Pac-mans speed, if he can solve either of these the fight is his.

Anyone know where this will be shown on British TV??