The results are in and the PacMan proved VICTORIOUS!!!

TKO's Miguel Cotto in Round 12

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Pacquiao stops Cotto to win 7th title

By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Boxing Writer

LAS VEGAS (AP)—Manny Pacquiao’s speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto’s heart.

Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice and turning his face into a bloody mess before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.

The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto took such a beating that his face was a river of red from the fury of Pacquiao’s punches, but he refused to quit even as his corner tried to throw in the towel after the 11th round.

“I didn’t know from where the punches were coming,” Cotto said.

The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn’t disappoint. The two went after each other with a vengeance and Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring before a roaring sellout crowd at the MGM Grand arena.

Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn’t badly hurt and came back to finish the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.

Cotto won two rounds on the scorecards of two ringside judges and just one round on the card of the third. The Associated Press gave Cotto just the first round.

“Our plan was not to hurry, but to take our time,” Pacquiao said. “It was a hard fight tonight and I needed time to test his power.”

Cotto’s face was marked early and he was bleeding midway through the fight as Pacquiao kept bouncing around and throwing punches in his unorthodox southpaw style. He tried to keep taking the fight to Pacquiao, but by then his punches had lost their sting and his only real chance was to land a big punch from nowhere.

“He hit harder than we expected and he was a lot stronger than we expected,” Cotto’s trainer, Joe Santiago, said.

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Cotto fought gamely, but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao came after him relentlessly. Santiago tried to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out to take even more punishment before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to end it.

Cotto’s wife and child, who were at ringside, left after the ninth round, unable to watch the beating any longer. They later accompanied him to a local hospital for a post-fight examination.

“My health comes first. I just want to make sure I’m fine, but I feel great. I’m swollen but that’s all,” Cotto said.

His face swollen, Cotto was bleeding from his nose and his cuts, and he simply couldn’t stop Pacquiao from bouncing inside and throwing both hands at will.

“Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought,” Cotto said.

Pacquiao, coming off of spectacular wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, added another one against Cotto, who had lost only once and held the WBO version of the welterweight title.

Pacquiao did it in his trademark way, throwing punches in flurries and from all angles until Cotto began to slow down. Then he pursued him nonstop until the end.

The fight likely will set up an even bigger one against Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many in crowd were already chanting, “We want Floyd! We want Floyd.”

“I want to see him fight Mayweather,” trainer Freddie Roach said.

Mayweather may have second thoughts after Pacquiao did what no fighter has done before—win a belt in a seventh weight class. More impressive, though, is how he has fought, dismantling opponents despite moving up consistently from 106 pounds to the 144 he weighed for the fight.

The welterweight ranks will be the last ones Pacquiao conquers, though.

“This is the last weight division for me,” Pacquiao said. “It’s history for me and more importantly a Filipino did it.”

He was so dominant in the later rounds that Cotto was fighting backward most of the way, simply trying to survive. Pacquiao was credited with landing almost twice as many punches—336-172—as Cotto.

“I knew when Cotto started backing up, the fight was over,” Roach said.

Pacquiao earned a minimum $13 million, while Cotto got $7 million.

Pacquiao was favored, largely off his last two performances in which he forced De La Hoya to quit on his stool and then knocked out Hatton with a huge left hook in the second round. Some in boxing, including Roach, thought Cotto had been slowed by his devastating loss last year to Antonio Margarito and would be further slowed by having to come in 2 pounds lower than his normal weight.

That wasn’t the case early in the fight, with Cotto winning the first round and fighting well. Once he was knocked down by a big left hand late in the fourth round, though, he slowed noticeably.

Just some updates and a tale of the tape... for those that have been following our Pacquiao vs.Cotto predictions on our Good Times radio program, there was a listener's consensus that Pinoy Sports Hero Manny Pacquiao would win the bout by Round 5 via knockout... the fight is ongoing... lets see how it goes!

Team PacMan -- Go go go! (MOJO)

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Original Team Pacquiao member: Pacquiao by KO inside 5

Pacquiao vs Cotto News and Updates

Veteran boxing expert Moy Lainez has known boxing superstar Manny

Pacquiao like the palm of his hands.

So when he says the "Pacman" is going to win his 12-round fight against Miguel Cotto for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title two weeks from now, there’s little room left to doubt the man.

“Ako tingin ko talaga mananalo si Manny. Kung ako ang pupusta, within rounds 1 to 5, baka diyan bumagsak si Cotto," he said.

Pacquiao is no stranger to Lainez, who, along with the late Rod Nazario and Lito Mondejar, formed part of the original Team Pacquiao.

It was in the weekly boxing show “Blow By Blow," produced by Nazario, Lainez and Mondejar, where the then gangling Pacquiao had his humble beginning.

It was also through them that Pacquiao won his first world title (World Boxing Council flyweight crown) in Thailand 11 years ago, and subsequently, his first foray in the rich American boxing circuit in 2001.

So familiar he is with the boxer he already considers as his son that Lainez wouldn’t dispute what trainer Freddie Roach said in passing that Pacquiao may even knock Cotto out in the first round of their November 14 showdown.

Like Hatton

“Naniniwala ako na may posibilidad pa yun. Hindi malayong maging Hatton yan," he said.

Pacquiao’s former handler was obviously referring to the vicious second-round demolition suffered by Briton Ricky Hatton at the hands of Pacquiao when they clashed for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) light-welterweight title six months ago.

Like Hatton, Lainez said Cotto does have the size and strength factor going his way.

But as past opponents of Pacquiao would later admit, including Hatton, former world lightweight champion David Diaz and the legendary Oscar De La Hoya, it’s the speed of the current pound-for-pound king that blew them away.

Cotto would be no exception.

“Malaking factor `yung bilis ng kamay at suntok ni Pacquiao. Bibitaw yan, 1-2-3-4. Bago maka-react si Cotto, wala na agad si Manny.

“At tsaka sa welterweight, sa tingin ko mabagal si Cotto," he said of the 28-year-old warrior from Caguas, Puerto Rico, whose World Boxing Organization (WBO) title will be at stake.

Not the same after loss to Margarito

Lainez also pointed out what other boxing expert had been saying – Cotto has never been the same fighter he once was after suffering his first career loss to Mexican Antonio Margarito last year.

Margarito stopped Cotto in the 11th round of their action-packed welterweight clash, a result that later would be held under suspicion after the Mexican was caught applying illegal hand-wraps during his fight with Sugar Shane Mosley.

“Sabihin na nating kargado si Margarito, pero si Cotto nag-deteriorate na after nung laban na yun. Parang takot ng matamaan," Lainez said, even pointing to the outcome of Cotto’s last fight against Joshua Clottey, which the Puerto Rican won by split decision.

“Tingin ko nga panalo pa si Clottey doon. Binigay na lang kay Cotto dahil nga para maikasa itong laban kay Pacquiao," he added.

And should Pacquiao fail to score a knockout and the fight goes the full route, the Filipino has all the more chance of winning.

“Pacquiao pa rin. Mas marami siyang sumuntok kaysa kay Cotto, eh." said Lainez.

Only one way would Cotto be able to pull off an upset, according to the man behind the weekly boxing show "Rod Nazario’s In This Corner."

“Sa boxing meron tayong lucky punch. Ang panalo lang ni Cotto knockout." – GMANews.TV

I've been seeing many Tweets, Status Message Updates and Posts asking who is the female group that sang the Philippine National Anthem for the PacMan Cotto fight... well, here they are - "La Diva."

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In the Philippines, it has been a big deal on who is to sing the National Anthem of the country in every boxing fight especially that of Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao. On this Pacquiao vs Cotto Firepower fight, an audition was held for the purpose.

The audition was participated by both ABS-CBN and GMA stars. And it is the La Diva group that was chosen to sing Lupang Hinirang in Pacquiao vs Cotto fight. The group is not just an ordinary singers. They were actually champions in their own right. La Diva group is composed of Jonalyn Viray, Aicelle Santos and Maricris Garcia who were all “Pinoy Pop Superstar” champions.

For those that are scouring the Internet for updates and results for the momentous Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight... I've taken it upon myself to flood Victorina with PacMan posts as soon as i can find them (ideal for those who don't have live pay per view).

Check back periodically to see what's going on. ~ MOJO

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National pride on the line in Pacquiao vs Cotto

LAS VEGAS - The stakes are high for the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto fight with not only personal honour but national pride on the line when the two meet at the MGM Grand hotel and casino.

Both fighters have reached a crossroad with Saturday's fight as Puerto Rico's Cotto hoping to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight belt and take the mantra of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Filipino challenger Pacquiao wants to make history by becoming the first to win seven world titles in seven weight classes and use this fight as a springboard to a blockbuster showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Cotto is the biggest obstacle in Manny's path," said promoter Bob Arum. "He's a true welterweight, a strong welterweight. When the bell rings, there won't be one legend in the ring, but two great fighters, fighting for their people and their country."

Pacquiao is a hero to the people of the Philippines with widespread popularity, not just for enjoyment they get from watching him collect boxing titles, but for charity and good Samaritan work he does at home and abroad.

At one time Pacquiao was all their own but that was before he won six world titles in six different weight classes which helped get him on the cover of this month's Asian edition of Time magazine. Filipinos are getting used to sharing their national treasure with the rest of the world.

"It was big honour not just for me but for my country," Pacquiao told AFP of the Time cover.

Pacquiao is one of the few Filipinos to appear on the cover of Time joining former president Corazon Aquino who was named "Woman of the Year" by the magazine in 1986.

The article, which traces Paquiao's roots to his bid for political office in his home town of General Santos City, covers five pages in the US and international editions of the magazine.

"Manny Pacquiao has meant a lot to the sport of boxing," Arum said from the MGM Grand hotel and casino where the fight will take place. "Remember that boxing has generally played to a relatively small audience, boxing fans, and sports fans.

"But this Time magazine cover shows you that the world, that people who are usually not interested in sports, are interested in Manny, his story, and his country of the Philippines."

Sometimes prominent Filipinos can be polarizing figures. Supporters of Aquino's political opponent Ferdinand Marcos burned copies of Time magazine in the streets in 1986 because she ousted Marcos in a popular revolt.

But it is almost impossible to find anyone that has anything negative to say about the affable Pacquiao.

He comes from modest roots in the Philippines where he slept on cardboard boxes on street corners.

"He was a poor boy that has worked his way up, and now has beaten all the fighters that have been put in front of him. Manny has stayed loyal and has stayed humble," said Arum.

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said Thursday they are going to engage Cotto right from the opening bell on Saturday at the Grand Garden Arena.

"In the first round of this fight we are going to have Pacquiao make a statement because we don't want to give Cotto any momentum," said Roach who had been predicting a knockout but on Thursday said the plan is to wear Cotto down with Paquiao's blazing hand speed and quick footwork.

"I don't think we will knock him out but we will make him quit," Roach said.

Pacquiao is already planning for a career after boxing. He hopes to run for a seat in the nation's parliament in next year's elections, representing a district where he comes from in the southern Philippines.

When he didn't win, in his first bid for Congress two years ago losing to a veteran politician, it wasn't because the voters didn't like him, says Filipino sports talk show host Bill Velasco.

"During the last election campaign, people were afraid that if he does win, he may not box anymore. That is the fear of most people," explained Velasco.

(Greg Heakes, Agence France-Presse)

Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 144 pounds, his heaviest ever, while Cotto was 145 at a weigh-in Friday attended by some 7,000 fans. “In the first round of this fight we are going to have Pacquiao make a statement because we don’t want to give Cotto any momentum,” said Roach. Arum said the Pacquiao-Cotto fight has the potential to duplicate the April 15, 1985 bout between Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns that is still regarded up to this day as the best three rounds of the fight game!

It's DEFENSOR for Quezon City

BY DAN MARIANO

Word has it that former Presidential Chief of Staff Mike Defensor is dead set on running for mayor of Quezon City, the country’s biggest urban jurisdiction and one-time national capital.
Should the buzz prove true and he manages to win next year’s election, Defensor could yet hand his detractors a stinging rebuff.
Earlier this year, Defensor—who now chairs the Philippine National Railways (PNR)—was publicly humiliated when a trial court judge issued a resolution that referred to the PNR boss in rather unflattering, if unkind, terms.
Defensor had asked the judge for justice in connection with what he felt were unfair accusations leveled at him by NBN-ZTE star witness—and his erstwhile friend—Jun Lozada.
In his puzzling resolution, the judge called Defensor “Mr. Railroadman” and derided what he described as the PNR’s “old, rusty, dilapidated trains.” With the peanut gallery of Jun Lozada’s fans egging him on, the judge probably enjoyed ridiculing Defensor in public.
So dumbfounded was Defensor that he eventually decided to withdraw his plea, as the judge himself had suggested. There was no point in pursuing his complaint any further against the whistleblower who was being lionized by the opposition-leaning media and civil society.
With good reason, Defensor felt he could not expect a fair hearing before an arbiter who did not even try to conceal his contempt for the petitioner.
He apparently took the judge’s advice and focused on his “old, rusty, dilapidated trains.” Now, it seems that the judge may have to eat the proverbial crow. Defensor has succeeded in giving the judge’s epithet of “Mr. Railroadman” a positive spin.
Just a couple of months ago, the PNR fielded three brand-new trains in its Metro Manila commuter line. Previously, it had to make do only with hand-me-downs from foreign governments.
But while the PNR continues to field its second-hand coaches, its new trains have begun to transform the agency’s traditional image of a government white elephant.
Defensor managed to procure the brand-new trains that now serve thousands of commuters along PNR’s intra-metropolis line from Caloocan City to Alabang in Muntinlupa. An expansion of the service is reportedly in the works.
The brand-new trains now run alongside the PNR’s remaining “old, rusty, dilapidated trains,” serving as a running reminder that Mr. Railroadman is an action man who can get things done without fanfare.
Notwithstanding the judge’s unfavorable opinion of Defensor, the public still remembers how Defensor put together an inter-agency team that within a relatively short period of time succeeded in opening Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA 3).
Prior to that, people had thought that NAIA 3 would never become operational. The facility was plagued by both legal and structural issues. Today, however, thousands of travelers fly out of the terminal everyday. Defensor’s feat showed that if you put an action man in charge of a major undertaking, he can get the project off the ground.

Defensor’s reputation for getting things done, his admirers say, is definitely appealing to the masses and has earned the notice of many Quezon City residents. They further appreciate that at the height of
Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana he braved rising floodwaters to rescue QC residents trapped in their homes.
Word has it that Defensor’s plan to run for QC mayor has spurred Jun Lozada into waging a “crusade” to dissuade residents not to vote for his ex-buddy. If true, Defensor’s boosters warned that the smear campaign could backfire on Lozada himself and the PNR chief’s other critics.
Compared to the NBN-ZTE fiasco that riveted the entire nation’s attention, local politics is an entirely different ballgame, Defensor’s friends said. At the grassroots level, people prefer action men, especially those with a track record of performance.
“Jun Lozada can dish out all the wisecracks he wants against his former friend,” said one of Defensor’s supporters in a recent huddle with newsmen. “But our view is [Lozada] cannot get the grassroots to reject Defensor.”
Quezon City is home to tens of thousands of so-called informal settlers—yet another problem that Defensor’s boosters said he has what it takes to solve.
“The issue of squatters is an area that someone like Defensor can competently handle,” the supporter said. “It should not be forgotten that the guy was head of the country’s housing sector. The programs and strategy to address that issue must be as familiar to him as the back of his hand.”
Quezon City also took a major hit in the recent series of typhoons. It has to address a lot of ecological issues if it is to prevent the decay and deterioration that the older city of Manila has undergone.
“We can expect Defensor to display similar competence in handling this concern,” said the PNR chief’s supporter. “It will be recalled that he was at the helm of the [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] for some time before he was named President Arroyo’s chief of staff.
Of course, Defensor’s probable rivals can also claim to be action men in their own right who have contributed to Que-zon City’s development.
Defensor’s boosters, however, claimed that he has an important edge. “He has proven himself not only at the local community level but in the national arena as well.”
No prospective rival, they added, can claim as much.

KRISTA ANGELA M. MONTEALEGRE

Filipino boxing superstar Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao has continuously raised the bar in boxing with demolition of the sport’s biggest luminaries such as Erik Morales, Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Pacquiao, gunning for a slice of history with a seventh division title wants to add World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto to his growing list of elite victims.

But the confident Cotto warned the pound-for-pound king not to take him too lightly when they collide on their November 14 (November 15 in Manila) title fight at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

“I try to put myself in the best condition I can and I will try to capitalize on any kind of mistake my opponent will make. If Manny makes any kind of mistake I am going to capitalize on that,” Cotto told Fred Sternburg of boxingscene.com.

Cotto, who stands to get the biggest paycheck of his career amounting to over $10 million, has taken the most important fight of his life seriously, having started his training camp in August, a month ahead of Pacquiao’s.

Cotto believes besides speed, Pacquiao has a lot of things to offer so his trainer Joe Santiago along with Team Cotto have prepared him for everything that “PacMan” will bring in the ring.

“If he thinks he is going to win seven titles in seven weight divisions now, he has picked the wrong moment, the wrong fighter and the wrong opponent,” Cotto said. “If he thinks he is going to win the seventh title against Miguel Cotto, he is very wrong.”

While everyone seems to be worrying about his weight, Cotto thinks it is not a very serious concern.

Cotto, who admitted weighing about 160 pounds during the fight’s press tour on September, should not weigh more than 147 pounds because if he would go beyond the maximum limit set by Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach, the Puerto Rican would have to pay Pacquiao $1 million per pound of excess weight.

“When we took this fight we decided that we were fine with 145 [pounds]. We knew we could do it and we knew we would be at our best the next night. We would not have taken this fight if we didn’t think I was going to be at my best the next night after the weigh-in,” he said.