Based on Pacquiao and Cotto fights i’m more of a Pacquiao Fan condsidering the odds he has faced and the quality of fighters he squared off with. Many said including Dela Hoya that he was drained that’s why he got beat by Manny Pacquiao, but that was not the case before the fight. Everyone was saying that Dela Hoya was cherry picking his opponents by ducking Margarito and Paul Williams and opting to fight a tiny guy which only fought at 130 once and demanding him to meet at 147 which he knows Pacman will accept because he knows he’s the cash cow and Manny will do anything to land a fight with him even at a disadvantage.

Many boxing writers, fans and fellow fighters didn’t even give Manny a chance saying that a drained big man will beat an overweight small man anytime, but after the embarassing defeat many of those who didn’t give Manny a chance are looking the other way and making excuses to cover their mistake in calling the fight by saying that Dela Hoya was weak and drained. They didn’t even consider that if Dela Hoya gave up weight to go to a division he once campaigned in in the past, Pacquiao was a total stranger to the welterweight division which is a two division jump for him after having only fought once at lightweight division so technically its a 3 division jump for the small man just to meet the big man half way and after Manny squeezes out a knockout he get dissed by saying the big man was drained, weak and old, all these excuses just to save Dela Hoya’s superstar face and reputation?! Unbelievable! Dela Hoya even retired just to justify that he really is weak and old when the simple reason is that Pacquiao simply just got the power of a middleweight in those fists.

Now next in line was another bigger man in Ricky Hatton this time to escape the aftermath excuse of fighting a drained old man Manny elected to fight Ricky at his natural weight which is 140 or light welterweight despite the fact that it is still 2 division above Manny’s normal division and this time Hatton is not an old man. Dela Hoya even declared Hatton will knock Pacquiao out because the circumstances are perfect for Hatton, the bigger man, in his natural division and almost same age as Manny. And what did Manny do? He demolished Hatton in 2 rounds! And what did the dissers say including Cotto? Hatton was overrated! Nice.

I can’t even imagine how Timothy Bradley can say that Pacquiao is only forcing big men to get down in weight, draining them and chopping them down in the ring when he only did that to Dela Hoya at Dela Hoya’s picking, all the others Marquez, Diaz, Barrera, Morales, Ledwaba and Hatton where beaten at their natural weight. Bradley should get his fact straight and start knocking out his opponents more often before he disses someone with a solid reputation. Maybe Bradley is talking about how Cotto and Mosley is willing to go down the scales just to fight a small superstar. You can’t blame Manny if Mosley would go all the way down to 140 just to land a fight with the current cash cow, it’s what Manny did to Dela Hoya and succeeded. I just know what the dissers will say if Mosley beats Pacquiao at 140… Mosley beat a small man.

That’s why i believe Manny Pacquiao should fight Miguel Cotto at 147 and put the WBO belt on the line to chase history and be a 7 division champion despite the odds, it shouldn’t be all about money anymore as Manny already has lots of it, Manny should also be concerned of his legacy in the sports of boxing. Cotto was right when he said if Manny wants the belt he should get it at 147 and not 145. I know Cotto is dangerous at 147 but considering the risk he went through  fighting Dela Hoya i believe adding two more pounds is a much lesser risk and will make the fight a solid welterweight fight with no excuses and as usual even though Manny is the cash cow in this fight he will be in a very disadvantageous position again like the Dela Hoya fight but i think it will be a win win  situation for Manny because even if he loses at 147 it will not dent his reputation for fighting a big man at his cozy weight despite the fact that Manny is the main man of the fight let Cotto receive his critism even if he wins as there is no glory in fighting and beating a small man in the big man’s turf.

But believe me, despite the disadvantages Pacman will have…. Manny can honorably knock Cotto out at 147.

 

by Sunday Zamuco