Cotto doesn’t care if Mayweather Fights Pacquiao after he Beats Manny – News

By Manuel Perez: World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Miguel Cotto made it clear that he doesn’t care one bit if Floyd Mayweather decides to fight Manny Pacquiao instead of him after he [Cotto] gets through beating Pacquiao next month. “If Team Mayweather and Team Pacquiao want to fight, I don’t give a crap what they do after I defeat Manny,” Cotto said in an interview with El Nuevodia.

Cotto probably expects that he’ll be bypassed by Mayweather and isn’t going to lose sleep over the matter by complaining about it. Mayweather does things his own way and it’s hard to understand his reasons for choosing a certain fighter sometimes. Pacquiao no doubt will likely take the fight with Mayweather next, because it will be the best fight out there for him and his management, and trainer Freddie Roach, will want him to take the fight.

Even if Pacquiao is badly beaten by Cotto, the Mayweather fight still makes the most sense for Pacquiao. After big money fights against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto, Pacquiao won’t want to have to take on a lesser fighter where he would make much less money.

Although it would be a idea for Pacquiao to fight a tune-up if he loses to Cotto, the pressure on Pacquiao to maximize the money he makes will probably be too great for him to waste time on a tune-up. Pacquiao will then jump straight from a loss into a fight against Mayweather, which as many people expect, will be another big loss for Pacquiao.

It’s all good, though, because Pacquiao can cry all the way to the bank. Who cares of Pacquiao is humiliated in a one-sided defeat by Mayweather just as long as he’s well paid for it that’s all that counts. It would be sad that boxing fans would prefer to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao rather than Cotto if Pacquiao loses badly to Cotto next month on November 14th.

But that shows you how much the boxing fans really know about the sport. Probably a good deal of them won’t even realize that Pacquiao has lost to Cotto, and the other half – read: Pacquiao’s lovesick fans – won’t care one bit that Pacquiao was beaten. They’ll back him up no matter what happens in the Cotto fight. They’re fans and they would come see Pacquiao fight even if he were beaten 100 times in a row.

Cotto may end up fighting Pacquiao again immediately if the fight does extremely well. Arranging a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao won’t be an easy task because Mayweather wants more money. Cotto, depending on how badly he does against Pacquiao, could want more money than last time, but probably not nearly as much as Mayweather would be asking for.

It’s a fight that makes sense if a Mayweather bout is too difficult to put together. Mayweather will still be there after Cotto fights Pacquiao for a second time. By then, Mayweather will possibly be more agreeable to a fight with a reasonable purse split between him and Pacquiao.

Source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/10/cotto-doesn%E2%80%99t-care-if-mayweather-fights-pacquiao-after-he-beats-manny-news/

Mayweather to still fight Pacquiao even if He Loses to Cotto?

By Manuel Perez: Wow, I thought I had heard them all, but comments from Floyd Mayweather’s uncle Jeff Mayweather tonight from sports.inquirer, in which Mayweather explained that Floyd may still fight Manny Pacquiao next, even if Manny loses to Miguel Cotto on November 14th, just seems weird to me. “Just as long as he doesn’t lose in a devastating manner it would still be the biggest fight out there,” Jeff Mayweather said.

Man, I don’t know how to take that comment. Does this mean that Floyd Mayweather will side step around Cotto to face the smaller, lesser threat in Pacquiao in a move to avoid taking a risky fight with Cotto or is this just a money thing? I’m cool with it, I guess, if this is just a financial thing because Mayweather has to do what he has to do to get the most money for each fight.

But, if Mayweather is looking for an easier fight against Pacquiao, then that doesn’t sit right with me and I see it as some kind of timid weakness on his part. I’ve never thought of Mayweather as being a ducker of fighters, but it seems kind of unfair that he would still move ahead to fight Pacquiao if the Filipino loses to Cotto. How would the public take that message?

If they’re ignorant of it, I guess it’ll fly but some may not see it as a good move because it rewards the wrong fighter. If Pacquiao loses to Cotto, it should be Miguel who wins the Mayweather sweep stake, not a beaten Pacquiao. What this means is that if Floyd Mayweather is thinking of fighting Pacquiao no matter what happens in Manny’s fight with Cotto, then it’s up to Cotto to make sure he beats Pacquiao so badly that Mayweather couldn’t in his right mind fight Pacquiao without being looked at as a cherry picker.

If Cotto knocks Pacquiao out or beats him really badly through 12 rounds, it puts a lot of pressure on Mayweather to have to fight Cotto. Sure, he could turn around and fight Pacquiao regardless of how badly be gets beaten by Cotto, but he’ll look kind of silly by doing it.

Mayweather already has some people wondering about him for fighting Ricky Hatton, a light welterweight, and then Juan Manuel Marquez, a lightweight, in his last two fights. By skipping over Cotto if he comes out on top in his Pacquiao bout, it will send the wrong message to people and make it seem like Mayweather is afraid to fight opponents his own size.

Maybe he doesn’t care what people think. If that’s the case, more power to him, I hope he enjoys getting Cotto’s sloppy seconds. But it looks bad from my stand point. How can Mayweather turn around and fight Pacquiao if Manny takes the beating of his life against Cotto.

Then is some weird crap. I don’t even know how to even begin to understand something like that. I don’t know how a fight like that could make money if Pacquiao is coming off a knockout loss to Cotto. Who would want to see that garbage? I mean, you know who’s going to win, don’t you?

Source: http://www.boxingnews24.com/2009/09/mayweather-to-fight-pacquiao-even-if-he-loses-to-cotto/

Who's NEXT? Mayweather?

LOS ANGELES – So who’s next for Manny Pacquiao?

Well, at least for now, he’s got Ricky Hatton to his left, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to his right.

And all Pacquiao has to do is choose.

Pacquiao, fresh from his eight-round destruction of Oscar de la Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, said Sunday that the Mayweather camp had sent feelers about a possible fight with the Filipino superstar.

“They sent a message to us that if I beat De la Hoya, he will come out of retirement to face me,” said Pacquiao, referring to Mayweather who suddenly retired after beating De la Hoya and Hatton last year.

But following Pacquiao’s unbelievable win that pushed De la Hoya closer to retirement, there are calls for another big match, another dream match against Mayweather, the former pound-for-pound champion.

Pacquiao now wears that billing, and a fight with Mayweather, sometime in May or June, will be another great night of boxing.

But Hatton wants to face Pacquiao, too, and also offers a huge opportunity at 140 pounds. Pacquiao said he’s also willing to face the British superstar even if it means fighting him at the Wembley Stadium in England.

But whoever it is, Pacquiao should be in for another huge payday.

“Whoever is fine. You know me,” said Pacquiao inside his customized bus as he travelled four hours to get back to Los Angeles. He took the front seat with his pregnant wife Jinkee and was joined by relatives and friends.

“Are there any more Mexicans out there? I think Zorro is the only one left,” said the fighter who has beaten some of the great fighters from Mexico - Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Looking back at the fight against De la Hoya, Pacquiao said his speed, and good head and body movement enabled him to take away De la Hoya’s jab, and that made it easier for him in dominating his taller opponent.

“He couldn’t move anymore because I was so fast. And each time he threw his jab, I countered. That’s what we trained for - how to counter. I was a moving target and it was very difficult for him to catch me,” he added.

Pacquiao said he was only worried about his head because he knew De la Hoya’s jab and left hook are one of the best in the sport, and that he was never worried getting hit in the body.

“Imagine, I did 2,500 sit-ups a day so I didn’t have to worry about my body. De la Hoya worried about both his head and body. That’s why he looked so scared each time I hit him. I heard him moan after I hit him once in the body,” he remembered.

“Para siyang kandilang unti-unting nau-upos,” Pacquiao said.

The Filipino champion thought that it would have been over in the ninth round if De la Hoya got up his stool to answer the bell because he knew he had him, and that’s what his trainer Freddie Roach told him.

“Manny, this is it. Finish him off. Knock him out. You’ve got him,” he was told during the break.

And so he said he was surprised when he saw De la Hoya walking toward him, thinking he was charging at him until he saw his cornermen signaling the end of the fight.

Pacquiao said he felt that at 148 1⁄2, his weight when he climbed the ring against De la Hoya, he was even faster when he fought David Diaz for the WBC lightweight (135 lbs) crown only last June.

“Imagine, I’ve jumped and fought in three weight divisions this year,” he said, reminding everyone that last March he also defeated Marquez for the WBC super-featherweight (130 lbs) title.

Pacquiao said that after the fight, he received a phone call from Diaz, and he was surprised with what he said.

“Oh, man. You’re unbelievable. What kind of human (being) are you. You were so fast,” Pacquiao remembered Diaz as telling him.

Source: http://philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=422437