when i say pacquiao “via annihilation” i don’t mean its an uninteresting/unnecessary/irrelevant fight. i’m just saying that you folks are cracking cotto up to be simply what he’s not. pacquiao is leagues above cotto, and he’s gonna school his ass plain and simple. everyone called me a moron when i said pacquiao was gonna demolish hatton and look what happened.

pacquiao easy TKO 6

Every single thing that makes the lukewarm reaction so many have shown regarding the competitiveness of Pacquiao-Cotto a bizarre spectacle is highlighted in it. There are two points in particular that really stand out to me:

And when all was said and done, Cotto-Clottey led to some major league hemming and hawing, and praise for the fight and the performance of both guys was sadly muted.

Probably the saddest thing to come off the whole ordeal. Both fighters showed why they belong at the top of the welterweight division along with Shane Mosley, and they deserve to keep fighting top opposition. Cotto earned his fight against Pac. Lets hope Clottey lands a good fight against a legit welterweight as well.

It seems to me that some people might accept nothing less than Pacquiao time traveling and fighting Sugar Ray Robinson at this point. Live in the now, because this now is pretty damn exciting.

Thank you for pointing this out. A lot of fans are acting like Pacquiao has transformed in some sort of unstoppable force. Hell, they may be right. But we can’t know for sure until he faces and beats more fighters who are considered the cream of the crop at the moment. We can’t forget that this is boxing we’re talking about. ANYTHING can happen, and we’ve had fighters in the past who have accomplished as much as Pac in terms of of overcoming improbable odds, fighters who have become even more recognized than him even among the most casual of fans, only to be conquered when we believed they were impregnable.

I want Pacquiao to travel back in time and take on Ali, Frazier and Foreman in a 3-on-1 match. Anything less will be a grave disappointment.

But seriously, I haven’t heard anyone say that Cotto is unworthy, or the fight irrelevant. I’ve just heard a lot of people who believe so unshakably in Pacquiao that they would pick him over Cotto, Mayweather or Superman via mid-rounds TKO

This is an incredibly stern test, and if he passes it with half the ease some are suggesting, I think he moves clear as the greatest boxer of my lifetime

Though as I suggested elsewhere, I think this is part of a recent trend of fans dismissing fighters needlessly as washed up, when there is little to no evidence to suggest that.

Let’s sort the chaff from the wheat, shall we?

Oscar: washed up
Hatton: probably washed up
Taylor: maybe…
Evander: beyond washed up
Morales: washed up
Barrera: washed up
Toney: fat and washed up

I could go on, but more to the point:

Cotto: no real evidence to suggest it; Clottey fight argues against it.
Mosley: no real evidence to suggest it; fight with concrete-paws argues against it.
Either Marquez brother: no evidence to suggest it, recent fights argue against it.
Pavlik: no shame losing to Hopkins, not enough evidence to suggest it.
Vasquez: slightly more problematic, because he had a real medical issue, but still, not enough evidence to suggest it, and I wish people would quit assuming it.
Oh, and Hopkins: I’ll believe it when I see it—and maybe not even then…

My point is that the people in the bottom list do not belong in the same arguments we’re making for the people in the former list. Yet, many, many fans here and elsewhere have been claiming “finished!” for these and other like them.

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I agree that the underestimating of Cotto is insane. I’ve been following Pacquiao closely since 2003. A year ago, I’d never guess that he’d be fighting Cotto, let alone favored by most to win. Especially at 145, this is a dangerous fight for Pacquiao.

Another thing I might be imagining, but didn’t Cotto beat Mosley not so long ago?

I think Pac will win and ill pick by KO or TKO, just cause styles make fights. Manny loves to have guys fight him he and Roach have both said it many times, thats some of the reason why they want Cotto not Mosley. Cotto is a great fighter with alot to work with but I think that if he starts slow against the faster feet and hands of Pac he will have a hard road in the mid rounds.
With him coming for Pacquiao, Pac will be able to beat him to the punch as he is coming in, land a combo and move.
Dont get me wrong Pac will have to be on the top of his game all night to pull off a win, and as people have said this is boxing and anything can happen, like a Cotto left hook to the body.

Id love to know what the papers are saying about this fight in PR. Cotto has 4 million of the most passionate fans in the sport down there.

A lot of people are picking Manny to route Cotto purely based on Pac’s last few fights and thats fine. He did his job in those fights and looked amazing but for him to go in there and do the same thing to Cotto is going to be a much tougher task. I’m with SC here in that I just don’t see counting Cotto out of this fight. A guy who in my view is" the" top welterweight in the sport. I expect a great fight from both guys and maybe I’m in the minority here but I believe Cotto will knock Manny out. Either way it goes may the best man win come fight night.