Stephen "Breadman" Edwards breaks down Pac/Cotto catchweight issue!

Source: http://boxingtalk.com/pag/article.php?aid=22869

You ask why did Manny make Cotto come down to 145lbs? The same reason why Cotto made Margarito come down to 153lbs and was trying to make him come down to 151lbs. I’m interested to hear your response to that. Nobody talks about the fact that Cotto/Margarito was a catchweight fight. More importantly how asinine it was. I have never heard of a catchweight fight where the participants have to come in 1lb under the weight limit……

I don’t think Team Pacquiao was still 100% sold on Manny being a beast at 147 at the time they fought Cotto. I think they were being super careful and they were going to use any leverage they could, when they had it. Let’s remember in the fight before Cotto, Manny weighed 138lbs. I still think if Manny pushed himself to the max he could make 135.

Now onto Cotto. I had never heard of Cotto having weight troubles at welterweight. Cotto was supposed to be much stronger and more sturdy at welterweight than he was at junior welter. Remember how he was being marketed at the time. I also never viewed Cotto as a busting out the seams fighter at welterweight. I view Tito Trinidad, Gerald McClellan and Brandon Rios as that. If you ask those guys to come in 2lbs lighter it would kill them. Just because a fighter fights at a certain weight, that doesn’t mean he can’t make a lower weight, he just may not be able to make the division below.

For example Marvin Hagler can make 158 but he can’t make junior middleweight. Terry Norris could make 149, just not welterweight. This actually applies for most fighters. I don’t believe making 145 in a day before weight affected Cotto in his performance in the fight.

Not only did Cotto come in at 146 the fight before that, but he showed the same weaknesses he has always shown in tough fights. He doesn’t have a bad chin, but it’s vulnerable. He also fades and when he gets hurt he starts to retreat. Cotto did this against Lovemore N dou at 140, look at the fight. He did it against Shane at 147, look at the fight. He did it against Clottey the fight he had before Pacquiao and he just did it a little against Margarito2. For the record I predict he will do it against Floyd at 154.

I also want to point out that Cotto came out looking great against Pacquiao. Manny didn’t wait until Cotto faded from possibly being weight drained, he turned it on early and got to Cotto before the excuse could kick in. He hit him with a punch he didn’t see I believe in the 3rd round and he dominated him for about 9 rounds in the row.….. Don’t be blind with hate.

Manny dominated Cotto from the early going and took the fight away from him. Before the fight Cotto said that all he had to do was train an extra 10 minutes a day, to cut the calories and make 145 easy. There were NO reports of Cotto struggling to make weight. After the fight Cotto said that the weight had nothing to do with the outcome. He claimed Manny was the best fighter he ever fought and he just couldn’t calculate where the punches were coming from. Now 3 years later all of the excuses come out. I have to ask why are you making excuses for a fighter who didn’t make excuses for himself ,after he got his butt beat. Manny Pacquiao has proven to be a better fighter than Miguel Cotto, period.

Cotto is doing well at 154, Top Rank is great at reinenting fighters. I think Cotto went to 154, because at the time the division was not as stacked. It worked perfect, Cotto gained another 3 years on his career and about another 15 million in his bank account. If you remember back Oscar did the same thing when he lost to Shane. Top Rank has the formula. Cotto took on a non puncher in a BIG New York fight, at Yankee Stadium. Yuri Foreman was the perfect foil. Then he fought an ancient Mayorga. We don’t have to talk about the Margarito fight. By the way I give him full credit for the Margarito win. 153 didn’t matter, he won the fight. I don’t hate…… I hope my answer was good enough for you.

I have one more prediction. Our world of boxing has come to a point of disgrace. The so-called best fighter ever, blasts a guy on Twitter, claims the guy is ducking him and then makes him an offer the he CAN refuse. Ironic? I think not... typical? I think yes. Tim Bradley is nowhere near Amir Khan’s equal at the box office. But Khan made him the best offer an A side fighter can offer an elite opponent. I know what fighter’s do when they want to make fights. I say that to say, this whole Mayweather/Cotto promotion will be about Manny Pacquiao and his catchweight fight with Cotto. “They” will put the “spin” on it and make it like Cotto struggled so bad to make 145 and he was so depleted come fight night. They will also turn him into the best junior middleweight since Mike McCallum and make it like 154 is his prime weight, just to make it look like when Floyd beats him that his accomplishment was so much greater than Manny’s 3 years prior. As we hear quotes from the promotion and the 24/7 series, I want you to write in and acknowledge my prediction…..

I don’t believe in political smear campaigns when fighters can just get in the ring and fight.

 

Breadman was pretty spot on! :good I would love to see someone dispute anything he said.

 

He also has an excellent track record when it comes to predicting fights. He was spot on with Mayweather/Ortiz. When Floyd choked Ortiz during the promo and Ortiz smiled and didnt do anything, Bread stated that Ortiz has too much respect for Floyd and that it will be his downfall in the fight. That's exactly what happened.

 

Does anyone know what the fight night weights were for Pac and Cotto?