Manny Pacquiao| The Secret behind a win over De la Hoya

De la Hoya vs Pacquiao – the story so far…

My last post looked at how and why Oscar De la Hoya beats Manny Pacquiao, where I more or less stated the obvious and outlined why it was extremely unlikely Manny Paquiao would win the mismatch he has signed up for on December 6th.

Can Pacquiao even win?

A better fight for Pacquiao would have been Ricky Hatton at 140, although I expect the Hitman would be favourite to overwhelm the Pacman in an entertaining fight, It is easier to envisage how Pacquiao could beat Hatton. To unravel the secret of how Manny Pacquiao beats Oscar De la Hoya will need closer analysis.

So I did a little research…Didn’t much help… so I sat back for a couple weeks and asked myself who is Manny Pacquiao? Why is Pacquiao considered P4P number one? How can Pacquiao beat a man who has lived with the speed of a peak Shane Moseley, the Skills and boxing brain of Pernell Whitaker and the raw Power of Felix Trinidad, despite all the obvious gaps in his boxing armoury?

Who is Manny Pacquiao

Then it dawned on me at 19 years old Manny Pacquiao travelled to Thailand face the local favourite and established reigning champion Chatchai Sasakul in what was argueably his prime. Sasakul had 23 stoppages in 33 fights and having already  avenged his only defeat. A young Pacquiao not only won the title but Stopped the Thai native on his home turf for the first time in his carreer and only time until this year when a 38 year old Sasakul was bludgeoned by the talented Christian Mijares in three rounds.

Manny Pacquiao – A Child Prodigy

Then I looked back at the stats and saw that While still a boy in boxing terms Manny Pacquiao had stacked up a KO record as a flyweight comparable to a young Mike Tyson, Prime George Foreman and an old Sonny Liston. At that time however like many a boxing fans I failed to notice the devestating Filipino fighter making a noise in the lighter boxing weight classes.  Especailly as their was a very  talented heavyweight division at that time. Honestly.

Pacquiao knows what it is like to lose

And then like Liston, Foreman and Liston Pacquiao suffered a suprising stoppage loss … The second defeat of Pacquiao career put an end to Pacquiao’s first KO run, and signalled another move up in weight where the Pacman embarked upon another Knock Out littered path of destruction. This saw Pacquiao become (argueably) the number one super bantamweight in the world not that I considered him the best, I remember being enamoured with the skills and power of a Domincan Super-Bantanweight Joan Guzman, who I believed would be too skillful for the one handed gunslinger from the Philipines… shame Guzman doesn’t live the life his failure to make weight for high profile industry fights with: Alex Arthur, Scott Harrison and most recently (and shamefully) Nate Cambell and bad hands which have negated his ability to bring the power he showed as a super bantamweight up into higher weight classes have dimmed this talented fighters star significantly…. But this blog is about Pacquiao vs De la Hoya so I will continue…

Pacquiao wins his first mismatch

Pacquiao’s performances as Super-Bantamweight had officially given him a bit of industry buzz, outside his already strong hillipino based support. Pacquiao would expose himself to the general boxing fan and mainstream media in britual fashion when the Pacman beat up and stopped Marco Antonio Barrerea in one of the biggest shocks in boxing since… Vince Phillips flattened Kostya Tzyu.  Questions however remained over Marco Anotonio Barreras preparation prior to the fight and while the Pacquiao was now known by the vast majority of hardcore and casual boxing fans, debates relating to merits of his victory, and how good Pacquiao actually was still remained.

How Marquez helped Manny Pacquiao

The belts at four weights, the wins over Erik Morales, the destruction . David Diaz, all aided by Pacquiao’s fight(s) with master boxer and mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez. After dropping Juan Manuel Marquez 3 times in the first round Manny Pacquiao got the shock of his life. Instead of retreating into his shell as most fighters would (just think Paulie Malinaggi vs Ricky Hatton) he adjusted his gameplan and gave Manny Pacquiao a boxing lesson. After this fight it became clear to everyone that Marquez had given every smart boxer the key to beating  Manny Pacqiao and if Manny was going to continue his dominance he would have to improve. A loss to Erik Morales, where Pacquiao was not able to fight his fight due to promoter distractions and injury (Pacquiao sustained a bad cut over his right eye in the fifth round from a clash of heads) had many questioning whether or not Pacquiao could make the needed adjustment. However Pacquiao proved he had learnt, developing the additional threat of a right hand which helped him gain retribution over Erik Morales twice. Pacquiao was still outboxed by Marquez during their second contest  where he won a close but disputed decision with just the one knock down this time. If Pacquiao puts the lessons learned against Marquez into practice against De la Hoya, like David Diaz the Golden Boy will see a much sharper defense and a smarter attack.

So…

The Tale of the Tape: Manny Pacquiao

Age    29
Stance    southpaw
Height    5′ 6½″
Reach    67“
Record: W 47 (KO 35)  L 3(KO 2) D2
Rounds Boxed 283 : KO% 67.31

What this does not tell us is that Manny Pacquiao has not been stopped sinced he was a teenager and that like some of his former rivals Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera he started his proffessional career as a teenager at just 16. As Antonio Margarito showed us in his fight with Miguel Cotto, fighters who take this route to the top get a solid schooling in boxing game.

Pacquiao’s confidence

Juan Manuel Marquez aside since the Pacquiao’s 11 round beatdown of Marco Antonio Barrera, everything seems to be going Pacauiao’s way.  If winning is 90% mental 10% physical the size disadvantage Pacauiao has in this match may not be an issue. Oscar De La Hoya has not had a big win since he beat Fernando Vargas in 2002. The plot thickesn when you consider Pacquiao’s trainer Freddier Roach is talking up a Pacquiao win after working with De la Hoya for his last major fight with Floyd Mayweather Jnr, you would have to assume De la Hoya gave his all in preparations for that fight even if it wasn’t enough. On December 6th the Golden Boy has to be hoping that 10% physical edge he has on the Pacman will be.

Manny Pacquiao Speed and Conditioning

One thing we can gurantee is that Manny Pacquiao will be in tip-top shape for this fight and will enjoy a significant advantage in hand and foot-speed over the Golden boy, His work rate and ability to fire quick hard accurate combinations will be somthing which De la Hoya hasn’t dealt with since he fought Sugar Shane Moseley for the first in ‘00. I know what your thinking Floyd Mayweather Jnr isn’t exactly slow right? And De la Hoya did ok against his speed? Well yes and no Mayweather is fast but he doesn’t fight with the pace and intensity of of Manny Pacquiao. And while De la Hoya did ok with Mayweather’s speed one quick right hand off the ropes did have the Golden boy knee’s buckling. Remember most fighters are knocked out because they don’t see the punch coming and so aren’t prepared to take it. If you don’t believe me just look at Manny Pacquiao’s last fight against David Diaz. I remember Diaz telling his corner he was bothered by Pacquiao’s speed not power until he didn’t see one coming and was put to sleep.

Manny Pacquiao Boxing brain

Many people consider this a weakness for the Pacman and I am not about to try and tell you any different, Manny Pacquiao is not the second coming of Bernard Hopkins. Pacquiao does have Freddie Roach who was tutored under the all time great trainer Eddie Futch who trained four of the five men who beat Muhammed Ali and a number of Hall of Fame fighers during what was a remarkable career. This grounding makes Pacquiao 2x trainer of the year Freddie Roach an even more imposing threat as a boxing tactician. And unlike the quality trainers and advisors Oscar De la Hoya has brought in Roach has been working with Pacquiao for years. This is a distinct advantage for Pacquiao as Roach is not wasteing time building a relationship with Pacquiao, from day one he is working on Pacquiao’s strengths and weaknesses so on December 6th the Pacman can deliver the fight strategy. Talk of Bernstein teaching De la Hoya how to get more power from his already impressive left hook is good but pointless at this stage of his career Oscar De la Hoya’s is an old dog who will forget his new trick if under pressure. I have no doubt Manny Pacquiao will be the better prepared come fight night.

So how does Pacquiao win?

Any Pacquiao victory over De la Hoya will be built upon speed. Expect Pacquiao to be more cautious in the early rounds as he was agaisnt Marco Antonio Barrera. Don’t be suprised to see Pacquiao utilise some effective defensive skills during the fight as he will be more aware of the price he may pay if caught by the bigger man. If Manny can sustain this patient approach, without giving away to many rounds, you will then see the Pacman pick up the pace from around round four or five and pepper the Golden Boy in a style we have all become accustomed. A mixture of body shots and quick sharp combinations will be used to break Oscar De la Hoya down and while I don’t expect Oscar to be knocked out IF Pacquiao and Roach can pull the plan off an unlikely stoppage over an ageing Oscar De la Hoya is possible.

Hopkins beats Pavlik… It wasn’t suppose to happen like that!!!!

Rocky Marciano vs Bernard Hopkins

Ok in my mind Hopkins was the more skilled but ageing Joe Louis and Kelly Pavlik was the hard hitting Rocky Marciano who was going to bludgeon the living legend through the ropes in his final right of passage before becoming a Super Star… so its not an exact paralell but I thought the result would play out somthing like that…

Why Didn’t Pavlik work Louis to the Body?

Maybe Pavlik should have watched the way The Rock worked over the ageing  Joe Louis’ body during that fight. If “The Ghost” Kelly Pavlik had switched his target to the body he would have found the answers to Hopkins elusive defense. As it goes Pavlike chose to rely on his bread and butter double jab straight right combination which came up short from round one to twelve!

Great for Hopkins but where does Boxing go?

So now  Kelly Pavlik, is not a super star and left the ring looking a broken man…boxing has lost the second coming of Rocky Marciano and an ageing Joe Louis instead of Joe Louis passing on the torch and bowing out of the fight game he fights on… So much for Boxing history repeating itself

Joe Calzaghe Great Or Just Good?

The Morning After Calzaghe vs Jones

Joe Calzaghe’s win over Roy Jones Jnr was the lead headline on the Radio when I woke up on Sunday morning I had Watched Calzaghe vs Jones and had listened to Boxing writer Steve Bunce, Barry Maguigan, and former Calzaghe & Roy Jones Jnr opponent Ritchie Woodhall rave about Calzaghe career and accomplishments… But there I lay significantly underwhelmed by the hyperbole being bestowed upon Calzaghe after the result.

I ain’t Buying what Joe Calzaghe is selling

While I consider Joe Calzaghe to be an exceptional boxer on many levels I have never been 100% sold on the man from Newbridge Wales. Calzaghe like Mayweather seems to have fallen in love with the “0″ on his record, while at the same time wanting to be known as an all time great. Despite Joe Calzaghe having wins agaisnt the two premier fighters of his generation and a string of successful title defenses at Super Middleweight I will make the mini-case stating why Joe Calzaghe is a Good but not great fighter

Joe Calzaghe’s Boxing Record

Although Calzaghe’s record includes  a mixture of modern boxing greats, potential boxing stars, Decent fighters and… lets call them also rans. For me two of the four signature wins you will find on the next Joe Calzaghe DVD should have an asterix next to them with the subsequent note stating ‘opponent past his prime’ and ‘debatable decision’.

Calzaghe Want’s Credit For Beating Roy Jones in 2008… Seriously?

Joe Calzaghe did not beat up Roy Jones Jnr he out hustled the 39 year hold who for me showed superior single punch hand speed, variation and accuracy when compared to Joe Calzaghe. So why did Calzaghe beat the more talented fighter? Simple at 39 Roy Jones doesn’t have the stamina to fight the fight needed to beat Joe Clazaghe who is a cardio machine! The boxing world knew this before the fight! The fact is Roy Jones Jnr (prior to his win over Tito Trinidad) last looked good against John Ruiz in 2003. And for anyone who though Super Roy was back after the Trinidad fight was fooled by a mirage in the desert which has been Roy Jones Jnr career post Ruiz, as the  smaller, weaker, less gifted Trinidad had not fought since losing a shut-out on the cards to Ronald Winky Wright in 2005.

Oh! So When Calzaghe Slaps He Score’s?

As I watched Calzaghe, throw a dozen untidy “pity-pat punches” (or slaps) in a bid to land one or two and then showboating as if he had done somthing akin to the great Muhammed Ali or Ray Leonard while Roy landed the odd clean counter or put a few clean punches together every couple of rounds, it dawned on me that Roy Jones would have picked joe Calzaghe apart with ease 5 or 6 years ago and that  this fight was made so Joe Calzaghe could get the man who was once Roy Jones Jnr P4P King on his record.

Joe Calzaghe has cemented his legacy beating up shadows

This was more or less the same thing Joe Calzaghe did when he faced Bernard Hopkins. In a fight I felt Joe Calzaghe  actually lost to the executioner, Calzaghe looked very ordinary as he followed Hopkins around the ring throwing as much as he could, at anything he could get, which in most rounds was nothing. At the same time Hopkins made Calzaghe consistently eat clean sharp counters which had him pile up the rounds on my unofficial card,,, Now I concede Hopkins struggled and gave away some of the later rounds due to fatigue (not punishment ), but for me the 43 year old executioner had done enough (a) to win the fight and (b)to show me he was the more skilled and talented fighter.

So why did Calzaghe get the nod against Hopkins?

I guess they gave it to Calzaghe for being the agressor? I may be wrong but I thought you won boxing matches for landing scoring punches not repeatedly tapping hands and elbows…. but thats me. Bernard Hopkins in his hey day would have been able to sustain his agression and would have beat up and stopped Joe Calzaghe, hell as a slightly younger old man he would have done the same thing.

So do I hate Joe Calzaghe… well…

NO! I know I came down pretty hard on Joe Calzaghe but I have watched this guy his whole career more or less and while he is a good fighter Calzaghe’s longevity has been aided by amazing stamina, a weak Super-Middleweight division and being matched with stars who should have retired years ago. Now if Mikel Kessler and Jeff Lacy go on to have careers which rank up there with the Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins of this world I may change my mind on how I assess Joe Calzaghe’s career but after seeing Jermain Taylor own Jeff Lacy, i won’t be holding my breath. Calzaghe is good and he may be one of a select group of fighters to get out of boxing with his “0″ but I rate fighters who have tried and lost like Oscar de la Hoya, Erik Morales,   and even Miguel Cotto above him everytime.

Oscar De La Hoya|How DLH wins and loses vs Pacquiao

Who is Oscar De la Hoya?

Who doesn’t know who Oscar De La hoya is? A modern day boxing legend, De la Hoya’s career has seen him transform from the popular “Golden Boy of boxing” into one of the genuine cash cows in proffessional sports today. Everyone wants to fight Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton aside… who felt it was better to honour his prior arrangement with Pauli Malinaggi instead of filling in for Money Mayweather this September. And if you don’t want to fight De la Hoya maybe you want to be promoted by him? Golden Boy Promotions Oscars company houses a number of existing stars and upcoming prospects and will allow Oscar to maintain his cash cow status long after he finishes fighting. Now lets take a look at why De la Hoya has been so successful…

The tale of the Tape: Oscar De la Hoya

Age: 35
stance:    orthodox
height:    5′ 10½″
reach:    73“
Recored: W 39 (KO 30)  L5 (KO 1)

So what do De la Hoya’s basic stats tell us..?

Well although fighting from an orthodox stance (fighters who lead with their weaker left hand for those not up on their boxing 101) De la Hoya is reported to be left handed (south paws/left handers lead with their right hand – for example Manny Pacquiao). This has proven significant during De la Hoya’s career as he has been able to forge a formidable  left jab/left hook combination that saw him win gold at the 1992  Barcelona Olympics and beat atleast 10 Hall of Fame fighters during his 16 year career as a proffessional.

De la Hoya Physical advantage

This for me is how and why Oscar De la Hoya wins this fight. If The Golden Boy turns up on December 6th anything close to the De la Hoya who has performed on big nights in Vegas against Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosely and Flloyd Mayweather he will be too much for Manny Pacquiao and for me will brutally stop the Philipino icon. That being said nothing is a given in Boxing and if the Oscar De la Hoya who turned up against Steve Forbes arrives in vegas that night he could well suffer an embarrassing defeat against the Pacman.

De la Hoya’s Power

Now don’t get me wrong, while  his power is respected De la Hoya has never been regarded as a fearsome puncher like  one time rival Tito Trinidad, Mike Tyson or even Manny Pacquiao. He does however possess a 68% KO ratio and has consistently stopped fighters in four different weight divisions making his KO record even more impressive and his reputation as a puncher a little understated. Maybe those who question Manny Pacquiao’s ability bring his power up with him to welterweight should consider this? Or maybe not. At almost 5ft11 De la Hoya’s frame is significantly bigger than the Pacmans and aided his successful move from Super Featherweight to Middleweight. As De la Hoya 90% stoppage ratio suggests The Golden Boy was huge when fighting at both Super Featherweigt and Lightweight and Pacquiao how has been stopped and hurt by fighters nowhere near as big or strong as De la Hoya will do well not to get knocked out in this one.

Oscar De la Hoya’s chin

De la Hoya has a solid chin, Moseley, Mayorga, Vargas, Quartey, Trinidad… all tested De la Hoya’s chin to differing degrees without fight ending success tand while the fast and accurate Mayweather was able to dip Oscars knees I can see nothing to suggest that Manny will be able to stop the Golden Boy.

De la Hoya has been stopped

The only time De la Hoya has been stopped was by a body shot to the liver while fighting at middleweight. Like De la Hoya’s next opponent Manny Pacquiao he was facing a fighter who was bigger stronger and smarter in Bernard Hopkins and the event ended up being a mismatch.

Pacquiao will attack De la Hoya to the body

The body though is an area De la Hoya has shown vunerability in other fights however especially against fast fisted rival, friend and business partner Shane Moseley. This may not have gone unnoticed by Freddie Roach who has had the benefit of training De la Hoya for his contest agaisnt another speedster in Flloyd Mayweather. Maybe this is too obvious a tatic though with the butcher the baker and the candlestick maker hearing seeing press reports stating Pacquiao was planning to work the body. Roach a world reknown trainer would not give up his fighters plan A so easily.

How does Oscar De la Hoya lose against Paquiao?

Well what can I say  at 35 The Golden Boy is getting on in age. By taking on Pacquiao this December De la Hoya will be embarking on his busiest year as a fighter since 2004 AND! Will be attempting to make the 147lbs welterweight limit for the first time in over seven years! Roy Jones Jnr will testify how making weight can take somthing away from even the best fighters and when your 35 you may never get it back.

It happens to us all Hopkins showed us he didn’t have the legs against Calzaghe, last week Antonio Tarver showed he didn’t have anything to stop Chad Dawson, we all get old and there comes a time where no matter how hard we try we can’t do the things we use to. Now here comes the exception to the rule: at 36 Joe Calzaghe is enjoying a particularly fruitful indian summer, Vitali Klitscho jumped out of his hospital bed at 37 to beat up on a 28 year Samuel Peter, Shane Mosely… beat another old man (just)… Anyway, these occurances although more common in boxing today and sport in general  (Just think Brett Farve and Greg Norman)  is still quote novel. And with De la Hoya known to tire even when he was younger, fitter, faster, stronger. This makes De la Hoya’s decision to fight at 147 the one risk which keeps this fight interenting for me even if he has fought his last two fights at 150lbs.

De la Hoya’s conditioning

I am sure Manny Pacquiao will look to use his speed against De la Hoya and set a ferocious pace from the start. At 35 Oscar will not be able to effectively fight at that pace for 12 rounds. If De la Hoya can’t slow the Pacman down or stop him early, expect a repeat of Manny Pacquioa’s victory over David Diaz with a slow plodding Golden Boy beind picked off and battered in the second half of the fight while he drops to a unanimous decision defeat.

Oscar De la Hoya’s Mental Strength

Now this is the reason I respect Oscar De la Hoya: He has been in the spotlight from the start of his proffessional career. In fact unlike many US Olympic boxers who have followed him, De la Hoya has never left the spotrligt since he struck gold as a teenager in Barcelona. In those respects De la Hoya is on a par with Lebron James, Diego Maradonna, Tiger Woods and all those other childhood prodigies who have delt with the pressure of expectation and achieved greatness (should Lebron James be on this list?). Oscar De la Hoya’s ability to overcome pressure from fans, the critics and his opponents, who don’t just want to beat him but make a name for themselves makes De la Hoya’s achievement even more impressive as he had to do it from day 1 as a pro.

So what does De la Hoya have to prove?

Some may question De la Hoya’s desire and why not. The Golden boy already has: a career record which reads as a who’s who of boxing, hundreds of millions in the bank and a bright business future ahead of him what more can he want to achive? Well it is clear to me, the man who has it all wants to go out, not just another winner but as P4P king. Victory over Manny Pacquiao who is generally considered pound for pound the best boxer in the world right now (although not by me) would in Oscar’s mind atleast legitimise his position as the best boxer on the planet.

My next post will look at how Manny Pacquiao wins and losses this fight and I will also be giving a short analysis on the fight of the weekend Pavlik vs Hopkins.

Congratulations to Ian Daper Naper who won the European Title last night, great performance.

Manny Pacquiao Vs Oscar De la Hoya: Latest News

Manny to set fast pace

Paul Willams and Antonio Margarito pick DLH

Pacman beats up Light Middleweight

New training methods gives Manny the edge

Oscar’s Body in for a pounding

Roach: DLH is older and slower…

Intro:Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao – Analysis, betting tips, and predicitions

…Before I discuss De La Hoya vs Pacquiao

Before I get into analysis of the Oscar De La Hoya’s mega fight with Manny Pacquiao on the 6th December, 2008 (MGM Grand, Last Vegas Nevada) and delve into the variables that make Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya a must see sporting phenomena, I need tie up a few loose ends…

Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao – Betting tip!:Pacquiao vs De la Hoya generates more revenue than De la Hoya vs Mayweather . (if it doesn’t blame the credit crunch)

Migual Cotto vs Antonio Margarito - Winner Margarito

Work, family, friends, are my excuses for not completing my analysis of Antonio Margarito enthralling victory over Cotto vs Margarito. I wont say who I thought would win but I will summarise what I saw that night:

Migual Cotto’s boxing skills are far beyond those of Antonio Margarito’s, for the first half of the fight Miguel Cotto more or less schooled Antonio Margarito in the art of boxing as Margarito diligently attempeted to pressure Miguel Cotto and pin him down. In the end however three main factors lay behind why Antonio Margarito beat Miguel Cotto : Size, Strength and Conditioning – Antonio Margatio held advantages in these three areas, Miguel Cotto did not hit hard enough to make Antonio Margatito think twice and so Margarito set the pace which was too much for Cotto who was forced to contantly fight to keep Margarito off him. As a result Cotto wilted from the 6th round on and although valiant and producing the some good moments he was not strong enough to win on the nights. This fight also convinced me that Manny Pacquiao predessor as P4P King Floyd Mayweater would of handled Margarito easily in a fight as frustrating for the fans as it would have been for Margarito.

Samuel Peter vs Vitali Klitschko

brief note on this… Vitali’s performance didn’t amaze me, Samual Peters feet were far to slow! I sat watching the fight pondering how a 6′7, 37 year old Vitali Klitschko, coming off a four year break and with a history of injuries who was also described as “robotical”in his prime moved around the ring more gracefully than the 28 year old Samuel Peter!?!?! That being said I can’t think of a heavyweight who is BOTH good enough and tough enough to beat either Klitschko brother…can you?

Chad Dawson vs Antonio Tarver – even less needs to be said

Chad Dawson is a good fighter but Antonio Tarver is WAY to old to be doing this… last night I saw an old man get beat up simple as.

Hopkins vs Pavlik – why no blog for this one

The fact is Kelly Pavlik should be fighting another relevant fighter in Joe Calzaghe (although Pavlik may be made for him) and Bernard Hopkins should be fighting another former great in Roy Jones jr but as a result we have two fights which mean very little.

With that out the way look for the limited but effective Kelly Pavlik to have a harder time than expected before eventually beating up the official “old man of boxing” Bernard Hopkins. I am sure theres a good bet out there where you can get Hopkins to win atleast 4 maybe even 5 rounds on atleast 2 cards in a losing effort.

…Back to De La Hoya vs Pacquiao

So back to Oscar De La Hoya fight with Manny Pacquiao, right now before really considering it in any real depth I am thinking De La Hoya will beat Manny Pacquiao by stoppage. That being said there are enough variables around the fight like:

• De La Hoya making the welterweight (147 pound) limit for the first time in 7 years
• Pac Mans hand and foot speed
• The Golden boy’s age
• Will Pacquiao’s power be a factor as a welterweight

I will be addressing all these questions and more in the run up to the Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao fight on December fight giving betting tips along the way. For now though my thinking is that De la Hoya is 10 times the fighter David Diaz is, and Manny Pacquiao doesn’t have the defensive skills or variation of Steve Forbes nevermind Floyd Mayweather who De la Hoya pushed close. I think Pacquiao who was hurt by Juan Manuel Marquez (who for me beat him twice) may be knocked out by Oscar De La Hoya… Margarito vs Cotto should have shown everyone that size and strength take you a long way counts! That being said I am still podering De la Hoya, Pacquiao fight and can see ways in which both the Golden Boy and Pac Man could win this one.

In my next boxing post I will look at:

How De La Hoya can win and lose against Pacquiao
A few betting tips for Pac Man vs De la Hoya
The latest news and comment around De La Hoya/Pacquiao
Brief comment on Hatton Malignaggi (which I have ignored up to now)
and a mini report on the result of Hopkins vs Pavlik

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito betting tips, anaylisis and prediction: Who is Miguel Cotto

So who is Miguel Cotto? Overview and analysis

Age: 27
Height: 5’7
Reach: 67”
Pro-Record: W32(26K.O.) L0 D0

Miguel Cotto’s the early years

Miguel Cotto has trained at the famed Bairoa Gym in his home town of Caguas, Puerta Rico from childhood. The Bairoa Gym has housed genuine world class fighters such as Alfredo Salsero Escalera, Hector Macho Camacho and Julian Solis and it is clear Cotto has been schooled to compete at the very highest level of boxing from a very young age.

With his uncle guiding him at the gym it is no suprise that Miguel Cotto became a top amateur, winning several international boxing awards including a Silver medal in the 1998 Junior World Championships and earning the right to represent Puerto Rico at Light Welterweight (140lbs) in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Miguel Cotto at 140lbs

After failing to medal at the Olympics Miguel Cotto turned proffessional as a Light Welterweight in February 2001. Quickly establishing himself as a fans favourite Miguel Cotto overcame a number of good fighters overcoming a range of statures and styles to win the WBO version of the Light Welterweight title against Kelson Pinto a tall rangy puncher who had beaten him in the amateurs.

Miguel Cotto went on to defend this title successfully six times despite widespread rumours that he struggled to make the weight and like his then rival Ricky Hatton wasn’t the MOST stringent proffessional when not fighting. These problems (if they were problems) may be the cause of the main questions raised about Miguel Cotto when fighting at 140.

Although Cotto successfully stopped Riccardo Torres and Demarcus Corley in title defenses, his superhuman image was tainted against Corely, where Cotto was cleary hurt and then shattered BY Torres where he was badly hurt and seemingly on the brink. Since moving up to Welterweight however Miguel Cotto has laid most questions to rest and can now lay claim to one boxing most prestigous mantles, “King of Puerto Rican Boxing.”

Miguel Cotto fighting at 147lbs

Long been considered the heir to Puerta Rican Boxing Greats Wilfredo Gomez, Wilfred Benitez and Felix Trinidad, Cotto clearly cemented this posistion in 2007 with a number of decisive wins. First came victory over country man Carlos Qunitana who had ended the unbeaten record of touted prospect Joel Julio to win the title. The magnitude of Miguel Cotto’s demolition of Carlos Quintana was magnified in wake of Qunitana’s title winning performance against Paul Williams. Qunitana outclassed Williams who delivered Antonio Margarito last defeat. (Paul Williams recently avenged his loss to Quntana via first round K.O. to reclaim his title ruined this point).

After beating seasoned pro Oktay Urkal in his first defense of his WBA belt Cotto contested a thrilling fight againt Zab Judah where Cotto became only the second man to stop Super Zab Judah (the first since his move up to Welterweight). Overcoming a tough first round where he was hurt and seemingly on the brink of defeat, Miguel Cotto dug deep as he had to against Ricardo Torres and did what he had to do to get out of trouble… He delivered the punch that was the prefix to Felix Trinidad’s ultimate destruction of Fernando Vargas, a hard shot below the belt guranteed to turn the pressure off… Brutal fouls asides this fight let me know Miguel Cotto. was a warrior walking through mosterous blows to grind down Zab Judah and get the stoppage win.

Cotto ended the year decisioning and suprisingly out jabbing “the boxer” Sugar Shane Moseley. Although 35 Moseley was on a high having schooled the difficult left hander Luis Collazo (which for me made Ricky Hattons performance seem all the worse) and delivering back to back stoppage wins against Fernando Vargas.

This years win against Alfonso Gomez doesn’t particularly add to the legacy but this could change depending on what Gomez does next I guess.

So what are Miguel Cotto’s strengths?

Cotto’s Body shots

I’ve heard Miguel Cotto described as the best body puncher in boxing today… not sold on that one but there is no doubt he is up there and it is definately a weapon he can use to make a fighter think.

Cotto’s Punch Variatrion

Cotto has always been good with the left hook but the Shane Moseley performance showed me that Miguel Cotto is more than just your everyday boxer puncher he is now able to outbox opponents by dominating fights behind the jab. Add to that a vastly improved straight right and a mean uppercut and you start to realise that Miguel Cotto can more or less do it all! Betting Tip: Cotto’s slicing attack could have the doctor stepping around the 7th or 8th

Cotto’s Will to win

I have written off Miguel Cotto on three occasions… My mistake. First was Demarcus “Chop Chop” Corley who seriously rocked Cotto only to be stopped in the next round (controversial to some but not to me). Then Riccardo Torres had Cotto all over the place! Again Cotto would not be denied breaking his man down to the body until he wanted no more. Finally and for me most impressively, it was proven finisher Zab Judah who rocked Cotto with a mamouth uppercut and was one punch away from having his arm raised! I was convinced it was over for Cotto, WRONG! One well placed shot to the groin ended that attack. It’s clear to me this guy does not quit! He teeters on the edge but never steps off! Miguel Cotto is more Carl Thompson/Evander Holyfield than Mike Tyson/Kermit Cintron.

Cotto’s Left hook

Head or Body this is probaby Miguel Cotto’s stand out punch, fast hard and accurate there arent many if any boxers around who throw this punch better at any weight.

Cotto’s Chin

Although Cotto has been hurt badly and even knocked down by Riccardo Torres he has always gotten up to win. In a era of boxing where prospects who can provide clear revenue potential are matched safely Cotto’s handlers have not been shy in putting him in with punchers. Just check out the records of Riccardo Torres, Carlos Maussa, Kelson Pinto and Zab Judah if you dont beleive me. Betting Tip: If this ends within the first three rounds Cotto gets caught cold

Cotto’s Timing

This is the secret behind Cotto’s Jab and his ability to counter punch. To say Shane Moseley and Carlos Quintana are decent technicians is an understatement. Cotto’s superb timing the source of his success as an amateur and is now serving him well as a proffessional. Not the fastest or the slickest of fighters (not saying he’s slow), it is Cotto’s timing that makes him stand out at the highest level.

Cotto’s Boxing pedigree

Although Miguel Cotto failed to gain awards at the three major senior amature events, (The World Championships, The Pan American Games and the Olympics) he has extensive experience at world amateur level that has provided a solid grounding.

Cotto’s Level of Opposition

Matched well throughout his career Miguel Cotto has had the unenviable challenge of consistently fighting high calibre opposition while always being considered the favourite. This will be the case again when he faces Antonio Margarito and if he wins this fight I can only persume Top Rank have one of the smartest match makers in the business (plausible) or Miguel Cotto is that good. (possible)

Miguel Cotto’s weaknesses

Cotto’s Defense

I wouldnt say Miguel Cotto had a bad defense as he is generally a very compact fighter. He isnt afraid to let his punches go which is bound to leave him open to counters and there are a few punches which he is more vunerable to than others.

Uppercuts

From what Ive seen Miguel Cotto leans forward when coming in leaving him open for the Uppercut Shane Mosely and Zab Judah were able to land this punch on Cotto. The amount of punishment Cotto put them through to get this small success meant their confidence was already in shreds and they were often hesistating instead of caspitalising on this vunerability.

That Right Hand

No secret here! Cotto is always open for the right hand. Numerous fighters have landed rights of all shapes and sizes straight rights through the guard, looping hooks around the outside it doesnt matter what kind of right it is – Cotto will block 1 of every 4 with his face. Some of the fighters who have enjoyed a bit more success than most with the right had include:Mosely, Corley, Torres, Abdulaev and Zab Judah. (Who was able to land that left a faIr bit too. Although I put that down to another Cotto weakness).

Cotto and Speed

Yes speed Pauli Malinaggi troubled Cotto with his hand and foot speed and was able to land on Cotto if not hurt him. Zab Judah well he did hurt Cotto but we have talked about that. And if im honest i felt the lessons he learned against Malinaggi helped him to eventaully control both Zab Judah and Shane Moseley in their respective fights.

Cotto’s Strength and Size

What may be a decisive problem for Miguel Cotto is Margarito’s size! Cotto will not have faced anyone as big, strong or durable as Antonio Margarito in his career to date. Will the smaller Miguel Cotto be able to hurt Antonio Margarito? Does Miguel Cotto have enough power to make Antonio Margarito think twice? Right now I am thinking Miguel Cotto cannot bully or intimidate Antonio Margarito and if his plan is to slug it out with Margarito he loses.

Cotto’s Conditioning

Does Miguel Cotto have the stamina to follow Paul Williams example and outwork Anotnio Margarito who if renown for keeping it coming all night and getting stronger after each round. In his fight with Shane Moseley after taking over and fighting at his own pace during the middle rounds I was alaremed when Cotto seemed to wilt in the closing stanza’s of the the fight. If Moseley himself had not been exhausted, weakened from body shots and 35, he could have gone on to overwhelm Miguel Cotto in those late rounds. Like Mosely I expect Margarito to land his fair share of body shots

My next post will take a look at who Antonio Margarito is

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito Latest News

Miguel Cotto speaks on Margarito fight

Daniel Santos see’s one winner in Cotto vs Margarito fight

Miguel Cotto gets Margarito clone as sparring partner

Cotto vs Margarito undercard

More undercard news

Intro: Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito – Fight analysis, Prediction and betting tips

Miguel Cotto Vs Antonio Margarito

July 26,

MGM Grand, Las vegas, Nevada

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito – Fight of the Year?

Miguel Cotto versus Antonio Margarito has all the ingredients to be not just another contender for fight of the year (Betting Tip Number one) but one of the greatest contests in modern boxing history. I have to give credit to promoter Bob Arum for this one the last fight I was this excited about was Castillio vs. Corrales one, and we all know how that ended.

Why am I so excited about this boxing match? Just watch any Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto fight, these two warriors win in the same way, By drawing their opponents into there kind of fight they turn them into victims, grinding them down into defeat. I have countless examples of Cotto and Margarito challengers who have abandoned their best made plans for a kamikaze mission which often leaves them bloody, beaten and broken, just look at Kermit Cintron (twice), Paulie Malinaggi, and Danny Perez.

This begs the question what happens when welterweight boxing divisions unmovable force collides with its unstoppable object? Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito 1! (Betting Tip Number two: I see a rematch or two).

My next post will take a look at who is Miguel Cotto? what are Miguel Cotto’s strength are his weaknesses. How can he win and lose this fight.

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito – Latest News:

Winner of Margarito vs Cotto gets De La Hoya Swan Song

A storm is brewing

Paul Williams Back in the frame

Margarito talks on Cotto

Knowledge of an armchair fan: Boxing information and predictions

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A short Introduction

My name is… Well you can call me “Chu” and I’m an armchair sports fanatic. Soccer (Football), Basketball, American Football, Rugby, Tennis, F1, Athletics, swimming, cycling the list goes on the point is I take at least a casual interest in them all! I mean Golf and Cricket bore me but even they have captured my imagination from time to time.

Lets talk Boxing

The clear zenith of my nerdish sporting focus however is Boxing. For the last 5 years from the comfort of my living room my interest in Boxing has been anything but casual. I have watched listened and or read about: Every major boxing bout, most interesting boxing contest and a fewboxing mismatches that have taken place. I have become a scholar of boxing history a stalwart follower of boxing rankings and generally obsessed by the sport of boxing

Like any sports fanatic who regularly who chooses to take an interest in a particular sport you tend to notice certain things about teams and individuals for example: the fastest man on the planet Asafa Powell can’t perform under pressure, when it comes to finishing soccer star Michael Owen fluffs his lines more times than you would think and a fundamentally sound fighter with a decent chin, good hand and foot speed and a solid game plan can school any boxer trained in that awkward but effective Ingle style. (a combination which is easier to state than achieve by all counts).

It has also allowed me to gain some valuable resources when it comes to analysing fights and fighters. I now know which boxing writers are hype men, which are deluded, and those that are just blind. On a less derogatory note I also know which boxing writers to look for when it comes to finding out about a fighter, no matter where they are in the World!

So if your

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Why sign up for a blog about boxing?

Well my fascination with boxing gives me a slight edge over the casual fight fan and the less astute boxing aficionado when it comes to picking winners of boxing matches,

Let me help you bet on Boxing

So if you want to know who is going to win the next Miguel Cotto fight? Want to know which round Ricky Hatton will stop his next opponent? Or find out the latest information about a fight? Then Visit my blog where you will find extensive information and betting advice on major boxing shows and some betting tips on the careers of fighter and smaller boxing match ups which will help you cash in.

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In depth Analysis: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito
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