Chronicling the first years of Pacquiao's career: Why Cotto's size won't matter (part 2)

November 10, 12:15 AMIndianapolis Fight Sports ExaminerDennis "dSource" Guillermo

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 Manny, "Pac" in the day (Photo from Time Magazine)

(From Part 1)

Manny Pacquiao fought 12 fights in his first year as a pro fighting bigger, stronger, grown men as he resorted to secretly putting metal weights in his shorts just so he can make weight during weigh-ins. Now that he got a strength and conditioning coach who makes sure he eats, trains and stays in shape the right way, how can you start saying someone who is merely 5 pounds heavier than his last opponent be too big for him?

A lot have invested their faith on Miguel Cotto's size and strength advantage against Manny Pacquiao for their mega-fight on Saturday night. And as much as I agree that Cotto definitely is the strongest fighter Pacquiao will have faced, I simply don't think it's what will get him a victory against Pacquiao. If you simply want to base it on size, Cotto ain't big enough for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is a natural born fighter. And fighters this great, can't be subjected to the same logic as most fighters are. Who else do you see as joyful in the ring as this guy every time he fights? I can't blame underachievers like Kermit Cintron and Floyd Mayweather Sr. for thinking such a small guy like Pacquiao can go up in weight and the way he did without taking any steroids- that's all they know. As the saying goes, you can't please everybody. Even great athletes like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have their haters, but at the end of the day, fact remains that Pacquiao has never failed a drug test and Cintron and Mayweather Sr. are light years behind Pacquiao in terms of being a great boxer.

Truth be told, it's Pacquiao's skill that has made him better than ever. He always had that power and speed. Why not question him for steroids then? Well because back then he had a lot of flaws in his game. And now that those flaws have been corrected, his detractors are running out of things to say. Steroids? Please... If people in the Philippines used steroids then why do we still not have any gold medals int he Olympics? Last time I checked, steroids in an American thing. Mark McGuire, Marion Jones,  you already know.

So when Cotto's trainer joe Santiago said, "Manny Pacquiao is a bloated 126 pounds. He's a fighter who started at 108 pounds and has reached 145. It is very bold and so far has gone well, but on November 14, it'll be different. We have great respect for his career and hats off to him for what he's done in boxing, but on that day Miguel will be the stronger man in the ring. That will be one of the points in our favor." All I got to say is that he forgot to check under the hood. Cotto may be a nicely tricked out muscle car with 600 hp but just as Bernard Hopkins said in an interview, "Manny Pacquiao is a Ferrari".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Cotto can't beat Pacquiao nor does he have a size and strength edge, but at the same time, if Ricardo Torres and Zab Judah's left wobbled him, Manny Pacquiao's left can definitely put him out for good. Cotto will have to fight smart and be on his A-game to beat Pacquiao. Relying on his size and strength alone is a misguided thought. Pacquiao won't stand stationary like Clottey. His punches cut like razor blade and his blinding speed and relentless flurries makes his opponents feel as if they're on an alcohol facial after. Unless hes got the size and reach of a Paul Williams which he does not, truth be told, Cotto's size advantage won't matter. It will be his skill and how well he has trained and can adjust to Pacquiao that will.  

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MANNY PACQUIAO: CHRONCLING THE PAST 10 YEARS OF BOXING'S BEST

• PART 1  - "Introduction"
• PART 2  - "The Exodus"
• PART 3  - "Defining Moment"
• PART 4  - "The Republica Strikes Back 1"
• PART 5 - "The Republica Strikes Back 2" 
• PART 6 - "Picking up the Pieces"
• PART 7 - "Confirmation"
• PART 8 - "Thrilla Back in Manila"
• PART 9 - "Icon"
• PART 10 - "Wala kang katulad Manny"
• PART 11 - "Truce"
• PART 12 - "Unfinished Business"
• PART 13 - "Higher Calling"
• PART 14 - "Against All Odds"
• PART 15 - "Living the Dream"
• PART 16 - "There's Only One Manny Pacquiao"