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Miguel Cotto was just waltzing away to survive. His face was all puffed up. The mean face before the game was no more. It would have been wise to stop the fight before the twelfth round, but he kept going. He was warrior after all. Thank goodness referee Kenny Bayless decided for him to end it at 55 seconds in the last round.

Manny Pacquiao has won his seventh title in seven divisions! What a feat! He kept his composure and methodically put the hurt on his opponent. Cotto did not see what was coming literally. His disfigured face was evidence of the flurry of punches Pacquiao inflicted on him.

It looked like Pacquiao will have a long night when Cotto started strong in the first few rounds. It was ironic that Cotto went into offense first since Pacquiao was supposed to put him out early. It was also surprising Pacquiao looked fresh in all rounds. The man is a beast!

Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand in the third round and a big left hand in the fourth round. Cotto was out of answers from that point on. From that time until Bayless called the fight, Cotto was in survival mode. Pacquiao was frustrated when Cotto was just waltzing away to survive and would not engage full force.  But alas, Pacquiao TKOs Cotto in the twelfth round.

In the press conference, humble Manny said he was just a regular fighter fighting good fighters. Master Freddie Roach disagreed. Manny apologized like a little mutt to his master.  It was a hilarious exchange between the two. Pacquiao also admitted that Cotto’s punches hurt, but he had to take a few just to test Cotto’s power.

So who’s next? The crowd chanted Floyd Mayweather. That would be next logical step. It’s too bad Floyd wants more money even when he’s not the undisputed number one fighter anymore.

Manny Pacquiao will be fighting Miguel Cotto on Saturday, November 14, 2009, for a shot at  Cotto’s WBO Welterweight belt. But more importantly, a win for Pacquiao means he will be the first person to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions.

Cotto is perhaps Pacquiao’s most formidable opponent yet. While Pacquiao had to pack some pounds to qualify as a welterweight, Cotto is a natural in this weight class. It’s rather interesting that the catchweight is 145 pounds. Cotto needs to lose a couple to get down to 145 pounds or faces a penalty fee of one million dollars per pound over the catchweight. Pacquiao, meanwhile, can load up on rice!

The “experts” has been mixed with their predictions again. It was the same case with the Ricky Hatton fight. But we knew what happened.

Some of the quotes I’ve read online:

“Pacquiao is going to chop Cotto up. Out of respect, Cotto will get some rounds, but Manny is the Bruce Lee of boxing. His basketball and martial arts background give him that speed and agility. You can’t tell where his shots are coming from. Unlike Rocky, Bruce Lee was a real dude and so is Manny. - Bernard Hopkins, Former Two-Division World Champion and Future Boxing Hall of Famer

“Manny Pacquiao’s nickname is ‘The Mexicutioner.’ He’s beaten more Latinos than the police. Pacquiao…unanimous decision.” - George Lopez, Comedian, Actor, and Host of Lopez Tonight!

“Cotto in a decision. He is the first legitimate welterweight that Pacquiao has faced who is in his prime rather than a blown up junior welterweight or a fighter who is no longer in the prime of his career.” - Tim Smith, New York Daily News

The anticipation begins. Would it be a clinic by Pacquiao? Cotto thinks otherwise. Will they slug it out like a rumble in the Bronx? It would be action-packed for sure! Pacquiao’s speed versus Cotto’s size and power. Can’t wait!

OMG!  One left hook did it!  Hatton did not see it coming.  He was knocked out cold. Referee Kenny Bayless did not even bother to count. Manny did not even break a sweat. [Photos copyrighted by their respective owners]

(more…)

Ah, the battle of the trainers… While Mayweather Sr. may have won the trash talking, Roach has three Trainer of the Year trophies to show for. And of course, we’ll know who’s the better, if not the best, trainer after tomorrow’s megafight.

It’s good to see Oscar smiling and in fine shape.

Do these numbers really matter? There are intangibles that make the fighter like heart and determination. And luck comes in handy sometimes…

As far as the stats above, I beat them both in the ‘last weight’ and ‘waist’ categories!

The East and the West will finally clash on Saturday. Expect an all-out brawl. Who will come out victorious? Will the PacMan reign supreme? Will the Hitman become the new pound-4-pound king?

Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton poses at a news conference.

Thank goodness these two are in their best behavior. The trainers, on the other hand, are at each other’s throats…

What a day in the world of sports (to me, at least).

Earlier in the afternoon, my beloved Florida Gators (AP Poll #2, BCS #4) took care of business to win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship. They beat the Alabama Crimson Tide (AP Poll #1, BCS #1) 31-20. And this is without multi-threat Percy Harvin who is sidelined by an ankle injury. Superman and MVP Tim Tebow, together with the rest of the Gator crew, played their game plan to perfection.

Barring some “glitchy” computer calculations incorporated in the BCS ranking, this win should propel the Gators to face the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Championship game. This would be one game to watch on January 8.

But that was just the beginning… later in the evening, boxing’s main event dubbed the “Dream Match” finally took place. Some called it a mismatch. Others called it an entertainment blitz. But it turns out to be more than an electrifying fight, at least to Manny Pacquiao. You see Pacquiao is the smaller man, giving up height and reach to the Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya (DLH). But he has a mission. And he accomplished it with an emphatic uummph! DLH was smart enough to quit rather than Pacquiao put him to rest in the middle of the ring. DLH had enough after 8 rounds and bowed to the Pacman prior to the start of round 9. TKO. Pacquiao told him he is still his idol. DLH in turn said, “No, you are my idol.” DLH even conceded to Pacquiao’s Trainer Freddie Roach earlier assessment that the Golden Boy does not have it anymore.

The moons aligned. The Gators won and Pacquiao made history. All is well.

Since I do not have cable and, thus, cannot order pay-per-view, I was not able to watch what turned out to be Manny Pacquiao’s most exciting fight (My opinion, of course, since it was a beat down). However, there are so many news reports out there that filled me in about this historic bout. I’ve listed some here:

Pacquiao cements his place as a legend

Pacquiao, who has been described by boxing writers as the “Mexicutioner” because of his demolition of Mexican legends Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez and battered pretenders like undefeated Jorge Solis, Hector Velasquez, Emmanuel Lucero, and Gabriel Mira, lived up to his billing by an execution-style annihilation of the game but utterly outclassed Diaz.

Manny Pacquiao leaves no doubt

Matter of fact, this David would have needed much more than a slingshot — maybe a crowbar — on a night when Pacquiao hit him with everything and left his face looking like a selection at your supermarket meat counter.

Pacquiao knocks out Diaz to claim WBC crown

The sudden violence of the knockout shocked even Pacquiao, who immediately tried to pull Diaz to his feet.

“My first concern was for Diaz,” he said. “I was praying he was alright. I tried to pick him up.”

Pacquiao dominates Diaz to prove he’s the best

Early in the bout, Pacquiao proved once again what’s true in any sport: “Speed kills.” The “Pac Man” would step in and rip off three- and four-punch combinations at a time, before quickly stepping out to reset with a befuddled Diaz looking on.

The Pacman enters history books

“He was f****ng fast,” Diaz said. “I didn’t see [the left hand] coming.”

Pacquiao got the surprise of his life after the match when the NBA champions Boston Celtics visited him at the dugout. Pacquiao had predicted the Celtics to win in six games and the world champions repaid that faith by watching the match and cheering for him.

“I’m his No. 1 fan,” Kevin Garnett, standing beside Pacquiao, said.

With Garnett were Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, two members of the Big Three, and the likes of Rajon Rondo and Sam Cassell.