Forget Mosley, forget Mayweather, if you ask me who I truly feel has the best chance of beating Manny Pacquiao, my answer would be Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto (33-1-0 27 KO). Coincidentally, Top Rank chief Bob Arum has been making some noise regarding a Pacquiao and Cotto showdown at the end of the year. Honestly, I think that would be a great fight. A match-up that has the makings of a trilogy. But is it a practical fight for Pacquiao to take? I don’t think so.
Cotto would be a nightmare for Pacquiao. I am not saying Pacquiao has no chance against Cotto but honestly, Cotto to me is a much higher risk for Pacquiao than Mayweather or Mosley with less reward. Any hardcore boxing fan would be delighted to see this match-up happen, but if I were Pacquiao however, why would I fight a dangerous fighter such as Cotto right now when there are more rewarding bouts that can be made out there against Mosley, Mayweather or even Juan Manuel Marquez? The demand for a Pacquiao-Cotto tussle simply isn’t as big as the other three I mentioned.
Cotto is a smart fighter and can also fight multiple ways. He’s an outstanding counter-puncher and thinker on the fly. I also think he has enough speed to handle Pacquiao and possess a lot more offense than Mayweather to make the bout exciting. He throws punches from different angles similar to Juan Manuel Marquez.
In a report from Philstar.com, Pacquiao’s adviser Wakee Salud was quoted saying they (Team Pacquiao) prefer Cotto for the Pacman’s next fight.
“Manny should go for Cotto. It’s the wise fight. It’s the better fight. For one, he’s a straight-up fighter. Papasok ‘yan (He’ll come in). And that’s what Manny wants, someone like Ricky Hatton,” said Salud, and added,“I think we have a better chance against Cotto than Mayweather who will run away from Manny inside the ring. Yakap at takbo ang gagawin ni Mayweather. Not a beautiful fight,” Salud said.
Not too fast. Although I would have to agree that he will hit and run, I’m not quite sure if Pacquiao has a better chance against Cotto than Mayweather. There’s a reason why Mayweather hasn’t faced Cotto in the ring just yet. Cotto is no fluke. He’s no hype job and would definitely pose the biggest challenge for Pacquiao. Among all the Welterweights, Cotto has the best record against the best competition out there. Mayweather’s resume pales in comparison with Cotto’s and it was Cotto who took out Mosley a year and a half ago in 11 rounds.
ESPN’s Dan Rafel described Cotto in his latest Pound for Pound list:
“Unlike some fighters (specifically, Mayweather), Cotto has never dodged a challenge. Instead, he has sought out all the toughest fights — especially at welterweight — such as battles with Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Zab Judah and Carlos Quintana. And nothing has changed, which is why Cotto is poised to take on another rough opponent June 13: Joshua Clottey, a dangerous foe nobody else wants to fight.”
Pacquiao’s victories over De la Hoya and Hatton were spectacular, but let’s just not get too carried away here. It’s really surprising to me how a lot of people have in a way written-off Cotto. Yes he did lose to Antonio Margarito via TKO for his lone defeat, but at the same time, Margarito was caught cheating. Granted it has not been proven that Margarito used the same illegal techniques in his victory against Cotto but one has to agree that an asterisk should at least be placed on that Cotto loss or Margarito victory depending on what way you look at it. Besides, if you look back at that fight, Cotto was dominating Margarito in the first half of that fight. Cotto definitely showed he had superior boxing skills over Margarito, it’s just that Margarito would not go down. To his credit, cement knuckles or not, Margarito was able to survive through some serious punishment Cotto laid down on him and stayed on his feet until his punches were too much for Cotto.
Cotto is scheduled to fight yet another top caliber contender in Joshua Clottey (35-2-0 20KO) on June 13 at the Madison Square Garden for Cotto’s WBO Welterweight crown. Chances are if Cotto beats Clottey, a fight against Pacquiao will be next. It is the easiest fight for Top Rank to put together after all, being that both fighters are in-house. If that was the case though, if I was a Pacquiao adviser, I’d rather go for Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. or even Edwin Valero if a fight against Mayweather or Mosley can’t be made.
Pacquiao is no longer just the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. With his much publicized sensational victories over De la Hoya and Hatton, he is now a big, if not the biggest, show in boxing. Money, as always in boxing, is the biggest factor in determining who Pacquiao will be facing next. It’s the very reason why a mega-fight with Mayweather might never come to fruition. Greed however in choosing another Top Rank opponent in Cotto over the likes of Mosley or Mayweather and overlooking Cotto’s skills for the sake of cash could just very well be Pacquiao’s biggest career mistake. As a fight fan, I am all for it, Pacquiao vs. Cotto will be an explosive fight and a much more competitive one than a match against Mayweather. No doubt about it, if Pacquiao faces Cotto in the ring, he will be the best Pacquiao will have ever faced inside it.
