The staff of 15rounds.com has some unique opinons of the years biggest fight.
Marc Abrams I have gone back and forth probably 300 times on this fight. In fact I was on a couple of radio programs this week and picked Pacquaio. That was Thursday. But my final pick has changed to Cotto. I know around 1 am Sunday morning, i will probably regret this but i really think now that Cotto can stop Pacquaio in a war that will either warrant a rematch, set up a mega fight with Mayweather or even make a Margarito rematch that much bigger.
Norm Frauenheim Manny Pacquiao, ninth-round TKO. I believe Miguel Cotto when he says he has healed from a nasty cut suffered in June during a tough win over Joshua Clottey. But it’s called scar tissue for a reason. It tears like tissue. Pacquiao’s punches from sharp angles have an edge sharp enough to re-open old wounds.
Bart Barry I don’t pretend to have any real idea who’s going to win. Pacquiao could stop him early; Cotto could stop him late. Think I’ll go this way: Pacquiao: UD-12 (in a career-shortening way for both).
Mario Ortega Jr. Pacquiao KO9 Cotto
Don’t bet against Manny Pacquiao. Miguel Cotto should be Pacquiao’s toughest test since the first Erik Morales fight, but I see “Pacman” taking over around round six and closing the show late in the fight.
Adam Berlin Pacquiao by TKO within eight
I’m a Miguel Cotto fan—he’s a wise, stoical, seasoned veteran with skills and heart. But when he dropped to a knee against Margarito’s plaster-enforced fists, something went out of him. I felt Clottey was on the verge of making Cotto take another knee, but the welterweight from Ghana didn’t push the issue hard enough. Pacquiao is a pusher, and an explosive one. Cotto will get stunned. Cotto will get bloodied. And Cotto, I’m sad to say, will doubt himself and go down.
David Winston Pacquiao by unanimous decision; however, a late round stoppage would not be a surprise. Cotto, in my opinion, lost to Joshua Clottey, a fighter who is nowhere near as relentless as Pacquiao. Handspeed, footspeed, head movement, mental toughness…Pacquiao has the edge in all these categories. Cotto will be Manny’s strongest opponent, he just will not land enough leather to hurt the rock-solid champ.
Natasha Aiello Pacquiao by KO. Cotto hasn’t been the same since Margarito and his trainer is too inexperienced.
Anson Wainwright Going in two key questions are is Cotto going to be to big and strong for Pacquiao and is Cotto starting to show wear and tear. After a few tentative rounds from both fighters Pacquiao will start to land more often and cut Cotto who’ll pour the pressure on only to walk onto something around the eighth.
Thomas Marriott Pacquiao TKO in the 9th-
Hand speed will be the key to the fight. Pacman should be able to get off first and wear down Cotto. Cotto had something taken out of him in the Margarito and Clottey fights and has never really been a good second half fighter. As the fight goes on, Pacquiao’s hand and foot speed really starts to take over, getting a late stoppage. My call is the 9th round.
Johnny Schulz Pacquiao will show us why he is number 1 P4P with a dominate win over Miguel Cotto. This fight will go the distance, with Pacquiao winning around 8 rounds.
Joseph Davey Despite Cotto being the naturally bigger man I think Pacquiao’s blend of speed, power and willingness to press forward will break Cotto down over the course of the fight; eventually resulting in a TKO win for Manny around the 11th. With that said, at almost 3 to 1 odds my prediction may be with Manny but my money is on Cotto.
Dominick Panfile This is an intriguing match-up of speed and power. There are several paths to victory for each fighter. Below are my keys to the fight for each fighter:
Cotto- Hit Manny EARLY AND OFTEN!! When Manny attacks, be ready to counter with nasty body shots. If Cotto is able to hit the body early and slow Manny down, he could be looking at a late stoppage win in round 10.
Pacquiao- Get in and GET OUT!! Don’t make this a slugfest. If Manny can use his speed and quick combinations to hit Cotto effectively and then get out of harm’s way before Cotto counters, it could become a lop-sided decision win for Manny. Battle it out in the trenches, and I give the edge to Cotto.
Prediction: It’s going to be a classic. In the end, Manny is just too fast for Cotto and wins a close, but unanimous decision.
Alejandro Echevarria In a candidate for fight of the year and a very even fight, Manny takes home the victory after the fight is stopped due to cuts on Cotto’s brows.
Claudia Bocanegra Both fighters are phenomenal. And although this may be hard to predict, Im going to stick with Cotto. Even though PAc has fought good fighters and his skill has always shined, Miguel has a better resume than Pacquiao. Pac fought Oscar who was well past his prime and an overrated Hatton. If Cotto can get his mind off the psychological gutter ( losing to the alleged “MARGA- CHEATO”), I can see him putting a big dent on PAC.
Rick McKenzie One of the tougher fights to pick in recent memory, but i’m leaning toward PacMan by unanimous decision. I think in the end his speed will keep Cotto off of him and he’ll win most of the rounds.
Photo by Chris Farina of Top Rank
