Amazing Manny Pacquaio!
Manny Pacquaio put on an amazing performance in stopping a stubborn Miguel Cotto for the WBO Welterweight title to show everyone why many people believe he is the number 1 pound for pound fighter in the world.
Pacman's performance was a blend of speed, skill and power and as he continued his spectacular rise through the weight divisions he showed that he has taken his explosive punch power with him.
Whilst a lot of experts and fans felt Manny could overcome the excellent Miguel Cotto not many would have expected such a dominating, convincing performance with Manny hurting and flooring Miguel on numerous occasions.
Round by Round:
R1: The fight started out with an excellent and highly competitive opening round. Cotto was coming forward menacingly and throwing an excellent jab whilst Manny looked to mix in some punches in return.Close round with Cotto landing a shade more. 9-10 Cotto
R2: Another exciting round with Cotto jabbing and throwing some power shots with Manny replying with some good jabs, crisp straight lefts and hooks. 10-9 Pacman
R3: Very competitive and exciting action with both fighters looking to gain the edge and scoring effectively. Suddenly Pacman landed a crunching shot at the end of a combo and Cotto hit the deck. Cotto was straight back up with Pacman looking to end it. Not long left in the round though. 10-8 Pacman
R4: Pacman looked to press his advantage and was throwing sharp, fast combinations and putting a lot of zip on his punches. Cotto was a bit more cautious but looking to fire back strongly. Cotto starting to make things look competitive again until Pacman scorched him with a big shot that put Cotto straight down. Miguel rose gamely but was looking very wobbly. Pacman is a great finisher and he was looking to take Cotto out now but Miguel used all his knowhow to stay in it. 10-8 Pacman
R5: Manny looking very eager to stop Cotto now and perhaps overlooking his defence a touch as Miguel landed with a couple of good punches including a hard left hook. Closer round but Manny looking in charge. 10-9 Pacman
R6: More excitement as Manny continued to press and land flashy combinations but with Miguel still throwing some hard shots as well as his strong jab. 10-9 Pacman
R7: Another round for Manny as Cotto seems to be unable to come up with anything to counteract Pacman's dominance. He's still landing some jabs though and he has power so he's not out of it yet. 10-9 Pacman
R8: Manny seems to be getting stronger and bigger and Cotto weaker and smaller as time goes by. Pacman doesn't seem concerned by Cotto's power and the power and confidence seems to be draining from him. 10-9 Pacman
R9: Pacman really turns the screw and walks Cotto down landing excellent combinations and badly hurting Miguel who is on shaky legs. Cotto is showing great courage in refusing to wilt under the pressuer but this is like an animal stalking it's prey. Manny is looking to take Cotto out and it now looks so one-sided that if Pacman doesn't KO Cotto here then perhaps the ref should be stepping in to stop the fight. 10-8 Pacman
R10: A quieter round as Manny appeared to be taking a breather after nearly stopping Cotto in the previous round. Cotto used his jab well and landed some good shots. He showed great character here and in my opinion he won this round. 9-10 Cotto
R11: Pacman back to walking his opponent down, taking the punches on his gloves and landing his own powerful straight lefts and hooks. Pacman increased the pressure again here showing great speed and timing in landing some good shots. 10-9 Pacman
R12: Manny drives forward straight away, not content with a points decision and looking to score the KO. His lightning punches crash home and as a combination landed on Cotto on the ropes the ref jumped in to stop the fight. Amazing performance!!
What was all the more exceptional about Pacman's performance was that he was fighting a fighter of exceptional calibre himself in Miguel Cotto. Naturally bigger Cotto has scored some great wins during his career and only ever lost once. He looked in great form as well, looking very competitive in the first 3 rounds. His timing was good and he looked sharp and focussed.
Cotto afterwards paid tribute to a great performance from Manny. The call now is for Pacman v Mayweather as the big fight of 2010. Whilst it is unlikely to be as exciting as this fight due to Mayweather's more defensive style, it is a mouthwatering prospect.