COTTO CONQUERED: Pacquiao in seventh heaven - Sports

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Nov. 15, 2009
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COTTO CONQUERED: Pacquiao in seventh heaven

12th-round TKO gives Filipino seven belts in seven classes

By STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

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PACQUIAO-COTTO UNDERCARD

• Yuri Foreman dominated Daniel Santos for most of the fight and captured Santos' WBA super welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision.

Foreman (28-0) knocked Santos down in the second round and stayed in control the remainder of the contest. Judges Jerry Roth and Robert Hoyle had Foreman winning 117-109, while Clark Sammartino had it 116-110 for Foreman.

Santos (32-4-1) had trouble making the 154-pound limit Friday, and it showed. He was slow-legged throughout the fight.

• Middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. remained undefeated, scoring a 10-round unanimous decision over Troy Rowland.

Judges Paul Smith (97-93), Dick Houck (98-92) and Burt Clements (99-91) all had Chavez Jr. in front.

Chavez Jr. (41-0) was in control the entire fight, but there wasn't much action as Rowland (25-3) was unable to inflict any damage.

STEVE CARP/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Manny Pacquiao celebrates after defeating Miguel Cotto by technical knockout in the 12th round of their WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday night.
Photos by John Locher.

Manny Pacquiao hits Miguel Cotto during their WBO welterweight title fight Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden. Pacquiao improved to 50-3-2 with his victory.

Cut man Joe Chavez tends to Miguel Cotto after his loss to Manny Pacquiao in their welterweight title bout. Pacquiao was comfortably ahead -- 108-100, 109-99, 109-99 -- on the judges' scorecards when the bout ended.

The chants began as soon as Manny Pacquiao was declared the new WBO welterweight champion Saturday night.

"We want Floyd! We want Floyd!" many in the sellout crowd of 16,200 at the MGM Grand Garden demanded.

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But in the wake of Pacquiao's overwhelming 12th-round technical knockout over Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr. might want to think long and hard before deciding to get in the ring with Pacquiao. For if he does, he likely will face the battle of his life.

Pacquiao, who fought at 144 pounds Saturday, the heaviest he ever had weighed for a fight, dominated Cotto virtually from start to finish. He showed Cotto no mercy as he pounded away and eventually put the Puerto Rican champion away to become the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven weight classes.

Referee Kenny Bayless, seeing that Cotto had taken enough punishment for 11-plus rounds, stopped the fight 55 seconds into the final round.

"It's an honor to win a seventh title," said Pacquiao (50-3-2), who earned $7.5 million for the victory. "It's great to make history and to have a Filipino do it.

"It was a hard fight tonight. I needed time to test his power. I knew we practiced fighting a disciplined fight in training camp, and that was my key to victory tonight, staying disciplined and not panicking in the ring."

Cotto (34-2), who earned $4 million, paid homage to Pacquiao in defeat.

"It didn't go my way in this fight," Cotto said. "The jab didn't do enough damage. Miguel Cotto will always fight the best fighters in the world, and Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."

Pacquiao, who was as high as a 31/2-1 betting favorite, was bet down to minus-280 by fight time as the Cotto money poured in (he was plus-230).

Cotto started well, using his defense to thwart Pacquiao. But in the second round, Pacquiao started to pick up the pace and find the range. He began to hit on his combinations, stunning Cotto with four- five- and six-punch flurries.

Cotto's reliable left hook was there as he tagged Pacquiao on the chin. But Pacquiao showed he could take a punch and responded with yet another flurry.

"Manny fought Cotto's fight too much in the beginning," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "He stayed on the ropes too long. But as the fight went on, Manny's speed was too much for him."

In the third round, he overwhelmed Cotto and with Cotto losing his balance, his knee hit the canvas, constituting a knockdown, called by Bayless.

With 22 seconds to go in the fourth round, Pacquiao sent Cotto down again. This time, it was clearly decisive -- a huge left hook that caught Cotto flush on the chin. Cotto was fortunate so little time was left in the round or he might not have survived.

Cotto was struggling to deal with Pacquiao's quickness. His hand speed was overwhelming at times. Yet Cotto's warrior mentality was evident as he fought back and he was going to make Pacquiao earn it.

Yet he couldn't hurt Pacquiao. Meanwhile, Pacquiao continued to flail away with both hands. Cotto was taking many more shots than he was returning and it was tough for him to win the rounds.

"(Pacquiao) hit harder than we expected," Cotto's trainer, Joe Santiago, said. "He was stronger than we expected."

Pacquiao was following Roach's game plan to perfection. He kept the fight in the middle of the ring, got in and out by using his superior speed and didn't let Cotto cut the ring on him, pin him on the ropes and work the body.

Cotto injured his shoulder in the eighth round but refused to quit. Pacquiao tried to finish it in the ninth, one of three rounds Roach had bet that his man would score a knockout (He also held tickets on KOs in the first and 10th rounds). Pacquiao did everything but KO Cotto. Somehow, Cotto survived, though he was bloodied and battered as he returned to his corner after the round.

"Cotto showed he had better speed than he did against (Josh) Clottey, but Manny's speed was too much," Roach said. "His in-and-out motion was too fast. Manny broke him down, and when Cotto starting backing up, I knew the fight was over."

Cotto's lone hope for victory was a knockout, and Pacquiao wasn't going to be careless enough to allow Cotto to do that. He kept fighting his fight to the end and earned his way into the history books.

A fan held up a sign that said: "De La Hoya TKO 8, Hatton TKO 2, Cotto TKO 12 -- Floyd Mayweather Jr., You're Next!" When asked if he'd like to fight Mayweather next, Pacquiao deferred to his promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum.

"My job is to fight in the ring," Pacquiao said. "My promoter makes the fights."

But Roach wasn't ducking the question. "Sure, we'll fight Mayweather next," he said.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2713.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. alibomaye wrote on November 15, 2009 08:31 PM: Adam-It's fitting your name is Adam, the first runt of the universe.. Steve Carpenter Orange california wrote on November 15, 2009 07:48 PM: Both are great boxers, but Pacuiao is now a more rounded fighter and will come forward all the time, pushing Mayweather backwards, something that Mayweather is not used to doing, I hope its a ding dong of a fight card as many people want to see this fight, good luck to both is what I say. True American wrote on November 15, 2009 07:38 PM: RP, unfortunately, I think you are sadly mistaken. I think Pacquiao will crush Mayweather. Pacquiao's speed with catch Mayweather off guard. Mayweather's ego will get him in trouble. RP wrote on November 15, 2009 06:20 PM: fan wrote on November 15, 2009 05:48 PM: No one ever glorifies a boxer. History only talks about great fighters...period ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is a completely ridiculous statement...Explain this..... All boxers are fighter... but not all fighters are boxers... So how is what you said sensible? RP wrote on November 15, 2009 06:13 PM: You might want to think long and hard before making willy nilly statements like "Floyd Mayweather want to think long and hard about stepping in the ring with Pacquiao"... Why? It will be the biggest money fight of his life.. Win or lose. At this point, the money is what motivates Mayweather. He doesn't care about giving fans what they want to see. He paid his dues already. In addition, anybody with an eye for boxing would be able to see how Mayweather would be a nightmare matchup for Pacquiao. Pac is a forward gear fighter. He has to keep moving forward for the hunt, throwing punches from weird angles. This overly aggressive style will play right into the teeth of Mayweathers unprecedented defense. Floyd is the most talented fighter to come along in a longgggg time. He is a more fluid, natural athlete than Pacquiao. H eis also one of the most intelligent fighters of all time, right in the mix with Hopkins. Mayweather will not slug it out with Pacquiao.. Pac can come forward all fight just to be frustrated by the best shoulder roll boxing has ever seen. The fastest, most accurate hands ever seen. And a fighter who can thrown 4-5 punch combos moving backwards. Pacquiao better prepare to be outclassed. fan wrote on November 15, 2009 05:48 PM: I still like cotto and consider him as an elite prize fighter...yes, pacman is a "human typhoon". I just wish he showed some compassion the last round and just jabbed at cotto instead of trying to kill him...that and manny busted my +4500 odds to win unanimously by decision...WTF!!?? it's pretty scary that manny as compassionate as he is to the poor has no compassion at all in the ring...and I would like to see no compassion against Floyd...nothing better than to see Floyd get knock'd da %$#! out! Floyd is the greatest boxer ever...boxer that is, not fighter. No one ever glorifies a boxer. History only talks about great fighters...period rHeI wrote on November 15, 2009 04:53 PM: !!!!!!!!!!hAy nAkU!!!!!!!!!!!gO pAcQuiAo!!!!!!lumAlAbAn pInOy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not Carlos wrote on November 15, 2009 04:40 PM: To 'Philippies Trash' - so they don't tip eh? What's the matter, they dump $200 in a hour due to the crappy rules the strip now has for blackjack and you expect them to tip? I am white and well educated, I don't tip either anymore. You can't even win 1 out 10 outings these days, you can't tell me that is chance. The games are rigged now. Glad the public is catching on to this scam, all the casinos are losing their butts now! LOL Adam wrote on November 15, 2009 04:37 PM: Nobody cares about boxing! These 144 pound runts are a joke. Pachater wrote on November 15, 2009 04:15 PM: I'd like to hear from all the haters/doubters out there. Come on say it guys; Pacquaio again fought a tremendously better, bigger, stronger, faster, and a fighter with more heart that got old and washed out in his last fight. Please everybody say this!!! And when he fights Mayweather again somebody bigger, stronger, faster, in fact maybe the greatest boxer the world has ever seen Manny DON'T STAND A CHANCE. Come on everybody let hears this, Manny needs to be an 10 to 1 underdog so I can make a million buck in my bet. Read All Comments