Cotto-Pac approaches!

walshb

Pacquiao-Cotto megafight close to being done deal
By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY

Even before Miguel Cotto defended his welterweight title last weekend, he had given the green light for a megafight with Manny Pacquiao.
Late Wednesday, Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, which promotes both fighters, told USA TODAY both camps are close to reaching a formal agreement for a Nov. 14 showdown at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO Pay-Per-View.

The bout would be for Cotto's WBO belt, but it would take place two or three pounds below the 147-pound limit. Pacquiao, who won the junior welterweight championship in May with a knockout of Ricky Hatton, has only fought once above junior welterweight limit when he forced Oscar De La Hoya into retirement in December.

"I talked preliminarily with the Cotto people face-to-face at a meeting in Tampa when he was training for the (Joshua) Clottey fight," Arum said. "Now I feel confident I can get the rest of the business done on the telephone."

Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), who initially said he wouldn't come down in weight to meet Pacquiao, eked out a split decision Saturday against Clottey, suffering a bad cut over his left eye from an accidental headbutt.

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) was in attendance and was impressed with the Puerto Rican's fan support as almost 18,000 packed in New York's Madison Square Garden.

"I laid out everything. Hopefully we'll have their answer and get it resolved with them by the end of the week," Arum said. "Both guys want to fight each other. When that happens, generally it can all come together."

Arum will meet Sunday with Pacquiao's representatives and could have a deal in place as early as next week. If necessary, Arum will travel to the Philippines to hash out the details. He's hesitant, however, to issue a firm deadline to get the deal done.

"There's a ton of money involved. If you push it under arbitrary deadlines it's going to go off track," he said. "Giving me a few weeks, which is no hurry, enables me to have enough time to pull it together so nobody feels I'm steamrolling them. There's an art in doing this."

Arum says the deal for Pacquiao's last two fights — his second-round KO of Hatton and eighth-round stoppage of De La Hoya — was finalized via telephone.

"The most pressing issue…, that's the money and who gets what," Arum said. "That's always the biggest issue. I've dealt with both of these camps over the years so many times that I feel that we'll come together and all be satisfied. Based on my conversations with both camps today I am extremely optimistic."


It looks a done deal, well almost!

walshb

The welter belt is up to 147 lbs, so why these ridiculous catch weight clauses?

If Pac man is genuine and the real deal, let's see the fight at 147 lbs. No ifs, buts!
Cotto is a legit welter now and if Pacman wants the belt, he should take it from a welterweight, not a bloody watered down version! The title should not be up for grabs here. It's not right!

Cotto hasn't weighed below 146 or 147 for more than two years now.
And Pac's team are now trying to negotiate to make him weigh maybe as
low as 143-144 lbs?

Money talks, but I feel that Cotto in shedding an extra 2-3 lbs may well suffer
in the ring!

BTW, I am looking more forward to this more than a PBF-Pac bout.

tennessee time

cant wait for this fight,its great to see big fights like this getting made, reaffirms my love for boxing

joepenguin

If it was the lineal belt then I would say yeah fight at 147, and while i do think that to be world champion at the weight he shouldnt go looking for a catchweight, its not as if its a major deal. All the major bodies are so disrespectful to fighters creating loads of champions within orgs etc etc that at this point who cares?

The wbo belt is imo the "cotto belt" The lineage of this belt started with him when he won it by beating an overmatched jennings and defended it against clottey, so if he decides to defend his belt at 141/2/3/4/5 whatever thats his business. Its just a belt.


Both fighters are bigger than any belt. No-one cares if its the wbo or wbe. Pac and cotto are fighting = happy days.

walshb

joepenguin wrote: »

Both fighters are bigger than any belt. No-one cares if its the wbo or wbe. Pac and cotto are fighting = happy days.

I agree that both fighting is the important thing and I am excited about it, BUT, when ONE man is not fighting at his real true weight, then are the two really fighting? And I know Pac is not at his true weight, but Pac is
not being made DROP weight

Forget belts and titles. Man to man is what I want here and I feel that Cotto having to
get to maybe 143-144 lbs is not the real deal.

Okay, I know there should be a limit, as in, Cotto cannot simply fight at any weight, nor can Pac, but at least allow Cotto to fight at a weight he has been for 3 years now.

It is almost 3 years since Cotto ever weighed below 146 lbs. That's a long time

I don't want to be hearing, should Cotto get whacked, that it was the damn extra
3 lbs he was forced to drop that had him weak!

T-K-O

I have read on numerous websites that Cotto wants nothing to do with a catch weight. I hope he sticks to that as he will need every advantage against the beast.

This is going to be epic, I'm really looking forward to this fight.

Every time Pac defies the odds we always has some excuse or reason to bring him back down to earth, a win over Cotto is huge !

walshb

Pac's willingness to fight guys like Cotto must be commended. Pac has never
shied away from a fight and is a brave brave warrior. A win over Cotto will
be significant, but more so if Cotto is allowed fight up to the welter limit and not
at a catch weight.

There will always be the element of doubt if Cotto is forced to drop weight
and Pac beats him.

"Did he really beat him, or was it because Cotto was weakened?"

This is what folks will say!

joker77

walshb wrote: »

Pac's willingness to fight guys like Cotto must be commended. Pac has never
shied away from a fight and is a brave brave warrior. A win over Cotto will
be significant, but more so if Cotto is allowed fight up to the welter limit and not
at a catch weight.

There will always be the element of doubt if Cotto is forced to drop weight
and Pac beats him.

"Did he really beat him, or was it because Cotto was weakened?"

This is what folks will say!

totally agree with this - I think it takes something away from both fighters if it's at a catchweight, irregardless of who wins.

I think Pacquiao's speed will be just too much. The size difference won't be an issue come fight night

cowzerp

It takes away from the belt but its still a genuine fight, the belt should not be allowed to be used as a selling point with the catchweight agreed, it only makes sense that they meet in the middle as why should Manny be handicapped by fighting a naturally bigger man, and the same applies to cotto if it was a full weight division down..

joker77

cowzerp wrote: »

It takes away from the belt but its still a genuine fight, the belt should not be allowed to be used as a selling point with the catchweight agreed, it only makes sense that they meet in the middle as why should Manny be handicapped by fighting a naturally bigger man, and the same applies to cotto if it was a full weight division down..

Cotto was in trouble his last couple of fights at light welter, which seemed to partly be caused by making the weight. So if the catchweight is 3 pounds less than his usual 147 limit, it could make a big difference to the fight, and I think it takes away a lot more from Cotto fighting at the lower weight than from Pacuaio fighting at 147.
Ok Pacquaio's people are smart - they got De La hoya to come down to welter when he'd fought at middleweight, so now they want to try to get an advantage over Cotto by fighting at a lower weight, knowing it's going to cause him problems.
Manny has fought at welter before, albeit only once, but with only a half an inch height difference between them I think it should either be a case of make the fight at welter, or else try to clean up the light-welter division.

I'm a big fan of Manny's, but I'll be let down if this fight is at a catchweight. He's never shirked a challenge, and I'd say it's advisors that are pushing for the catchweight.

ODD-JOB

http://www.fightnews.com/?p=17909

should be finalised shortly so.....

And Shane Mosley the crazy case offered to drop to 140 lbs to fight Pac ,..... he dont like excuses sugar shane

Brad Goodman

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=21124

catch weight of 145 lbs... not too bad for cotto

yep seems like a defo done deal alright... no mention of the weight here though

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8160224.stm

murpheile

Was just looking up ticketmaster for tickets today. The 150, 300 and 500 dollar tickets all sold out already. Less then 1,000 seats left to fill I hear.

joepenguin

I think 145 is fair all round really. Its not as if they even asking him come half way. Regarding the title the welterweight limit is 147. theres no obligation to be that weight just below it. so if both fighters turn up at 140.5 then its still a welterweight fight as it falls in that division. Thats just how the divisions are defined. if it was 142 or 3 ok maybe in mannys favour but dont forget only 3 fights ago people were wondering if he would make the transition to lightweight. Its not as if he's outgrown 140, in fact he came in at 138 or 9 with ease.

uch

Anybody got any opinions or predictions on Pacman V Cotto ?
I think Manny is in with a good chance if he can avoid Cotto's power.

walshb

Extremely tough bout to call. If Pac cannot get Cotto out of there and Cotto
takes Pac's punches without too much bother, I can see Cotto really pushing
Pac back and wearing him down late in the fight. Pac is the more versatile and fleet footed boxer, faster and cuter, but Miguel may have the stronger body and body punching, which could be important in the late rds

I am going to merge this thread with an already existing Pac-Cotto thread

Captain Furball

Pacs hands are too fast.Look what zab judah did to mayweather for 5 rounds.
Pac will do the same, except worse, way worse.

CorkMan

With all this talk about Pacquiaos hand speed, how come Morales beat him?

walshb

Well, because hand speed alone doesn't automatically win you a fight.
And, Morales is a fantastic fighter.

Morales' strength played a major part in the first bout and Pac was quite gassed
throughout, and even with only 4 rds gone, he was showing signs of tiring.
I think the 130 lb bout suited Erik better in 2005. Pac was moving up yet again.

Jim Watt commented on Erik's generalship in the ring, calling him a 'ring general.'

Morales 'messed' in the 12th and was hurt several times I remember, playing
to the crowd he was.

Big Ears

walshb wrote: »

Morales 'messed' in the 12th and was hurt several times I remember, playing
to the crowd he was.

Erik's father: don't do anything stupid in the last round.

So Morales decided to fight it southpaw, and wouldn't change back to orthodox even though he started taking a hammering.

As to why Morales could beat Pacquiao ?......because he's Morales.

Captain Furball

This one should be en easy one to call.Pac has cotto by the 7th round.
Try to commit to something walsh, your always on the fence with fights

paulie22315

walshb wrote: »

I agree that both fighting is the important thing and I am excited about it, BUT, when ONE man is not fighting at his real true weight, then are the two really fighting? And I know Pac is not at his true weight, but Pac is
not being made DROP weight

Forget belts and titles. Man to man is what I want here and I feel that Cotto having to
get to maybe 143-144 lbs is not the real deal.

Okay, I know there should be a limit, as in, Cotto cannot simply fight at any weight, nor can Pac, but at least allow Cotto to fight at a weight he has been for 3 years now.

It is almost 3 years since Cotto ever weighed below 146 lbs. That's a long time

I don't want to be hearing, should Cotto get whacked, that it was the damn extra
3 lbs he was forced to drop that had him weak!

definately agree,there is now way cotto,imo, should even be allowed to defend the welterweight belt at anything but welterweight...
cotto is an execellent fighter,however the last time he fought weightdrained(now given that was a light welter) was against paulie malignaggi,now cotto smashed malignaggi bad,but points wise he lost 5 rounds....malignaggi if he won a round or more woulda got at least a draw....hatton won 11 rounds against malignaggi b4 his corner threw in the towel....
now is hatton that good,and cotto that bad? no way,shifting weight makes a huge difference to fighters...
freddie roache would let pac fight at welter against hoya because he knew he whoop his ass....
he was happier to fight at 140 against hatton coz he knew and well stated the ko victory within 3 rds.

now the fact that he wants cotto to come down weight tells you something...he knows that cotto is a true welter,can hit very hard and the weight would be difficult for him to make and hoping that it would cause problems allowing pac to capitalise....

i really admire both fighters,pacman for his speed and aggression...cotto for not ducking anybody,and fighting the very best..even marga-cheato- and coming back and fighting tough guys like clottey again...cotto is a true warrior and much more excitin than fraud gayweather who once again fightin a smaller guy!!!!! at 3 weight classes bigger...and fraud says pac would be too small for me....ah hellllllloooo fraud marquez and pac are the same size!
anyhow i being a fan of both men want to see a good boxing match but heres my prediction....pacman will ko cotto as bad as hatton or it will be a stoppage...cotto doesnt have the speed or defence to handle pac...that being said anything could happen,its just my opinion is all....early ko 4 pac...then agin if cotto gets a bodyshot in....who knows

paulie22315

Captain Furball wrote: »

Pacs hands are too fast.Look what zab judah did to mayweather for 5 rounds.
Pac will do the same, except worse, way worse.

hey bud just a passing comment,look up compubox stats for judah and floyd...
imo judah could have been so much better in his career,and i cannot stand fraud gayweather,but when you see the stats it tells the truth....fraud whooped his ass and won almost every round...shame.but true

gary nevillevil

Was reading that Freddie Roach has changed his tune and now says “I won’t think we’ll knock Cotto out. I think It’ll go the distance and we are going to win many rounds"!? mmmmm i wonder what changed roachs original words of "cotto will be knocked out". anyway heres hoping for a super fight and for the record im with a cotto win.

nacho libre

Cotto will win this by late ko. Cotto will be able to take Pac shots, and, unlike Hatton, his defense won't be as porous.
his punching power - even with the reduced weight - will be too much for pacman and eventually lead to a stoppage

walshb

Captain Furball wrote: »

This one should be en easy one to call.Pac has cotto by the 7th round.
Try to commit to something walsh, your always on the fence with fights

Only lately have I been fence sitting. Most of my past predictions were wrong, so now I try to limit the damage!

Spazdarn

Manny to win on points, with Freddie Roach he's nigh on unfightable. I'm a big fan of Cotto but I wasn't all that impressed with him against Clottey...

Johner

Cotto late stoppage

emergingstar

cotto stoppage with a body shot

paulie22315

emergingstar wrote: »

cotto stoppage with a body shot

nobody will agree,but the best body shot in the business was hattons.....getting to land it is what would beat pac...doubt he will land it tho,and im a fan of both

3hn2givr7mx1sc

Cotto with a stinger of a body shot in round 8-11.

walshb

After what happened with Mayweather on the scales, I think if Miguel has any sense, he too will come in as close to welter as possible and not make the agreed 145 lbs. Is he prepared for a fine or does coming in at 146 or 147 mean the fight will not go ahead?

ODD-JOB

Excellent point WalshB ,....
If you've been following the news closely you'll know how unhappy Cotto is about putting the title on the line at a catch-weight .

Floyd was penalised approx 6% of his purse coming in 2lbs above the contracted weight.

Should the same apply for Cotto , then it is well worth his while !

Anyway , putting the purse aside , a victory would elevate Cotto onto consistent bigger paydays in the long term .

Roach was looking for a penalty of 1 million dollars per pound over weight , but who knows what was eventually signed into the contract ?

H. Flashman

Provided theres no shanagans with the weight Pacmans hands will be too fast for cotto

murpheile

Just a little teaser to get us excited
http://thenationalfist.com/manny-pacquiao-vs-miguel-cotto/cotto-questioned-in-247-teaser/

T-K-O

ODD-JOB wrote: »

Excellent point WalshB ,....
If you've been following the news closely you'll know how unhappy Cotto is about putting the title on the line at a catch-weight .

Floyd was penalised approx 6% of his purse coming in 2lbs above the contracted weight.

Should the same apply for Cotto , then it is well worth his while !

Anyway , putting the purse aside , a victory would elevate Cotto onto consistent bigger paydays in the long term .

Roach was looking for a penalty of 1 million dollars per pound over weight , but who knows what was eventually signed into the contract ?

Is that going to happen ???

Is Cotto comes in over the weight Manny should refuse to fight him.

walshb

For a possible extra load of dosh, damn straight Pac will fight him, though you don' think that money is a factor for sports stars do you?

T-K-O

walshb wrote: »

For a possible extra load of dosh, damn straight Pac will fight him, though you don' think that money is a factor for sports stars do you?

Now who doesnt read the posts.... My point about that was, the majority of sports stars get to where they are due to a love of the sport NOT the money. Maybe money is a big thing in your life, but we are not all the same.

Freddie was adamant about the weight - I would fully expect him to pull out of the fight, unless they are uber confident.

walshb

T-K-O wrote: »

Now who doesnt read the posts.... My point about that was, the majority of sports stars get to where they are due to a love of the sport NOT the money. Maybe money is a big thing in your life, but we are not all the same.

Freddie was adamant about the weight - I would fully expect him to pull out of the fight, unless they are uber confident.

Most stars do love the sport, I wouldn't disagree with that, but money is a major
driving force in most sports, boxing being most definitely one. It's human nature and I think Pacman will fight Cotto if Cotto comes in at 146 or 147. Wait and see. If he doesn't, then you will be right.

And if Cotto doesn't mind a 'small' penalty and wants to give himself an even better chance to win, then he would be foolish NOT to come in at 147 on the button.

Make it easy for yourself Miguel, not difficult.

akindoc

It's weak how Pacman is trying to make other fighters weaken themselves so he can get an advantage.

I think he might come a cropper in this one. DLH was so shot it was laughable and Hatton was never that good to begin with. He got walloped and almost stopped against Collazo and held on to Urango, earning the name "Hook n Hold" Hatton. I could go on.

Cotto is a different animal.

bret69

Does anyone know where this is being shown??

shaydy

Any idea when 24/7 for this starts?

cowzerp

I know its on HBO ppv but not sure over here where it is shown-fingers crossed its on anyway!

consultech

shaydy wrote: »

Any idea when 24/7 for this starts?

I would imagine it'll be this night (Night of Saturday 24th in US/Early morning of Sunday 25th here) two weeks; it's usually 3 weeks before, so:

Ep 1: 24/10
Ep 2: 31/10
Ep 3: 7/11
Ep 4: 14/11 (Fight Night)

Is this gonna be SBO does anyone know? Don't know if I could pony up 22 odd clams for this...

Iamcharlie

Cotto has this one.

colly10

walshb wrote: »

After what happened with Mayweather on the scales, I think if Miguel has any sense, he too will come in as close to welter as possible and not make the agreed 145 lbs. Is he prepared for a fine or does coming in at 146 or 147 mean the fight will not go ahead?

Cotto weighed in at 146 lbs against clotty and that was by choice, he only needs to loose 1 more pound for this fight, I don't see it being an issue with him