Manny Pacquiao’s Next Opponent : Miguel Cotto

After Manny Pacquiao’s devastating 2nd round knockout win over Light welterweight king Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, most boxing aficionados has been waiting for an announcement as to who will Manny Pacquiao share the ring and exchange fists with next. Who is Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent? A few names have been mentioned, but there has been no final word yet from the Pacquiao camp or from Top Rank’s Bob Arum. October 17 will be the date for Manny Pacquiao’s next fight, but there is no name yet as to who he will go against.

In this series of articles, we are going to list down a boxer or two in each post and we’re going to dissect (so scientific) every boxer compared to Pacquiao’s. If you are reading this post, you can also suggest a boxer that you want us to check. You can check this site every now and then for the next feature or bookmark it. Who will be Manny Pacquiao’s opponent come October 17?

Manny Pacquiao’s Next Opponent : Miguel Cotto



We’ve had young Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr., raw Edwin Valero, granite-chinned Shane Mosley as possible Manny Pacquiao opponents, now, let’s feature Miguel Cotto as Manny Pacquiao’s next possible opponent. The former WBO Light welterweight champ, former WBO Welterweight King, which he lost to “cement” boy Antonio Margarito and also the current WBO welterweight king after beating Michael Jennings in his comeback fight after his first loss to Margarito. A proven boxer, a tested champion and a legitimate pound-for-pound contender, Miguel Cotto really deserves to be mentioned and be named as Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto. Philippines vs. Puerto Rico. I can already see Bob Arum smiling. The matchup is real music to my ears. I have been a big Miguel Cotto fan for a long time now and I also admire Manny Pacquiao because I am a Filipino. So, now, the statistics.

Name: Manny Pacquiao
Age: 30
Division: Light welterweight
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 5′6½”/169cm
Reach: 67′/170cm
Record: 49W(KO 37)-3L(KO 2)-2D
Rounds boxed: 293
KO%: 68.52

Name: Miguel Angel Cotto
Age: 28
Division: Welterweight
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5′7″/170cm
Reach: 67″/170cm
Record: 33W(KO 27)-1L(KO 1)-0D
Rounds boxed: 214
KO%: 79.41

Factors:
Speed: Pacquiao A+ Cotto A-
Power: Pacquiao A+ Cotto A+
Defense: Pacquiao A Cotto A+
Intangibles: Pacquiao A+ Cotto A+

Power vs. Power, I think Miguel Cotto has an edge over Pacquiao. Speed, clearly, Manny Pacquiao has shown his speed and no doubt he is quicker than Miguel Cotto. If Pacquiao will fight Cotto toe-to-toe, the advantage will be to Cotto, but if Pacquiao will fight Cotto from the outside, then the advantage would be on Pacquiao because he is too quick. Some critics and haters said that Cotto was exposed when he was knocked out by Antonio Margarito, but Margarito a had granite chin and possibly plaster hands (literally), and that proved the difference of the fight. He was hitting Margarito well on the early part of the game until Margarito rallied late to finish Miguel Cotto off. Miguel Cotto’s lone loss came at the plaster hands of Antonio Margarito (Margarito lost my respect because of that issue) which he then partially erased from our mind’s by KO’ing Michael Jennings for the WBO Welterweight crown.

This one is an easier fight to call compared to Shane Mosley vs. Manny Pacquiao. The determining factor that could be a difference on this probable fight between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao is speed. Miguel Cotto has proven his power in the Light Welterweights and Welterweights, but as critics say, Miguel Cotto has a suspet chin. Miguel Cotto needs to get past granite-chinned Joshua Clottey this June 13. Joshua Clottey lost a Unanimous Decision to Antonio Margarito. If Miguel Cotto gets past Joshua Clottey unscratched and beats Clottey to a pulp, then we can indeed consider Miguel Cotto as Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent. Manny Pacquiao beating Miguel Cotto could further cement Pacquiao’s place in boxing history, while Miguel Cotto beating Pacquiao could raise Cotto’s credibility as a champ and put Cotto back into the top pound-for-pound list.

Miguel Cotto could really be very dangerous for Manny Pacquiao because of Cotto’s strength and power, but I see Shane Mosley as a bigger threat than Miguel Cotto against Manny Pacquiao though Miguel Cotto did beat Shane Mosley. Miguel Cotto has power, head movement and all that good stuffs all the good boxers have, but I just don’t see him outdoing Pacquiao’s speed which could be a big factor if ever Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto will happen. Both boxers have proven power and skills which could mean this will really be a good fight, but Manny Pacquiao will get the W, Split Decision (I hate to give this verdict cause I am a Miguel Cotto fan).

On a side note though, hey can setup an Philippines vs. Puerto Rico card. Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, Ivan Calderon vs. Brian Viloria, Juan Manuel Lopez vs. Bernabe Concepcion and Nonito Donaire vs. Jose “Carita” Lopez.