Two of the badest men in the sport met face to face today at Yankee Stadium. Usually when you hear Yankee Stadium you can’t help but to think of The Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, or simply just The Babe. Today however, the house that Babe Ruth built belonged to Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao, as both fighters kicked off the five city tour to promote their upcoming fight in November. Many boxing fans already have November 14 circled on their calendars and are counting down the days already, I mean who out there can really wait for this clash? I know I can’t. This fight between these two warriors will pin 2 action packed beasts against each other not only for Cotto’s strap but also for the first ever WBC Diamon
The presence of these 2 great fighters in Yankee Stadium had to remind everyone at the event today of the good ol tooth for tooth days, back when Sugar Ray Robinson and Joey Maxim squared off, when Ali faced Norton, or when Carmen Basilio faced Robinson. Since we are talking ol timers here, these two fighters right here in Cotto and Pacquiao to me would be compared to the stalking body killer Jake LaMotta versus Homicide Hank, the speedy versatile Henry Armstrong had they faced one another.
Today as the fighters came face to face, it was clear to see that Cotto means real business. Pacquiao seemed playful and jokingly, but if one could see deep into him one would see that a storm is brewing. It was clear to see that both men are treating this fight as the toughest fight of their lives. Both fighters promised to train extra hard and to provide us with a classic. No doubt about it that one can sense the ghost of Ruth in the building whenever a baseball game is played, but I bet today one could feel the ghosts of fighters of the past looking on.
I know that at times I can be a dreamer and all, but maybe just maybe will the winner of next weeks Mayweather/Marquez fight will face the winner of Pacquiao/Cotto clash here at Yankee Stadium and bring the tooth for tooth good ol days of boxing back. Hey, I know it’s a far shot, but it could happen.
