Here is the latest news. It seems as if Roach has agreed to let Cotto come in at 145. There's been a lot of talk about this so I want to know if everyone thinks this changes the dynamics of the fight? I thought at 143 Cotto was a dead man walking, but am not sure now.

By Mark Vester

Freddie Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, has budged on his demand of making Miguel Cotto drop down to 143-pounds for a fight with Manny Pacquiao on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Several days ago, Roach told media members that 143 was the weight he wanted the fight to take place. Cotto's nutritionist told Top Rank's Bob Arum that Miguel could only get down, in safe fashion, to a weight of 144-145 at most.

Arum recently called Roach, the two spoke about the fight and 145 appears to be the target weight for the bout.

"Arum called me and I told that I have any problems with the fight being at 145 pounds. In fact I don't care if Cotto wants to weigh 200 pounds," Roach told Primera Hora. "I trust my fighter, so I very little about the weight issues. I have not talked to Manny, who will make the final decision. He is a big man who makes his own decisions. All I can do is give it my recommendation."

One recommendation is for Pacquiao to make more money than in his previous fight with Ricky Hatton in May. Pacquiao is said to have made around $12 million for that bout.

"Obviously we want to see Manny get paid higher than in the previous fight. There is no reason to step back in terms of money, so those details will be discussed," said Roach.

Gabriel Peñagarícano, the legal adviser to Cotto, told the paper that a lot of things need to be agreed upon before the deal is closed.

"I'm not surprised that [Roach] has accepted the weight of 145 pounds, but that is only one of several items that will be discussed and it's taken at least two weeks to complete. There are a list of issues are being discussed."

Then make the fucking fight at 147 where it needs to be.

I agree.

I don't think it's going to change anything though...Cotto looks very beatable in my opinion. Manny will be too fast and will land his uppercut through Cotto's guard all night. He might not stop him, but I think Manny will probably win an easy unanimous decision.

I think all this weight stuff is just a negotiating ploy. Bitch about the weight, relent, then take a bigger piece of the pie. Ain't rocket science.

I agree. Cotto though should come in the fight at 150+ unlike De La Hoya so does that make a difference in the fight?

LOL! Cotto wants it at 147 then pay the fine or take less money. Hahaha!!!

Pacterweight division , huh?

Nope because Cotto will just hit nothing but air.

Yup. Yup.

On another note, I thought Cotto handled Mosley's speed BRILLIANTLY. Plus, I ain't never seen Manny throw/land vicious uppercuts to the extent that it would be considered his signature (which doesn't mean he and Roach won't work exclusively on that in camp).

Tell that to Cotto because he will knock Pacquiao out at 147, remember? Cotto will simply have to accept less because a lot of peple think that he will "kill" Pac at 147.

LOL! I have the feeling that if Roach asks for 146 that haters will still consider it as Pac's advantage.

Of course, your post will be ignored by Pac's haters because you're correct.

Pacquiao's faster than Shane and that was a pre-Margarito Cotto that handled Shane...this post-Margarito Cotto looks a little shopworn, slower and more methodical than before.

No, Manny definitely doesn't have a signature uppercut in his arsenal, but that's pretty much all they'll be working in the camp...just like they probably worked that right hook over and over and over and over for his fight with Hatton. Manny will likely stick to the uppercut as much as possible, get Cotto thinking too much about it and then BAM...the left hand comes out of nowhere.

I'm not liking this fight at all for Cotto. If he were one of the bigger welterweights, then it might be a different story, but honestly, when they step in the ring, I wouldn't be surprised to see Manny just as big as him.

Pacquiao by EASY unanimous decision or possibly even a late TKO.

I keep hearing the uppercut but Pac isn't taller than Cotto so Cotto won't need to bend down therefore that should nullify the uppercut, maybe. I think Cotto has problems with tall pressure fighters and that isn't Manny. Also, Cotto used to have one hell of a jab and at 150+ if he can use it, it should be a good weapon against Manny. I am just unceartain about Cotto since he hasn't looked the same since the plaster ass whoopin.

Yeah, Hype, I dunno, I don't believe that Manny is faster than Mosley, or at least noticeably faster. I think it would be rather hard to quantify. Many is a little spastic fuck, which may seem to appear as faster, but he's shorter, both in height and reach, so while he may (or may not) be faster (or appear faster), he's got a longer way to travel to land...or has to put himself in harm's way.

Who the fuck knows. I can see a number of situations playing out here. The speed thing is a little hard to quantify, though, on either side of the argument.

at 145, eh?

Calling it now....Cotto wins by TKO in the 8th round.


You're gonna see an aggressive and confident Cotto in there...not a nervous, Busch League Hatton...

Cotto will be around 10 pounds heavier than Manny come fight night. Honestly, eventhough Cotto was not at his best form and he may be fucked up a little (mentally) after plastergate. He does have the confidence in having beaten a very fast and powerfull Zab Judah in the past. Even though Zab and Pac are two different specimens Cotto knows that he can beat an ultra fast and powerfull lefty because he has done it before. This factor is HUGE in my opinion and is being overlooked by many. Honestly this is the perfect match up for Cotto at this stage of his boxing life. He is either going to seaze greatness and put himself right back in the middle of things or his train ride going to come to a stop after this fight.

I believe Cotto weighed in at 146 for the Clottey fight. I think that indicates he wasnt having much difficulty making 147. Another pound of sweat or taking a big shit probably doesnt make much of a difference. Cotto becomes a bulldozer in this contest unlike against Margs or Clottey. Thats when he fights his best. I would take Cotto.

Bullshit...I know...I have accurately calculated the speed of both fighters and let me tell you, Manny is faster.



For the record, Mosley can be a little spastic in there too.

Manny is all wrong for Cotto...all wrong I tell ya...he's gonna catch a beatdown from Manny and while many boxing fans will be shocked to witness the domination, millions of Pinoys will cheer in celebration and the legend of Manny Pacquiao will grow even stronger.

Do you feel that way regardless of weight?

That sounds great and all, except you might be overlooking the fact that Zab Judah sucks donkey balls.



What little success Zab had early in that fight (because, admittedly, he did have some...rocking Cotto on a couple of occassions), Pacquiao will also have except he'll be able to capitalize a lot better than Zabdiel was able to. And again, that was a pre-Margarito Cotto that fought Zab...this post-Margarito Cotto still has flashbacks every time he eats an uppercut.



In fact, the more I think about the fight, the more I'm starting to lean towards Pacquiao TKO 10.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Pacquiao's got so much swagger right now, the motherfucker leaned over to Bob midway throught the fight and said, "so this is the great Miguel Cotto...pffffft...yeah...go ahead and make that fight Bob...that motherfucker is going to be easy work."



WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO



Shame on you for trying to use Zabdiel as a measuring stick.

I didn't mean it as an insult, I meant it in he is short (squat) with that fast twitch muscle type. Mosley is that way too, although I think you notice it more in Pacquiau (probably because he is shorter/squat-er).

Yep...regardless of weight.

In my opinion, he beats him just as easy at 147 simply because Cotto is not a big welterweight. I don't think Manny even needs to worry about a catchweight, but hey, if you can make his ass suck down to a lower weight where that chin is a little shakier, then fuck it, why not...loosen up that chin, get him out of there early and then hit the casinos for a little poker aftwards.

Oh no...I didn't think you meant it as an insult...I was just pointing out that Mosley seems spastic in the ring at times too...he kind of bounces on his toes, jumps in and out and flicks that jab like a pesky gnat at times too.

Cotto cannot punch and move, and if he attacks Manny, he is going to eat a firestorm of shots. Believe it or not, I think his best bet is to make Manny come to him and try to counter, but even then – I think Manny’s speed (both hand and foot) are going to light Cotto up. You can land on Cotto through the guard, and I think Pacquiao will with regularity.

This is just not the same guy that fought Shane Mosley.

LMAO Did you take a tripple shot of the in your expresso this morning, Hype? Riding this much for a perticular fighter or fight is really out character for you......LOL

Let me clarify some things.

First. I'm not using Zab as a measuring stick as I mentioned in my original post, what I was trying to say (and maybe it got lost in internet dialogue) was that Cotto has something to lean his confidence on being that he has fought and beaten a fighter that has given him a similar look to Manny.

Second. The version of Zab that Cotto fought would give Manny all he could handle right now. I know that this is the internet and there has to be a level of comedic value in these posts but don't try to oversimplify things. The fact is that before the Cotto fight Zab was looked as a genuine threat to anybody he faced (and for good reason), and not so much after Cotto beat him.

Third. Fighters can be confident all they want its what happens in the ring that matters. The mentality of a true fighter is to think that nobody can beat them so saying that Manny wants this fight is to be expected. I remember Mosley looking like lunch after the Mayorga fight and then he went on to destroy Margarita so we can't count anybody out.

All that being said, I really having a hard time picking Cotto in this fight based on his last performance, but I do think that he has a much better chance than you think, all things concidered.

This is where the fight rests, IMO. If Cotto can find the sledgehammer jab between now and fightnight he can TKO Manny. If not, then I think his career is done.

DEAD ISSUE, if I were Team Cotto.

Let Manny go fight someone else.

Cotto doesnt have to suck that much hind tit.

I kinda smelled this comin when I read Roach's comments about how he thought Manny should keep progressively making more money, and not take any steps backwards. Cotto aint Hatton, and that ain't a knock, but the Brits are RABID for Hatton, and there's arguably a helluva lot more of them. Hatton does 1M+ PPV's just in his own country. That said, Cotto is bringing more of a following than anyone else, and is the most winnable of the three guys out there. If Paq fights Mayweather, it's over for him. Period. Paq's last two PPV's did as well as they did because of DLH and Hatton moreso than they did because of Pacq.

Fuck Roach.

Let them go try and offer anyone else 30%.

Hopefully Cotto will bring in Manny Steward who will put major focus on working the jab. Call Manny what you will the jab has been a major weapon for him as a trainer. It's funny how a win over Hatton makes some people think that Cotto has no chance against Pacquiao based on his showing against much bigger opponents. Do the same people think Pacquiao would've destroyed Clottey, Margarito or Mosley? Cotto is a underrated boxer with a very good chin and with his punching power this should be a test for Manny not for Cotto.

Agreed.

Cotto is getting raped in these negotiations.............Damn. The thing with Cotto is that he is the type to roll along with this kind of shit just not stir anything up. Is Manny going to want a 30 foot ring next? SMH

Oddly enough I think that Freddy Roach would be a great trainer for Miguel. Its not going to happen for obvious reasons but still....

Cotto clearly suffers from bad management and Pacquiao, wow. What a racket this guy has going. He comes off as this humble, caring guy who "only wants to do his job" when in reality he's a cut throat dude. 70/30 is an insult to the great Miguel Cotto and then you want the dude's title and you wanna dictate the weight also, damn that's some gutter shit. Pacquiao think he's Oscar.

I was going to make a thread about this but decided it could fit in right here. Shane is hurting Cotto in these negotiations and Roach is capitalizing on it. Not that Shane should give a rats ass, but still it puts Cotto at a disadvantage in the negotiations when every day you have Shane basically saying he will fight Manny no matter what the stipulations are.

That's not really what Shane said. Shane said he'd fight him at the weight, but wants 40%. You throw that 30% at Shane and I bet he balks at that too.

Maybe you're right, but it's definitely Manny/Roach that are calling shots here. Either way somebody is getting fucked in these negotiations and it aint Manny.

I have been secretly hiding my dislike for Manny but not anymore. Whoever he fights, I hope they knock his block off.

Not at all...that's just how little I think of Cotto at this point. Honestly, I don't think he's looked all that great since the Zabdiel fight. He was FORTUNATE to get the win against Mosley, a fight I scored a draw but clearly felt that it was Cotto who was in survival mode and running from Mosley those last couple of rounds. In fact, ever since the Mosley bout, that's kind of been Cotto's MO. If he's not fighting a small guy that he can bully around the ring (i.e. Paul Malignaggi, Alfonso Gomez and Michael Jennings), then Cotto tends to put on his track shoes and fight with less confidence.

Let me counter some things that you clarified.



You're not using him as measuring stick? That's funny, because it sounded like you were saying Cotto should have a little more confidence because he's already fought a guy that has given him a similar look to Manny....ummm....I don't know, maybe I'm crazy, but that kind of sounded like you were saying that Zabdiel is similar to Manny...like you're comparing the two...in which case, isn't that basically using him as a measuring stick?

Eh, it's semantics I guess, but regardless, I think that whole statement is TOTALLY inaccurate because Manny Pacquiao's style is NOTHING like Zabdiel Judah's style. I mean, sure, they're both fast and they're both southpaws, but other than that, the comparisons end. With Zabdiel, you really only have to worry about him for about 3-4 rounds...with Manny, you gotta worry about him for all 12 rounds. There is nothing similar about the way they fight at all so I don't know why Cotto would be more confident in facing Manny just because he already faced Zabdiel. Now, he might be more confident because he'll think he's fighting another small fighter that he can bully, but that's got nothing to do with Zabdiel Judah.



LOL. Now there was DEFINITELY some comedic value in that post. Sorry bro, but Zabdiel checked out of boxing back in 2006. He hasn't really looked good since the Mayweather fight (and just one fight prior to that, against Baldomir, he looked horrible). He rarely trains seriously for fights anymore and even when he did fight Cotto, he was basically coming off a 15-month layoff (unless you really count that 1 round no-contest he had against Ruben Galvan). The guy hadn't fought a serious opponent in over a year and while he did get some work done early in his fight with Cotto, he mentally checked out after about the 4th round. Sorry, but I haven't thought of Zabdiel as a serious threat since he lost to Floyd. Zabdiel's best days are well behind him and the Zabdiel that Cotto fought would have got waxed by Manny right now AND back then. His mental fortitude is weak and would have never been able to stand up to the constant BOOM, BOOM, BOOM attack of The Pacman. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Zabdiel is so done, I wouldn't even eat him with steak sauce. Haha...I like that quote...somebody put it in their sig!



Fuck that...I can count him out if I want to...I counted Ricky Hatton out and gave him no chance whatsoever against Pacquiao. In fact, my original prediction was Pacquiao TKO3, but watching that damn 24/7 series made me give Hatton a little more credit than I should have so I switched it to Pacquiao TKO6. I won't make that mistake again. I'm not saying Pacquiao will steamroll Cotto...I'm just saying he'll lose a clear-cut unanimous decision (probably something like 116-112 on the cards). I just don't think Cotto will be able to KO Pacquiao (especially if he's moving backwards) and if he can't KO him, he ain't winning on the scorecards. He'll have to put on a boxing clinic in order to win a decision against Pacquiao and based on what I've seen in Cotto's fights with Clottey, Margarito and Mosley, he ain't gonna be putting on any boxing clinics with Manny Pacquiao. He can be confident all he wants when he steps into the ring, but that shit is going to go out the window once he realizes that he won't be able to bully Pacquioa and the motherfucker's punches are coming at him fast with a little bit of sting on them. I think Cotto will look like he's in the fight for the first couple of rounds, but midway through the fight, it'll be all Manny Pacquiao as Cotto will be on the retreat while Manny keeps pressing forward. Easy fight to score...easy win for Manny.



Well there you go...even you have a hard time picking Cotto...nuff said! Just for the record, I give him a better chance than I gave Ricky Hatton...which is the reason why I originally said Pacquiao will beat him by easy unanimous decision. I'm not sure how you can rate the level of chance I'm giving him based on that prediction, but like I said, I do give him a better chance than Hatton. Still though, as far as I'm concerned, he ain't beating Pacquiao. Terrible fight for Cotto...in my opinion, he'd be better off trying to unify against Berto. If I were him, I wouldn't even fuck with Manny...just go ahead and give Berto that first loss and keep building your own legacy within the Puerto Rican community. Of course, money talks though so I can't blame him for going after the bigger payday.

Oddly enough, I heard a rumor that Freddie Roach expressed an interest in training Cotto after the Pacquiao fight is over.

It's messed up D cause I always liked Manny before he turned into this Lil greedy Pacmanian devil. He and Roach are f'n up the game with this BS.

Wow! I guess business is business. Cotto does seem like he is a good, hard working student.

Sugar, you love everyone. Mosley's your guy, Floyd is the greatest, I like Manny. Anybody you dont like?

LOL! When Roach asked for 143, then FLAK's. He upsized it to 145, and then haters pointed to some other way they can fire FLAK's at Pac. Hahaha!

They are forgetting that the fight's being made. Not vapourware like Floyd vs Cotto.

It's still making him come under the max welter weight limit.

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You don't think that the challenger asking for a 70-30 split is bit much. That is rape with no vaseline, doggy.

I agree!!! That's the way into negotiations right? Do you believe it will be closed at 70-30?

I believe you're one of the guys who'd fire FLAKs even if Roach asked for 146 pounds. LOL! 1000x!

Cotto making anything less than 40% is rape IMO.

I have often said that I don't like Pacquiao, but I respect him a great, great deal as a fighter. What he is doing now is something I don't respect. Lowballing fighters like Cotto, wanting to fight for his title and make him come down in weight even though he owns the title in a division that allows him to weigh as high as 147. Pacquiao should be grateful knowing that he came from his father eating his dog to where he is now, but now he is being just plain greedy.

I would think 60-40% should be a pretty fair split for this fight!