BoxRec

Manny Pacquiao will fight in November and not in October, and hopefully against Miguel Cotto.

That’s what Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum wants next after watching Cotto walk the tightrope against Joshua Clottey of Ghana late Saturday night (late Sunday morning in Manila) at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“I would like for him (Cotto) to fight Manny Pacquiao,” said Arum, moments after Cotto won by a hard-earned 12-round split decision.

“That would be a tremendous fight and I hope we can get it done for November,” added Arum, without
making it clear whether there’ll be a catch weight since Cotto had announced that he will never agree to face Pacquiao below (the welterweight limit) 147 lbs.

Pacquiao was on hand to size up Cotto’s latest performance, having seated beside Arum at ringside when Cotto and Clottey tore at each other like a pair of jungle predators fighting over a chunk of meat.
With the win, Cotto kept his name afloat for a chance to battle Pacquiao, who is regarded today as boxing’s No. 1 fighter, pound-for-pound.
Others in the running are the July 18 bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez and even Shane Mosley.

It’s not certain if Pacquiao will delay his decision about who to fight next after having been booked by Arum to resurface on Oct. 14.

Arum obviously mentioned November to allow Cotto to recover from the hideous cut on his left eye, the result of the vicious pounding he absorbed from the rugged Clottey.

Promoter Wakee Salud, who spent some time with Pacquiao prior to the fighter’s last-minute decision to fly to New York not only to watch the Cotto fight but to receive his second Boxing

Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year trophy, said it looks dead-certain that Pacquiao will face Cotto next.

“It’s Cotto for Manny,” said Salud yesterday from Cebu.

Salud said Cotto’s earlier pronouncements that he will never agree to a catch weight with Pacquiao is all for show.

“Cotto just wants to get more money but eventually he’ll agree and settle to a catch weight with Manny,” said Salud, noting that 143-144 lbs “will be agreeable” to both parties.Pacquiao, who flew to the Empire State alongside wife Jinkee and advisers Franklin Gacal and Mike Koncz, should be back in Manila either tonight or tomorrow evening.

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Not sure this will happen, Mayweather-Pacman is by far the biggest fight in boxing. But Cotto will be a big fight too.

Pacquaio will wreck Cotto at 144, he'd probably wreck him at 147 too. Cotto couldnt take Clottey's shots (or Judahs/Margaritos/Mosleys), Pacquaio hits at least as hard as Clottey and will throw much more leather. He'll do what Judah was doing early for the duration of the fight, Cotto's there to be taken out again.

Autobarn wrote:shouldn't cotto be going up and fighting the likes of williams, pavlik, kessler, dawson? rather than waiting for a former flyweight / super bantam to challenge him?

pac can go up through the weights, so why not cotto, an apparently weight drained fighter

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Not sure this will happen, Mayweather-Pacman is by far the biggest fight in boxing. But Cotto will be a big fight too.

Pacquaio will wreck Cotto at 144, he'd probably wreck him at 147 too. Cotto couldnt take Clottey's shots (or Judahs/Margaritos/Mosleys), Pacquaio hits at least as hard as Clottey and will throw much more leather. He'll do what Judah was doing early for the duration of the fight, Cotto's there to be taken out again.

Christ you talk some shite.

Cotto didn't wobble once under fire against Clottey. He may have looked in distress, but he didn't wobble, didn't go down and wasn't stunned at any point.

How do you figure Pacquaio hits harder than Clottey? Clottey has 20 knockouts in the Welterweight division, against good operators.

Manny has stopped one man at 147, and that was a horrifically weight drained and ageing DLH.

Ridiculous comments.

Cotto however, really shouldn't be fighting below 145.

stujones wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Not sure this will happen, Mayweather-Pacman is by far the biggest fight in boxing. But Cotto will be a big fight too.

Pacquaio will wreck Cotto at 144, he'd probably wreck him at 147 too. Cotto couldnt take Clottey's shots (or Judahs/Margaritos/Mosleys), Pacquaio hits at least as hard as Clottey and will throw much more leather. He'll do what Judah was doing early for the duration of the fight, Cotto's there to be taken out again.

Christ you talk some shite.

Cotto didn't wobble once under fire against Clottey. He may have looked in distress, but he didn't wobble, didn't go down and wasn't stunned at any point.

How do you figure Pacquaio hits harder than Clottey? Clottey has 20 knockouts in the Welterweight division, against good operators.

Manny has stopped one man at 147, and that was a horrifically weight drained and ageing DLH.

Ridiculous comments.

Cotto however, really shouldn't be fighting below 145.

I don't think it is a rediculous comment James, "sharp" punchers hurt Cotto more so than strong men. Guys like Torres and Judah who are as much about speed than strength gave Cotto fits. Guys like Clottey and Quintana, who are more about strength than speed more do not trouble Cotto as much.

Plus the weight, I aint sure Cotto will be too comfortable even at 143-145. That will have a bearing on his punch resistance.

Sure Pacquiao has only had one KO win at 147, he's also only had one fight at 147... and his one fight at 140 ended in a brutal KO. Think Judah could do that to Ricky? I don't think we can doubt Pacquaio's power now at 140.... so why not three pounds north of it.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Autobarn wrote:shouldn't cotto be going up and fighting the likes of williams, pavlik, kessler, dawson? rather than waiting for a former flyweight / super bantam to challenge him?

pac can go up through the weights, so why not cotto, an apparently weight drained fighter

it isnt obligatory mate, nobody is forcing pacman to move up the weights what is wrong with just trying to clean up your own division for christ's sake?

it really gets on my fekking tits when people say dumbass poop like that.

I suppose you think marvin hagler was a loser too?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Autobarn wrote:shouldn't cotto be going up and fighting the likes of williams, pavlik, kessler, dawson? rather than waiting for a former flyweight / super bantam to challenge him?

pac can go up through the weights, so why not cotto, an apparently weight drained fighter

it isnt obligatory mate, nobody is forcing pacman to move up the weights what is wrong with just trying to clean up your own division for christ's sake?

it really gets on my fekking tits when people say dumbass poop like that.

I suppose you think marvin hagler was a loser too?

Datsue wrote:Can anyone confirm that Cotto weighed nearly twelve stone in the ring last night?

(Heard it off another forum...)

Autobarn wrote:Of course you can be a great fighter by staying at one weight class. I admire the discipline of a fighter who can stay at one weight and turn back quality challengers. Never mind Foster, Monzon, Hagler, but more recently Israel Vazquez, who had a fantastic run as super bantam champ. I'm really enjoying the career of bantam champ Hozumi Hasegawa also - what a fighter he is.

Cotto looks like he should be light middle by now. He never looks healthy. He looks like a fat guy who's taken weight off, and flags after round eight (Clottey, Mosley, Margarito fights). Like many Arum fighters he stays at a particular weight too long.

I don't reckon Cotto is a healthy welterweight, or even a natural welterweight. This is something I probably didn't specify. Obviously, Cotto must be chuffed; he's hit paydirt. But from a fan's POV, why can Manny chalenge the likes of Cotto, so why can't Cotto go up and challenge someone like Kelly Pavlik? Let's not forget, this is Cotto, the guy who was killing himself just to defend WBO plastic vs Malignaggi and Torres, and struggling for it.

Granted, Cotto beat a big welterweight on Saturday, props to him for that.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

Phenomenal-Nutrition wrote:Not sure this will happen, Mayweather-Pacman is by far the biggest fight in boxing. But Cotto will be a big fight too.

Pacquaio will wreck Cotto at 144, he'd probably wreck him at 147 too. Cotto couldnt take Clottey's shots (or Judahs/Margaritos/Mosleys), Pacquaio hits at least as hard as Clottey and will throw much more leather. He'll do what Judah was doing early for the duration of the fight, Cotto's there to be taken out again.

Christ you talk some shite.

Cotto didn't wobble once under fire against Clottey. He may have looked in distress, but he didn't wobble, didn't go down and wasn't stunned at any point.

How do you figure Pacquaio hits harder than Clottey? Clottey has 20 knockouts in the Welterweight division, against good operators.

Manny has stopped one man at 147, and that was a horrifically weight drained and ageing DLH.

Ridiculous comments.

Cotto however, really shouldn't be fighting below 145.