Boxing comes alive this Saturday night when superstar Puerto Rican sensation Miguel Cotto steps into the ring to face the mighty mega watt star, the equivalent of boxing's Bruce Lee, the pride of the Philippines- Mr. Manny Pacquiao. Hardcore and casual fans alike are already salivating at the prospective fireworks that these two may produce when they collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This matchup is your classic competition of speed vs. power, conventional vs. unorthodox, but the twist here is that both gentlemen can provide a bit of each.
Pacquiao unbelievably, began his fighting campaign at 106 lbs and has transformed himself into a mythical invincible creature who can dominate with his crushing speed and unorthodox boxing style seemingly at will. Under the tutelage of his trainer Freddy Roach, Manny has become among the most feared opponents roaming today in the lower weight classes. This alone speaks volumes of the valor and plain old cojones that Miguel Cotto has to challenge Manny, especially in light of Pac-Man’s domination over Oscar De La Hoya, one which sent the latter into retirement. Nonetheless, Cotto is a boxing icon in his own right who belongs in any conversation involving boxing’s current crop of best of the best. Cotto’s style could not be more different than Paquiao’s; Miguel’s a disciplined and meticulous stalker who follows his prey around the ring slashing away with relentless body attacks that inevitably slows down his opponent and forces even the most skilled warrior into eventual submission. Miguel will basically try to break your will with his head-down-bull style timed attack a la a Latino Marvin Hagler. It will be plainly awesome to observe how Pacquiao will respond to Cotto’s intensity and stalking style. Manny has both the power and speed to knockout any living mortal but at times his unorthodox style leaves his defense vulnerable to power shots- this is the deficiency that Miguel must exploit in order to find ultimate victory. Pacquiao does have the faster hands and if he disciplines himself enough to avoid the ropes and Cotto’s mental cage game all Phillipinos around the world will be celebrating heavily Saturday night. Pinstripesport sees Miguel Cotto pulling out a tough decision in an unforgettable boxing classic that we will someday tell our grandkids about.Enjoy the hell out of this one; boxing matchups like this one do not and will not come around often.
Sergio Pineda
Pinstripe Magazine Staff
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