Super middleweight tournament scuttlebutt

Your weekly random thoughts …

• First things first: I love the idea of the six-man super middleweight tournament being spearheaded by Showtime. I wish other divisions had similar plans. Imagine the kinds of fights we'd see if there was one at welterweight or junior welterweight?

If the Showtime round-robin at 168 pounds is finalized, I think it might be the biggest boxing story of the year.

For those who missed my July 4 blog (yeah, I've been known to work holidays) on the tournament, it's a nine-fight round-robin of pre-determined bouts followed by semifinals and a final. The tournament would commence in October and finish in May or June of 2011. Fighters will fight at least three times, with the top four advancing to the seeded semifinals on a points system.

The tournament includes six of the top names in the division: titleholders Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch, former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor, rising contenders Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell and middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham, who would dump his belt at 160 pounds and move up in weight to participate. It has the potential to be very exciting for everyone involved, including boxing fans around the world.

Showtime is working hard to get it all wrapped up with the hope of staging a kickoff news conference Monday in New York. That's not a lot of advance warning, but hopefully everyone who needs to sign paperwork will in time. But when you're dealing with six fighters and five promoters spread across four countries, things can get complicated. It's no wonder Showtime boxing honcho Ken Hershman hasn't found time to respond to media inquiries, even with a "no comment."

From what I hear, there are a few issues holding up the announcement. One is the promotional status of Kessler. He has been in a legal battle with Danish promoter Mogens Palle, who has been working on a settlement that would see German promoter Sauerland Event, which also handles Abraham, take over Kessler's contract. But it's not done yet.

There are also more mundane issues, such as the travel. Besides a New York news conference, Showtime also wants media events in Europe next week and there has been some bickering over who will foot the bill for such expensive last-minute overseas travel. These big deals really do come down to the minutiae sometimes.

Talking to various sources and hearing how this thing is unfolding is sort of like watching sausage get made. At the end of the day, most people don't really care about that. They just want to eat it.

Boxing fans, I believe, just want to see the fights happen.

I've heard some criticisms here and there, however. Some have wondered why Taylor, who is 1-3 in his past four, including two knockout losses, was invited to participate. That's fair. Some have railed against the exclusion of titleholder Lucian Bute. Some have asked why isn't it an eight-man single elimination tournament?

Those are all legitimate questions, but nothing is perfect. Tournaments are hard to put together. This one is ambitious, and I will be thankful if it comes off even close to the way it is outlined in the master contract.

• For the record, Don Majeski, an agent for Bute and his promoter, InterBox, told me that Bute did not reject an invitation to the tournament as some have said. He said Bute was never invited. If that's true, it's a travesty.

• I always thought that Wladimir Klitschko would have knocked out David Haye had their June 20 fight come off. Haye, unfortunately, pulled out on short notice. Now it looks like Haye is going to fight for Vitali Klitschko's title Sept. 12 instead. Guess what? I think Vitali will smoke Haye even easier than I thought Wladimir would have.

• Now that Shane Mosley has returned to reality and plans to fight this fall (having finally realized he isn't going to get Manny Pacquiao), I have this funny feeling he will wind up facing Zab Judah. Just a feeling.

• Seems like Floyd "Money" Mayweather ought to change his nickname to "Needs Money." According to public records obtained by The Associated Press, Mayweather is millions in debt. Mayweather's tax issues have been an open secret, but seeing the specific numbers was still surprising. The AP's report paints a pretty harsh portrait of the fighter, who has been known to travel carrying tens of thousands of dollars in a paper bag (I've seen it), and who brags about his supposed wealth. But according to the report, he owes the IRS $6.17 million, not to mention $193,000 in back taxes to New Jersey, $9,400 to three homeowners' associations, $3,900 to a contractor who did work in his home and even $320.10 to his garbage collector. Come on, man, at least pay the trash man! Mayweather is a tremendous fighter, and maybe he legitimately misses the competition and the roar of the crowd. But anyone who believes that money isn't the driving reason for him coming out of retirement is crazy.

• Heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers was in tremendous condition for his impressive win last week against Alexander Dimitrenko. If only he had been in that kind of shape when he fought Alexander Povetkin, who handed him his only loss.

• Here are a few guys I'd like to see get some exposure (or even more exposure) on American television: Jorge Linares, Marcos Maidana, Fernando Guerrero and Jean Pascal.

• The clowns at the WBA are at it yet again. Once again, they'll have three so-called champions in the same division, which means triple the sanctioning fees. It must be a great gig when you can get into three different pockets and be paid three times for the same thing. The latest abomination is courtesy of the lightweight division, where Juan Manuel Marquez reigns as the "super champion" and Paulus Moses is the "regular champion." On July 25 the horrific hat trick will be completed when the winner of the Urbano Antillon-Miguel Acosta bout is declared "interim champion." It's an absolute disgrace and a farce. Why is it that anyone still takes this wretched organization seriously?

• So how are those big plans for Tavoris Cloud coming along?

• I am quite intrigued by the Aug. 15 heavyweight fight between American Kevin Johnson and Cuban Odlanier Solis, both of whom are undefeated and risking a lot. One question, though: Why is this fight on a Top Rank pay-per-view card, especially one featuring Filipinos? A fight like this belongs on HBO's "Boxing After Dark."

• So Johnny Tapia is back in jail. I'm just shocked.

• Welterweight Delvin Rodriguez has been a staple of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" for years. Isaac Hlatshwayo has also appeared on the network, including his upset of Nate Campbell. So it is particularly disappointing that their Aug. 1 fight for a vacant world title (and a rematch of last fall's exciting draw) won't be seen on ESPN2. The only American television for the bout will be regional cable. But if any fight ought to be on FNF, Rodriguez-Hlatshwayo II is it.

• I'm still totally bummed that Andreas Kotelnik's junior welterweight title defense against Amir Khan next week in England is not being televised, even on pay-per-view, in the United States.

• DVD pick of the week: There was a time when important fights were a staple of network television. I miss those days, but fortunately I have many of those old matches in my archives. So I went back to Sept. 3, 1988, in Atlantic City, N.J., for a fight that would absolutely be on HBO or Showtime if happened today. Back then it was an afternoon fight on ABC. It was Meldrick Taylor against Buddy McGirt. Taylor was a 21-year-old prodigy four years removed from winning an Olympic gold medal. McGirt was an experienced veteran riding a 10-fight winning streak and making his second junior welterweight title defense. Taylor, however, had the faster hands and harder punches. He outboxed McGirt and wore him down. Finally, Taylor notched the 12th-round TKO when McGirt trainer Al Certo jumped in the ring to save his man, who was cut, getting tagged with ease and clearly out of gas. Less than two years later, Taylor would lose the title in his unification match against Julio Cesar Chavez. 

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Ringside With Raymundo 07.09.09: Pacquiao Seeking First Welterweight Title

This week, Raymundo thinks the proposed November mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will be Pacquiao's stiffest test yet, Margarito's input and "Sugar" Shane loses hope for a showdown with Pacquaio.... for now....

The fight that is 99% made will be the fight that Manny Pacquiao will seek to win his first true welterweight title.

Sure, he won the IBO light-welterweight title in a relatively easy two round knockout over Ricky Hatton in May, but this coming Fall, the "Pac Man" is trying to prove once a for all that he is a solidified welterweight.

The proposed November 14 bout against Miguel Cotto will be the true test for the former flyweight, who boldly ascended into the lightweight and welterweight divisions, going a pristine 3-0 and winning two titles in the process in a little under one year.

After edging out a controversial split decision victory over arch-nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in March 2008, Pacquaio faced David Diaz in June, scoring a defiant stoppage after nine rounds, then faced future Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya in a highly touted December bout in which after absorbing a barrage of ‘Pacquaio Pressure', De La Hoya could not answer the bell for the ninth round.

In the first mega fight of 2009, Pacquaio took on light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton, and proved too much for Hatton, who was knocked down twice in the first stanza and was stopped in the second round. Pacquiao was dominant over Hatton, who fell to 1-2 in his past three fights and looks to have one foot in the ring, while the other is stepping towards retirement after two big time knockout losses.

So far it's been pretty much a breeze since moving up in weight, needing only 19 rounds in three fights, in the process scoring three wins and taking the throne of pound for pound best fighter on the planet.

What's on the horizon is his stiffest test in the higher weights, when he takes on career welterweight and seldom defeated Miguel Cotto.

Cotto, (34-1, 27KO's) has recorded two victories after a disputed first career loss against Antonio Margarito may or may not have had loaded gloves in the July 2008 fight, which Margarito is currently serving a year suspension for having a ‘plaster like substance' found in his gloves in his next fight, a January 2009 bout which he lost to Shane Mosley.

Prior to that fight last summer, Cotto was seemingly indestructible: a knockout machine who donned the best ‘go to body' game in the business. Alongside a strong Puerto Rican fan base, Cotto represented an entire country and fought valiantly for them. 

The Puerto Rican was undefeated and rated in the top five on pound for pound lists by most major affiliates. Cotto was a machine, and his demise may have come by way of ‘Antonio Margacheato'.

Cotto's comeback bout was for Paul Williams recently vacated WBO welterweight title, in which he steamrolled over Michael Jennings in five rounds in front of a supportive Madison Square Garden crowd in New York City.

Poised to be the best welterweight fight of 2009 by your truly, Cotto faced his biggest test since being defeated in a June bout against rugged Joshua Clottey. The bout, while competitive throughout, featured a knockdown in Cotto's favor in the first round, a rally by Clottey in the mid-rounds, and late round heroics from a bleeding Cotto, who persevered through a third round clash of heads that handed Cotto a cut above his right eye.

Cotto is back on his winning trail, and barring injury will face Manny Pacquaio in a mega bout in November of this year.

"Cotto/Pacquiao is the fight I want to make. It's the fight I really want to make," stated Top Rank's Bob Arum, who currently promotes both fighters.

It's believed the deal is all but done, with only issues of weight and purse split to be decided. Heading into his two previous bouts, the main argument from Pacquaio and Co. has been the purse split.

Pacquaio argued his way up from a proposed 70-30 split in the De La Hoya bout, eventually succumbing to somewhere around a 37-64 split. His most recent fight against Hatton, Pacquaio engaged in another purse war with Ricky Hatton, and when the dust was settled, the pound for pounder secured a bigger piece of the pie, even though Hatton held the IBO light welterweight title.

The purse split seems to be the biggest, and really the only issue in the making of Cotto v. Pacquiao. Pacquaio has grown accustomed to fighting just as hard out of the ring for his paycheck as he does with his fist in the ring. This is somewhat acceptable in his position; he is the most sought after boxer and let's face it, this is a dangerous sport and these athletes need make as much currency as they can while their able bodies allow them to do so. What does Antonio Margarito think of the match up?

In an interview with "The Record", former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito expressed that he feels Pacquiao will come out victorious over Miguel Cotto due to Cotto agreeing to meet at a catch-weight.

"From the very first round, the advantage will be for Pacquiao because Cotto will be dehydrated (from losing weight)."

Margarito pointed to Oscar De La Hoya's difficulty in fighting the speedy Pacquaio in part due to coming down to such a low weight, and feels Cotto will lose in the same fashion.

Shane Mosley abandons hope!

According to reports, WBA welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley has given up his attempts to land a fight against Manny Pacquiao.

The champion has tried in interviews and press releases to lure Pacquaio into a match, to no avail.

Perhaps Mosley could attain a shot at the winner of the Pacquiao/Cotto bout, yet for now, Mosley is shopping around an HBO date later this year with his name on it. Any takers, Andre Berto, Paul Williams, ANYONE???!!!!

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Miguel Cotto Better Watch Out For Manny Pacquiao's Wicked Right Hook!

The finishing touches for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto Fight is in the final stages. If and when this fight materializes, it is best for Cotto to heed this simple advise: watch out for Manny Pacquiao's right hooks and them some!

This extraordinary punch from a very ordinary stance is Pacquiao's secret when he demolished Ricky Hatton in merely two rounds of their celebrated fight.

I saw it coming. Team Pacquiao was really into something big going into that fight with Ricky Hatton, and then boom! The wicked right hook landed when Hatton was concentrating on MP's left hand.

And then Boom! Boom! The Right hand kept on coming! It even scored the first knock-down!

And when Ricky Hatton shifted his focus from MP's left hand to that new weapon which is MP's right hand...boom! The left hand finished the job in spectacular fashion.

And to think that MC's chin is suspect doubles the risk for Puerto Rico's most brilliant star.

Cotto could try to penetrate MP's defenses and attack the body early. Most likely, MP will not be in his best form for the fight. Concentrating on local politics to the national concerns (as he was made the  Ambassador for Peace and Understanding by no less than the President of the Philippines), MP will have plenty distractions.

Secondly, MP is locally known as a party boy. He might just miss a little concentration on this very important preparation for his fight.

Of course, we all know that MP's recent fights were all models of a boxer's dedication to training. But perhaps MP could just miss a step or two.

And then, boom!

Cotto could take advantage of the situation and give MP an ugly loss. Add to these potential distractions the perennial domestic problem on money matters—the first, with the people around MP at home and the second is his financial relations with Bob Arum.

Not many Filipinos are aware that in Pacquiao's latest fight against Hatton, which was supposed to be 50-50 split, was not really. MP took home around $12 million from that fight.

And RH? Well, for losing miserably, Hatton took home almost double what Pacquiao got—$ 23 million! Why? Well, we could only ask the kind of arrangement that MP entered with Bob Arum.

As Lord Hughey wrote in his comments in Bleacher Report, this boxing promoter Bob Arum is under investigation for game fixing by the FBI. And no less than four searches were conducted in his office by the FBI agents after receiving information that this promoter is into game fixing. This situation could take MP's concentration in the preparation for the MC fight.

MP is not invincible, as many of us MP fans fail to realize. If there should be any weakness in MP's armor, the foregoing could be a short list. But of course, not necessarily in that order.

But then again, MC has many weaknesses himself. The catch weight of 144 lbs or 145 lbs can work against the Puerto Rico's superstar. He is a natural big welterweight and reducing his body weight to an agreed catch weight could do him in.

And if there is anything sure about this fight, it is the tenacity of the fighters and the brutality of the fight that is most likely to happen.

A cut on MC is not a far possibility. And so does a possibility on MP. And a good return on the gates and the PPV could also add the possibility of a return bout.

Let us wait and watch for a possible classic fight. Two ring warriors with different fighting styles trying to outwit and out-fight each other on top of the ring.

This is the coming MP-MC fight.

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Manny Pacquiao’s Most Effective Techniques part 2: The body cruncher!

It was round 7, 1 minute 41seconds left in the round. And bam! Pacquiao hit Oscar Dela Hoya to the body. It was quick, lightning fast. I knew that punch gotta hurt! Oscar was backing up…Pacquiao leapt towards Oscar and another body shot to the right! Boom! Oscar flinches… And as I expected, those body shots are taking its’ effect. Oscar Dela Hoya froze! He can’t move! He can’t do anything! And when you do that in front of Manny Pacquiao while you’re inside the ring with him…you’re in big trouble… And we all knew what happened after that.

Which brings us to Manny Pacquiao’s Most Effective Techniques part 2: The body cruncher!

Back when Manny Pacquiao was still a skinny kid, he’s got unusual power for his size. If you can drop bigger opponents with body punches, it just means your fists sure have lots of firepower.

The technique goes like this: Manny Pacquiao starts off with his right jab. Then double jab. He uses the jab to measure the punching distance. And once he connects with the jab, he follows it up with the left. And then some flurry of punches to the head. This move would usually get his opponent reeling back to the ropes. And once Manny Pacquiao caught his opponents on the ropes, he delivers a sharp “bam!” to the side of the body. This will force his opponents to fold even lower and drop their elbows to cover their ribs. And when they do that, Manny would continue raining flurry of punches to the head which again will force his opponents to cover their faces. Then another big “bam” to the other side of the body.

If you’re a Manny Pacquiao opponent and you think after two body shots, he’ll get tired of punching you to the body? Hah! You wish! Those body shots will be popping on your left or on your right whenever you leave your ribs exposed. Ouch!

Those body shots takes out the fight off you. It freezes you. The wind will seem like they’re sucked out of your belly.

Erik Morales got some good deal of those body shots during their second fight. I can see Erik folding and grimacing whenever I see him get hit by those Manny Pacquiao body shots. He eventually slowed down during the later rounds and we all knew what happened in that fight.

Marco Antonio Barrera went down for the count with a huge body shot on their first fight in the eleventh round.

That’s just how effective and devastating Manny Pacquiao’s body shots are. So when people tell me “Miguel Cotto or Ricky Hatton…they’re big body punchers!” Believe me, so is Manny Pacquiao!

Check this video out to see what I mean…

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143 catch-weight will only diminish Pacquiao's legacy

Most recent reports coming out from the Manny Pacquiao camp indicate that they now want Miguel Cotto to go down to 143 if they were indeed to meet on top of the ring for a year-ending boxing blockbuster.

Honestly, I was already a little bit skeptical about the 145 or 144 stipulation since it takes away from the accomplishment. If Pacquiao wanted to fight Cotto, people want to see him fight the real Miguel Cotto not a compromised version of him. 

The whole Oscar De la Hoya situation was a totally different case. Oscar thought he can take advantage of Pacquiao and his ambitious nature and take the easy way out be fighting a smaller man for his retirement fight. Back then, nobody knew how Pacquiao would do moving up 12 pounds in weight and the disparity in height and size was just too big of a difference for them not to give Pacquiao concessions. Add to that the fact that De la Hoya and Pacquiao were the two most popular boxers during that time and had somewhat of a personal conflict from when Pacquiao spurned the contract he signed with Golden Boy. There were a lot of intangibles that pushed the fight to happen. It was "The Dream Fight", by all means it had to be done.

After the fight however, Pacquiao proved that he can hang in the higher weight classes. He beat De la Hoya at 147 and despite people saying he was dehydrated and all, I still believe he was simply outclassed. It's just a matter of which De la Hoya you believe. The De la Hoya that said before the fight that he was utilizing all the technologies and sciences available for him to lose weight properly and that he was feeling great and stronger than ever (Not to mention employing two of the greatest trainers in boxing history). The De la Hoya that told Freddie Roach after the fight that he simply did not have it anymore and that Pacquiao was just a great fighter and deserved everything he achieved. Or the De la Hoya that told the media weeks after his embarrassing loss that he was simply dehydrated and drained. Personally, I tend to hear-out what people say first and use my observations and logic to make the call. And from what I saw, coupled by Pacquiao’s destruction of the then best 140-pounder in the planet in Ricky Hatton, regardless of what the Golden Boy says, the fact is that Pacquiao is still one of the best fighters even at welterweight. He did not ask Hatton to go below his natural weight and he simply destroyed the linear champ who incidentally was also undefeated at 140. The lack of big names in 140 leaves Pacquiao no choice than to fight the bigger names at 147 if he truly wanted to stage the biggest event and further his legacy.

But if Pacquiao is going to force Cotto into agreeing to fight him at 143, I’d rather have him fight a willing Mosley at 143. The difference is they want it. De la Hoya wanted Pacquiao at 147 and bragged before the fight he felt great in the weight, so he deserved the beating he got and makes his complaints about dehydration sound more like excuses.. So if Mosley wants Pacquiao at 143, by all means.

Cotto has already shown in the past  that he could not force his body to lose any more weight. He can legitimately claim that another pound demanded by Pacquiao for him to lose after conceding a couple already is simply overkill. He may very well agree to the 143 catch-weight because the money will be too hard to pass up, but beating Cotto because he is dehydrated nullifies the glory of the victory. The money Pacquiao will make will still be glorious but fans don't get any of the money fighters make anyway so why concern themselves with that. If we're talking about legacy, which I’m sure Pacquiao and his fans value, fighting Cotto at 145-144 which Cotto said he could swing, is enough to keep the fight legitimate. Anything lower than that would somewhat be an abuse of power. That's not what Pacquiao's career and legacy has been about. His mystique is that of an underdog that took on all challenges, not the bully who strongarms and takes advantage of his leverage. And being that he's on the way out, why would he want to taint that image now?

Remember how  you felt when you found out Pacquiao was forced to wear Winning gloves instead of his Cleto Reyes punching gloves in his loss to Morales?

In my perfect world, I’d rather Pacquiao really just fight Cotto straight-up at 147 if he really feels he can beat him. Win or lose, there will be no shame in that. If he doesn't feel he can beat Cotto fair and square, then find somebody at 140 and sacrifice a few million dollars for taking a lesser risk. There’s no shame staying at your rightful weight class and sweeping the belts. I believe in earning whatever it is you get in life. To this point, I believe Pacquiao earned everything he has achieved and should be fully credited for all of his victories including his beating of De la Hoya. If he however insists on having Cotto go down to a weight the Puerto Rican already mentioned he couldn’t make and would be extremely uncomfortable with, then a victory over Cotto at 143 will definitely feel half-baked. It’s almost as if it’s not boxing anymore and turns the contest away from Pacquiao versus Cotto into Cotto versus the scales. The biggest payday of his life would be too hard to pass up though for Cotto that 143 would be a bait he might actually just bite.

That isn’t really what Manny Pacquiao has been about though. Pacquiao’s legacy has always been about taking the biggest and most dangerous challenges. That’s how he earned the Mexicans’ respect by beating all their legends. That’s how he made Americans look and remember his name after beating De la Hoya. That’s how he turned the Brits into believers after beating Hatton. What would beating-up a reluctant and drained Cotto at 143 do? He's already the Pound-For-Pound king, why would he want to be called the Drain-Your-Pounds King?

I’m not saying Cotto can’t win and that Pacquiao will have a walk in the park if they do face at 143, but it will definitely take away from the achievement if Manny wins. Most of you might disagree with me, and that's cool, but this is just my take on it; my honest 2 cents. 147 would be perfect, but 144-145 is enough for the fight to make sense.

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Pacquiao-Cotto: Right Fight, Wrong Time

By Michael Herron - After a mediocre summer that saw several high profile fights cancelled and/or rescheduled as a result of injuries, boxing looks to get back on track in the autumn of 2009. As of this moment however, the only major fight currently scheduled is a September 19th clash of pound-for-pound staples Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez. Other match-ups being discussed are David Haye vs. Vitali Klitschko, which could hopefully bring excitement to the heavyweight division and most intriguing of all is a highly anticipated match between the current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto.

Negotiations involving Pacquiao-Cotto have been well documented and many boxing sites and sporting authorities have covered the story. Even as I write, the fight becoming a reality can be but a signature away. Though boxing fans are clamoring for this fight, it is my hope that patience and logic will intervene before any deal is reached. Pacquiao-Cotto looks great on paper and the thought of these two going at each other sounds like great fun, but it is this writer’s opinion that it is the right fight but at the wrong time..

When discussing the boxing business, it is always important to think in terms of risk vs. reward. It is not simply the fighters who are bound by this rule but also promoters and when it comes to Pacquiao-Cotto, Bob Arum and Top Rank are in a win-win situation. Both fighters are with Top Rank and Arum would be in total control of the promotion and revenue. Simply put, it is a promoters dream. It is no wonder why he is pushing hard to make the fight happen. On the other hand, Pacquiao and Cotto stand to benefit financially from this bout but in terms of their immediate future, it is a dubious situation. With the return of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the self-proclaimed best fighter in the world, attention in the sport will soon shift from the heroics of Pacquiao to the greed, selfishness, and infamy of Mayweather. If he produces an impressive performance against Marquez the boxing world will clamor for him to face a bigger, tougher challenge; a challenge from the likes of Pacquiao and/or Cotto perhaps.

Herein lies the problem, Mayweather, who is renowned for making what he terms smart decisions will face Marquez, an opponent that will allow him to overcome rust, tune his skills, and maybe even look good while doing it. For Floyd, it is precisely the right fight at the right time. Other benefits include a nice payday, reclaiming a respectable position on the mythical pound-for-pound list, and putting himself in position for an often discussed mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao. The question then becomes, why would Pacquiao and Cotto want to fight each other in light of the return of Mayweather? One possible answer is that Pacquiao and Cotto are warriors and warriors look to make the best fights, therefore no need to wait around for Mayweather. Yet after September 19th there will be no need to wait, Mayweather, if successful against Marquez, will look to make a mega-fight in his next bout, the question is with whom. If Pacquiao and Cotto decide to face each other, they may be effectively taking themselves out the picture.

Pacquiao-Cotto, if the match should take place, is expected to be a tough and physically grueling affair. Cotto, in particular, has taken a lot of punishment the past few years from top opponents like Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, and Shane Mosley. Facing Pacquiao will not only drain him in terms of the 145 lb. weight limit, but is certain to once again test his threshold for pain. Pacquiao, though he has been untouchable against Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and David Diaz, has shown to struggle and take a lot of punishment when faced with fast thinking opponents like Juan Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales. Based on their fighting styles, these guys may inflict so much damage to each other that neither will be physically ready or even worse, taken seriously as Mayweather’s next opponent. Whether you are a fan or foe, one thing that many writers and aficionados can agree on is that a fighter must be on their A game and seemingly in the best shape of their life to defeat or even have a chance against Mayweather.

While Mayweather is likely to come out pristine against a great but overmatched opponent in Marquez, Cotto and Pacquiao may end their night as damaged goods. Essentially by accepting this fight, Cotto and Pacquiao are making it easier for Mayweather to defeat them if they indeed go on to face him in the future. Though Top Rank would scoff at the idea of Pacquiao-Cotto not happening considering the revenue it would generate, it is my opinion that it may be best to allow them to face different opponents in the Fall; opponents that will make them look good, keep them in the Mayweather PPV picture, and likewise keep the potential for a matchup between themselves alive as well. Though Pacquiao and Cotto are huge draws on their own accord they each would stand to make more money from a PPV with Mayweather. It would also benefit Top Rank to match subsequent fighters from their stable against Floyd. Most of all, fans have clamored to see Mayweather face off against the likes of Pacquiao and Cotto, it can now happen. The only thing preventing it, ironically, is Pacquiao vs. Cotto.

Final Note: My view of Pacquiao-Cotto, though pessimistic, is based on my belief that Pacquiao and Cotto will be a tough and damaging fight for both men. If Pacquiao should lose, his claim as the best pound-for-pound evaporates and therefore leaves a battle for pound-for-pound supremacy against Mayweather in shambles. The fight could go on but will lose its luster. If Cotto should lose, he likely loses his chance to fight Mayweather period. Then of course a scenario where one man dominates, such as Pacquiao’s most recent performance over Ricky Hatton, is also possible, yet unlikely. Though it appears the tone of this piece favors Mayweather, I simply recognize that Mayweather-Pacquiao and Mayweather-Cotto are two of the biggest fight that can be made in the sport. Why Pacquiao-Cotto should serve as a prelude is unprecedented; it truly may be the matchup that kills two birds with one stone. 

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Can Brock Lesnar become the Manny Pacquiao of the UFC?

With a victory this weekend over Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar will become the undisputed Unified Heavyweight Champion of the UFC. But does this mean that Brock Lesnar is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC? In other words, will he be the Manny Pacquiao of the UFC?

Manny Pacquiao is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world of Boxing. He has a blend of speed and power that most men his size can only dream of. But, the same can be said for Brock Lesnar. At 265-280 pounds Brock has freakish speed and power that most heavyweights fantasize about; and there are even more similarities between these two athletes.

Similarities

• Both men have had success at every level of competition
• Both men have transcended their sports
• Both men have become folk-heroes
• Both men are phenomenal athletes
• Both men have an unequaled amount of natural ability
• Both men are reserved and laid back
• Both men are Sports-Entertainers
• Both men make an absurd amount of money
• Both men are international stars
• Both men have lost early in their professional careers

 

I’m sure there are even more similarities but this list if suffice for now. I’m a huge fan of Brock Lesnar and over the years I have grown to truly appreciate Manny Pacquiao’s skills. But the one thing I love the most about these two athletes are their demeanors. Neither man is an arrogant or obnoxious individual. Both men have a quiet confidence that breeds success and they seek a private solitude when away from the ring or octagon.

Brock’s fighting career is still on the way up. Pacquiao has over 50 professional fights and has been rumored to look at the possibility of retirement. Honestly, with only a few potential fighters left to face, Pacquiao has run out of challenges. Brock could see the same scenario if he were to dominate the UFC heavyweight division for the next few years.

Saturday’s fight between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir could change the landscape of the UFC for years to come. A victory by Brock will solidify him as the sport’s biggest star.  With a continual improvement of his MMA skills, Brock will become the UFC’s pound-for-pound best fighter.

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