Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming bout against Miguel Cotto has raised some questions, especially considering that Pacquiao will supposedly be at a disadvantage because he’s moving up in weight.
Yes, attempts have been made to even matters out by reducing the contracted weight to a couple of pounds below the welterweight limit.
But today I saw a copy of the tale of the tape, and I notice that Pacquiao has exactly the same reach as Cotto – 67 inches. That’s very interesting. Suddenly, Cotto’s advantage shrinks. When the smaller, quicker guy can match the bigger, stronger guy for reach, then it’s a different ball game. I reckon reach is a far more telling statistic than even height!
By the way, Floyd Mayweather has a reach of 72 inches – that would be a big advantage for Mayweather if he ever were to fight Pacquiao. Mayweather’s last victim, Juan Manuel Marquez, has a reach of 67 inches (the same as Pacquiao and Cotto).
