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Manny Pacquiao v Miguel Cotto: superheroes collide
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Freddie Roach is apparently going as Batman for Halloween, but don't look at Manny Pacquiao to be Robin. The Flash is a more appropriate option. Miguel Cotto would make a good Superman tonight because the only man who ever defeated him had Kryptonite in his gloves. Clark Kent with full sleeves? Okay, maybe not.
Regardless of final costume ideas, the two fighters will be match superpowers on November 14th. Odds and public opinion still favor the challenger, Pacquiao, but not so fast. Pacquiao's most notable sparring partner, Jose Luis Castillo, is conflicted. "It will be a great fight. The more intelligent man will win, and Manny is very smart," Castillo is quoted as saying in Lance Pugmire's piece for the L.A. Times. Not quite the glowing endorsement from the guy who has been paid to play the role of Miguel Cotto in training camp. Is he right?
If the fight comes down to intelligence, then yes he is. The Roach-Pacquiao brain trust is among the best in the history of the sport, but they are not preparing for a chess match. The intelligence factor comes down to Roach setting a karaoke curfew on November 13th and, oh yeah, reminding Manny to keep his back off the ropes on fight night. It is not intelligence that defeated Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton. It was greased lightening hand speed and ninja-level quickness.
Cotto is faster than both Oscar and Hatton and he can cut off a ring. His style as the aggressor is cemented into his muscle memory and he understands how to neutralize speed. Lateral movement, quickness if you will, is a different animal. It is impossible to cut off what is not standing in front of him. Finding Pacquiao is one thing, but getting to him is another. If anyone can, however, it is probably Miguel Cotto.
Castillo is spot on in his assessment that the fight will be great, but the winner on November 14th will not necessarily have been the smarter fighter. It will be the fighter whose natural ability is superior on that night. If Pacquiao can make Cotto look like a younger version of De La Hoya for 12 rounds, then he will win easily. Conversely, Cotto retains his title if he can land with at least Juan Manuel Marquez frequency.
If you enjoyed all 2 rounds that Pacquiao has fought in 2009 so far, then you are in for a treat because this one is going to go all 12 rounds if Cotto's forehead doesn't split open. The only problem with the whole thing is that the winner isn't necessarily guaranteed a date with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and may have to settle for Shane Mosley. There is no rematch clause in the Cotto-Pacquiao fight contract, so this mega fight is a one time deal.
Maybe it doesn't matter in the end. The Flash versus Superman may well be the best fight among the willing that can be made at welterweight. Whenever two great superheroes fight though, we hate to see one of them lose. Unfortunately, one of them will.
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