No knockout for Pacquiao, but Cowboys Stadium scores one instead
By Norm Frauenheim
ARLINGTON, Tex. – Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach promised a stoppage. Pacquiao couldn’t deliver. He didn’t have to. The building did it for him.
Cowboys Stadium’s star-power was the show stopper Saturday night in Pacquiao’s unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey.
From former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman among celebrities at ringside to a blue-collar crowd paying $8.50 for a bottle of domestic beer in the cheap seats, it was also a show that demanded a rematch. Not with Clottey.
But with the building.
“Of course,’’ said Reyna Aldrete, a Filipina-American and nurse in the Dallas area who showed up at Cowboys Stadium with a poster that included a red heart next to one name, Manny. “Who wouldn’t want to come back here?
Aldrete, one of many in pro-Pacquiao crowd, was also one of many who witnessed her first event at Cowboys Stadium. NFL games are expensive, even more expensive than a beer. In Pacquiao, she saw reason to return. A reason an encore.
A couple of hours before the first televised fight, Irish middleweight John Duddy’s split decision over Mexican Michael Medina, there were more ushers and beer vendors than customers. On the 11,250 square feet of high definition viewing on a screen nicknamed the “Jerrytron,” most of the seats looked the same: Virtually empty.
They didn’t stay that way for long.
Like anticipation for the main event, the crowd first grew slowly, then steadily. Suddenly, it looked as if it was big enough to be another municipality between Dallas and Fort Worth. Call it “Jonestown,” another local nickname for an NFL arena identified by the Cowboys’ celebrity owner, Jerry Jones.
The expectation was 45,000. At opening bell for Mexican lightweight Humberto Soto’s unanimous decision over Chicago’s David Diaz in the last fight before the main event, you didn’t need high-definition to see more people in more seats than Jones and promoter Bob Arum had envisioned. The crowd was reported to be 50,994 before Clottey and Pacquiao ever stepped through the ropes. That makes it the third biggest U.S. crowd to ever watch a fight in an enclosed arena.
The boxing record is 63,350 at the New Orleans Super Dome for Muhammad Ali’s victory over Leon Spinks in a 1978 rematch. A crowd of 58,891 at San Antonio’s Alamodome in 1993 for the Julio Cesar Chavez-Pernell Whitaker draw is second on the list. Pacquiao-Clottey might not be on any list if the roof had been opened at Cowboys Stadium. The crowd was less than half of the127,000 at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for a Chavez’ victory over Greg Haugen. It also was less than half of about 108,000 at Cowboys Stadium a few weeks ago for the NBA All-Star Game.
Seats in the upper deck at Cowboys Stadium were never made available for Pacquiao-Cotto. They were hidden, almost imperceptibly, by a dark curtain.
But there were more than just empties behind those curtains. There was potential, hidden for one night, but there and waiting if Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.,fight. If they ever do, it might finally raise the curtain on a boxing renewal that has been forgotten as often as it has been forecast.
The forecast was there in Pacquiao’s familiar, yet enigmatic smile, as he paraded into the ring to the pounding beat of Eye Of The Tiger. When the crowd wasn’t chanting his name, it must have been smiling with him at the sight of a future that for one night was as bright as that screen 40 feet above the ring.
By the seventh round, there was some impatience. There were scattered boos at a fight that not even Pacquiao’s whirlwind pace could alter because of the stubborn, durable Clottey, who is hard to hurt and won’t be rushed. His defense, upraised gloves, hid his face the way those curtains hid the upper deck. It didn’t make him popular. But he was never the star anyway.
Pacquiao was. The chants and cheers resumed for him in the 10th, 11th and 12th rounds. In the end, it was his victory and his stadium, “Mannytown.”
For the boxing business, it could have been something more. It was in the building.
Jewish champ will lose to Puerto Rican icon at Yankee Stadium
By Colin Linwebber
Provided that a bar mitzvah doesn’t prohibit it from occurring, WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman is expected to defend his crown against former WBO welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto on June 5 at Yankee Stadium.
“The Yankees want to make a deal, we know we can make a deal, they’re just working through a problem at Yankee Stadium,” promoter Bob Arum told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
“But you wouldn’t believe it if I told you. They’ve leased out some lounges for this bar mitzvah and part of the deal was for a half hour or so, they could use the big screen in center field to show pictures and all that sort of stuff. Obviously you can’t do that if there’s a fight going on.”
Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) last fought on Nov. 14 when he relinquished his belt to Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) by a brutal 12th round TKO.
On the undercard of the Pacquiao versus Cotto bout, Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs), who is ironically an aspiring rabbi, defeated Daniel Santos (32-4-1-1, 23 KOs) by unanimous decision to become Israel’s first ever world boxing champion.
Foreman, 29, the winner of the New York Golden Gloves in 2001, was considered as a potential opponent for Pacquiao after the WBO champion’s proposed matchup with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) deteriorated earlier this month.
However, Pacquiao rejected the offer mainly because Foreman, at five feet and eleven inches, is quite tall for a welterweight. As evidenced by his paltry knockout percentage, Foreman does not possess tremendous power in either of his fists.
Still, Foreman is a tactician in the ring and his height has posed problems for his opponents in the past.
“Foreman is a solid boxer,” said Brad Sherwood, a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym in Medford, Massachusetts. “He is way taller than Cotto and Cotto has been through so many wars that he is old for a 29-year-old. But, I still think Cotto will win though because he is such a powerful warrior. I would take Cotto by a stoppage in the later rounds.”
Foreman was born in Gomel, Belarus.
At age nine, Foreman immigrated with his family to Israel and it was in the Holy Land where he began to box at a local Arab gym.
“The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred,” said Foreman. “But, I needed to box; and boy, did they all want to box me.”
Particularly because of the pounding he received at the hands of Pacquiao, Cotto is going to “want to box” and bludgeon Foreman as well.
Foreman’s vast size advantage and relatively cautious style will keep him competitive in the fight.
Nevertheless, expect Cotto to ultimately brawl his way to a decisive knockout victory over Foreman whenever the two finally meet in the Bronx.
CINTRON: “A FIGHT BETWEEN COTTO AND I MAKES THE MOST SENSE . . . IT’S ABOUT PUERTO RICAN PRIDE!”
ALL CONTENDERS FROM 147 TO 154 ARE ON KERMIT CINTRON’S HOLIDAY WISH-LIST THIS YEAR
(December 21, 2009) It’s Christmas time, but despite having a great family to share the season with, Kermit Cintron is feeling a little lonely. That’s because since his May victory over highly touted contender Alfredo Angulo, it seems as though everyone else from welterweight (where he has twice held world titles) to junior middleweight (where he pulled a convincing upset over Angulo) has forgotten about Cintron, the WBC #2, WBO #2, IBF #3 ranked contender.
To bide his time, Cintron (32-2-1, 28 KOs) fulfilled a lifelong dream by returning to his native Puerto Rico and stopping Juliano Ramos in five rounds. Now he’s back on the prowl for the biggest names and toughest challenges.
“I don’t discriminate,” said Cintron. “From 147 to 154, I feel like I can beat anyone in the world. My only two losses were to a guy who was later found to have loaded gloves. Almost no else has a track record as good as mine, and yet everyone else seems to be getting opportunities.”
Among those getting opportunities is Angulo, who was back on the HBO airwaves six months after losing to Cintron in a battle for the interim WBO junior middleweight title against untested Harry Joe Yorgey. Angulo won easily and is now planning his first title defense while Cintron sits in limbo.
“How does this make sense? I beat Angulo and he gets two more dates like it’s nothing,” asked Cintron. “Since I beat Angulo, the only fight I’ve been offered was to fight Joshua Clottey and I was already scheduled to fight down in Puerto Rico. So my DiBella Entertainment stablemate Carlos Quintana took the fight, and it ended up getting cancelled anyways.”
While Cintron is eager to fight the best from 147 to 154, it is a fight against fellow Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto that tops his wish list.
“A fight between Cotto and I makes the most sense. It’s about Puerto Rican pride,” said Cintron. “There could not be a bigger fight than me versus Cotto on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. What would make no sense would be for Cotto to give Margarito another fight.”
If a fight versus Cotto cannot happen, Cintron is willing to put to clear up any questions that remain with regard to his bout against Sergio Martinez.
“Because the Cotto fight wouldn’t happen until June, I’d like to get a rematch against Sergio Martinez. Some people disputed the draw. Look, the guy wore so much hair gel and moose, that the fumes were making me dizzy. And I still managed to put it on him on only 4 weeks’ notice. Let’s clear the air for good. With an eight week camp, I knock him out. Simple as that!”
PACQUIAO/COTTO DOES 1.25 MILLION PPV BUYS
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, last weekend’s Manny Pacquiao twelfth round stoppage over Miguel Cotto was a financial success as the welterweight championship generated an estimated 1.25 million Pay Per View buys which translates into $70 million in revenue.
The 1.25 million buys, the most for a boxing pay-per-view this year, came from 650,000 from cable homes and 600,000 from satellite services.
Combined with the approximately 1.05 million buys generated by Floyd Mayweather’s dominant decision victory against Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19, this is the first time since 1999 — when Felix Trinidad claimed a decision against Oscar De La Hoya in a welterweight unification fight and Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield fought to a highly controversial draw for the undisputed heavyweight championship — that two pay-per-view fights have generated at least 1 million buys in the same calendar year.
Pacquiao-Cotto also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That makes it the 14th biggest gate in Nevada history.
The bout was a record in terms of Pay Per View in Cotto’s country of Puerto Rico as an estimated 110,000 Pay Per View buys were recorded from the island
Random Thoughts and Blurbs about “Firepower”
By Matt Yanofsky
- Manny Pacquiao’s performance Saturday night was one for the ages. While many picked him to win (myself included), who expected him to bully the bully? One of the last things I thought I’d see was the aggressive Cotto running from Pacquiao.
- In dismantling another top tier fighter, Pacquiao once again displayed why he is the best in sport regardless of Floyd Mayweather’s perfect record. His ability to dominate bigger fighters is incredible and something I have never seen before. By claiming a championship in a record seventh division – over a fighter many considered unbeaten – with such ease, Pacquiao’s all time status skyrocketed.
- Props to the HBO broadcast team and Michael Buffer for not announcing the ridiculous WBC “Diamond Championship” that was supposedly on the line. Even though the bout was fought at a 145 lb catchweight, Cotto’s WBO welterweight title was up for grabs.
This “Diamond Championship”, which was created specially for catchweight fights, was of course approved unanimously by the WBC chairmen. Like there was any chance that the WBC was going to turn down the opportunity for future sanctioning fees? Although the inaugural title was reportedly “sanctioning fee free”, why would a promoter ever pay for this bogus belt?
- Speaking of belts being created in nonexistent weight classes, aren’t catchweight fights usually made to accommodate stars from different divisions, therefore a title is not necessary to create interest?
- Even though he is chastised by the media for fighting a handful inferior opponents and has the immense pressure of continuing the legacy of his father, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was taking steps in the right direction.
The once frail super featherweight developed into a notable prospect at 154, but after Saturday night, the popular Mexican took a step in the wrong direction. Chavez had yet another perfect opponent in front of him, but was unable to finish the job. Chavez had little enthusiasm and from early in the bout, seemed contempt with taking a decision. To make matters worse, Rowland had only two fights since 2005. Chavez will have to be a lot more energized to defeat the aggressive John Duddy, who is likely his next opponent.
- Congrats to newly crowned WBA Junior Middleweight champion Yuri Foreman. Foreman shook off the label as a featherfisted fighter, twice dropping three time titleholder Daniel Santos. With excellent ring smarts and solid quickness, Foreman will cause problems for any 154 lb fighter out there.
- Not to take away credit from Foreman, but what the heck happened to Santos? Quite honestly, he looked awful from the opening bell both physically and mentally. For years, Santos was a sleeper in the division, with inactivity and fights abroad keeping off the radar. Many considered him the favorite coming into the fight but after such a disastrous performance, Santos’ career could be over.
- Jesus Soto Karass-Alfonso Gomez turned out to be an ugly affair. The fight was intriguing on paper, with two Mexican warriors looking to get back into contention, but turned out to be a disaster. Headbutts and low blows from Soto Karass made the bout frustrating to watch. While a bloody Gomez picked up the victory with a technical decision, he did little to convince anyone he is worthy of a second title shot.
- Pacquiao-Mayweather is a fight that everyone and their grandmothers want to see. The demand is already at a level that has boxing insiders predicting record success in terms of pay per view buys. While Pacquiao-Mayweather will most likely happen in the near future, I wouldn’t be shocked if Pacquiao first took on Juan Manuel Marquez. Even with Mayweather by far the most lucrative option, imagine the story line of Pacquiao stops Marquez, making him the third fighter Mayweather beat but Pacquiao beat faster. That would make the promotion all the more interesting.
Do you have any thoughts about the “Firepower” pay per view? Email me Yanoboxing@aol.com
Sung through him, Muse
By Bart Barry
LAS VEGAS – Sitting ringside at Madison Square Garden in June, the image of Miguel Cotto’s swollen and torn face still fresh, most writers would have picked Manny Pacquiao to beat Cotto decisively. The next five months talked many of us out of it. Such are the powers of time and promotion.
After sitting ringside at MGM Grand on Saturday night, I would now pick Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Pacquiao when (if) they fight. We’ll see what effect the next 150 days take. I’ll explain in a bit.
Saturday brought another coronation for Pacquiao – a man who will be remembered as the defining prizefighter of his era, whatever happens next. He buzzed through Miguel Cotto, overpowered the larger man, made him run for 15 minutes and finished the night by convincing referee Kenny Bayless to stop the match 55 seconds into the final round. Pacquiao: TKO-12.
This was the main event of 2009. An impressive one. But because the favorite never trailed after the first round, the underdog never mounted a comeback and the match was all waxing and no waning, it didn’t provide the same catharsis as the last time Cotto fought in MGM Grand. Even if the result was similar.
Las Vegas is no longer flush. Neither is the state of Nevada; neither is any one of its 49 companions. Everything has always been for sale in Vegas – a fact that charms you and makes you noxious. Now, everything is deeply discounted. But the tourists have done an admirable job of keeping up. You can no longer walk any casino floor on the Strip and discern which ladies are professionals. That’s an aesthetic judgment, not a moral one.
Onto this desperate stage strode Manny Pacquiao with his customary grin. The product of a culture that champions stature through acts and abhors self-aggrandizement. He was, as always, refreshing to behold. But Miguel Cotto was a better metaphor for the host city: Competent to stunned to distressed to worried about survival.
Cotto began Saturday’s match so effectively. The supposedly sluggish man surprised Pacquiao – as he’d surprised Shane Mosley – with a quick and accurate jab. Three, four, five times, Pacquiao’s head snapped backwards. Cotto landed left hooks aplenty, too. What did you think Pacquiao’s fedora-over-bandaged-right-ear garb was about after the fight? Cotto went forward, composed, assertive, controlled.
Then he came out his defensive shell and engaged Pacquiao in the maniacal-combo game. And that was that.
Pacquiao’s awkwardness, more than even his speed, is the source of his power. Most of what gets called “chin” is a matter of preparedness. That is, if you knew when and where Manny Pacquiao was going to hit you, you too could remain upright. You would gird for it, instinctively raise your shoulders, lower your chin and set your neck to absorb the blow. How, then, do championship prizefighters, better at taking punches than the rest of us are at anything, get felled time and again by Pacquiao?
The secret could be seen in the little left cross Pacquiao threw from his southpaw stance in the closing seconds of round four. Did you recognize it? Betcha Juan Manuel Marquez did. Same punch that dropped him in the third round of his second fight with Pacquiao. And dropped Cotto too – dropped him in a way from which he wouldn’t have recovered had the punch come in the opening seconds of the fourth.
Thrown off-balance and almost thoughtlessly, Pacquiao’s left cross was nine parts ferocity, one part execution. It was thrown faithfully: The longer this exchange goes, the more chances for us to land hard on one another. And I never lose that game.
It changed everything about Cotto. A few minutes later, the pride of Puerto Rico was bouncing, circling, jabbing. Running, in other words. The 2:50 mark of every round, punctuated by the scorekeeper’s green plastic clapper, found no Cotto fan exhaling. How many left hands might Pacquiao get off in the next 10 seconds before the bell? A hundred? A thousand?
Yet Cotto managed. Spent after the sixth, his knees buckling by the end of each round, Cotto kept Pacquiao from finishing him. Cotto hadn’t, in fact, been dropped on the canvas in 19 minutes when referee Bayless intervened.
Now imagine Cotto’s circling away – and how it frustrated Pacquiao, who simply stopped chasing him at times in rounds nine, 10 and 11 – from the opening bell. Imagine a fighter able to make tighter circles and never tire doing it. A fighter who refuses to play Pacquiao’s maniacal-combo game. Imagine Marco Antonio Barrera, whose survival act against Pacquiao two Octobers ago now ages well, being 25 pounds heavier and twice as quick.
Imagine that guy as Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Oops. Didn’t mean to interrupt the post-fight party. Certainly didn’t mean to imply anyone who cares about boxing should cheer Money May. Didn’t even mean to assert the fight will happen.
Back to the coronation. After the fight, Pacquiao was his usual gracious self, but more assertive. He was willing to say unscripted things. Maybe this is a function of his increasing comfort with English. Or maybe it’s part of his evolution as a global superstar. I mean, “even the New York Times was there!” – as the rest of us heard a little too often.
But Pacquiao’s dignity this time was seasoned with some defiance. From his happy post-fight admission that he ignored his corner’s instructions by playing rope-a-dope with Cotto, to his repeated promotional detours – “I will be playing with my band at Mandalay Bay after this, but you have to buy a ticket” – he is now as much the boss in the U.S. as he is in the Philippines.
He finished the press conference by singing a somewhat ironical verse about romantic fidelity, then hurried off to his next performance. If Saturday marked the apex of Pacquiao’s career, it also marked the apex of this boxing era.
Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry
MANNY PACQUIAO’S WORLD DOMINATION SPREADS TO WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION AS MIGUEL COTTO SUCCUMBS TO MANNY SLAUGHTER!
HBO Sports® to Air Exclusive Replay
This Saturday! November 21 at 10 P.M. ET / PT
LAS VEGAS, NEV. (November 15, 2009) – Seven-division world champion, No. 1 pound for pound kingpin, boxing’s top attraction, the best fighter of his era…call him what you want, but one thing is certain, boxing has a bonafide superhero and his name is spelled:
M-A-N-N-Y P-A-C-Q-U-I-A-O !
Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) from Caguas, Puerto Rico, the two-time welterweight champion who has had a world title every year since 2004, learned that firsthand Saturday night, enduring two knockdowns en route to a 12th-round TKO loss. With his fourth consecutive knockout victory in three different weight divisions at the expense of David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto, Pacquiao has become the face of boxing as well as the favorite to repeat as Fighter of the Year!
“Nothing personal, just doing my job”, said the modest Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), from General Santos City, Philippines, immediately after the fight. “I thank Miguel Cotto for giving me the opportunity to challenge him for his WBO welterweight title. He was a great champion. ‘Master’ Freddie Roach and I worked very hard under difficult conditions. I had a lot of respect for Miguel’s power and that is why I worked so hard in training camp. Anything less would not have been sufficient to defeat him.
“One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don’t just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. It’s an awesome power and a big responsibility. This fight was about history. People will remember that the first man to win world titles in seven different weight divisions was a Filipino “
Three-time Trainer of the Year World-Famous Freddie Roach was the least surprised of anyone who watched the fight in the soldout MGM Grand Garden Arena or on pay-per-view.
“I told Manny from the first day of training camp that I would be disappointed in him if he laid on the ropes and didn’t take the fight to the middle of the ring. And if it’s one thing I know about Manny it’s that he hates to disappoint me,” said Roach “The scary thing is we still have not seen the best of Manny Pacquiao. I have never trained an athlete like Manny who after more than 50 fights is still willing to learn new techniques and is able to apply them. One of the reasons Manny is so hard to fight is because you never see the same Manny two times in a row. He always has a new style making him totally unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Plus his conditioning is supreme to anyone in the sport. He is an athletic phenomenon. I get a lot of credit for his success, but it’s Manny who does the work in the gym and does the fighting in the ring. He’s incredible. His last five fights have been at four different weight divisions. He goes up in weight. He goes down in weight. He fights the best in each division. He’s a Manny for all seasons!”
It’s a special edition of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® when HBO Sports presents MANNY PACQUIAO VS. MIGUEL COTTO, the exclusive replay of their highly anticipated welterweight title showdown, THIS SATURDAY! NOVEMBER 21, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, will call the action. The replay will be available in HDTV.
FIREPOWER: Pacquiao vs. Cotto was promoted by Top Rank, in association MP Promotions, Miguel Cotto Promotions, MGM Grand and Tecate, and was produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® .
PACQUIAO REIGNS SUPREME AS HE STOPS COTTO IN 12!!!
By Bart Barry & Norm Frauenheim (ringside)
LAS VEGAS – There were a lot of promises. In the end, there was only Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao delivered as he said he would.
He beat and bloodied Miguel Cotto Saturday night at the MGM Grand, scoring a 12th-round TKO of Miguel Cotto for the World Boxing Organization’s welterweight title and an unprecedented seventh championship at a seventh different weight. Call it the Magnificent Seven. Who knows? Maybe, a Great Eight is next.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) said a heavier weight is not in the plans, but he makes it look as if anything is possible.
“I heard he was bigger and stronger than me,’’ said Pacquiao, who was declared the winner when Kenny Bayless stopped it at 55 seconds of the final round. “But I just wanted to fight him.’’
And just beat him.
Just stop him.
“Yes, yes’’ Pacquiao said when asked whether he wanted a knockout that had been predicted by his trainer Freddie Roach.
The fight’s promise was introduced by a video that included moments, punches and mostly faces from some of the greatest in the battered game’s history. It started with Muhammad Ali. It continued with Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, George Foreman and Alexis Arguello. There was Roberto Duran, who was on the video screen as young man in the crowd as a much older one. The film ended where it started: With Ali.
Then, it was time for Pacquiao and Cotto. It was their turn. With their dangerous hands, they would try to pound out a new legend in a very old sport.
“Miguel Cotto always fights the best fighters in the world and Manny is one of the best,” Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) said almost as if he believes Pacquiao had earned a spot alongside the all-timers portrayed in the video.
A couple of hours before opening bell, Cotto was the first to enter the arena, looking impassive as ever with eyes that never seem to blink and headphones that muffled cheers from fans who chanted his name. Then, there was Pacquiao, looking almost childlike with dancing eyes and grin that makes everybody around him smile.
Cotto looked as if he were going to the fight of his life. Pacquiao looked as if he were going to a concert, which he was after the fight. Pacquiao was scheduled to sing for his dinner at nearby Mandalay Bay after he fought for it.
In the opening moments, however, it was Cotto, who hit all the high notes. Cotto, usually a slow starter, quickly landed a succession of head-rocking jabs. He followed with a head-and body combination. But Pacquiao’s speed flashed like lightning in the first round’s closing moments. Suddenly Coot was off-balance and – for a split-second — looking uncertain .
In the second, Pacquiao’s fast hands rained down on Cotto’s face like a blizzard. In the third, they threatened to bury him. A Pacquiao right scored a knockdown. In a wild fourth, a Pacquiao left scored another one.
Two knockdowns within the first four rounds seemed to say that it was Pacquiao in a landslide. But that wouldn’t be fair to the resilient, always gritty Cotto. He had Pacquiao where he wanted him in the fourth, dazed and against the ropes. In the fifth, he rocked the Filipino, who suddenly looked as if he was on the perilous edge of serious trouble.
But just as quickly as the momentum moved one way, it swung back. As damage from Pacquiao’s sharp-edged punnches began to draw blood out from beneath the scars above Cotto’s eyes, Cotto went on the defensive .
The Puerto Rican danced away. He hid his battered face behind upraised gloves. With each succeeding round, however, it was harder and harder to hide from the inexhaustibnle energy that powered Pacquiao’s relentless pursuit of Cotto, whose white trunks were trimmed with red in the opening round and stained by his own blood in the ninth, tenth, eleventh and in the end.
Cotto promised that he would not go away. He said he would continue fighting. For Pacquiao, the future was already being chanted by the capacity crowd of more than 16,000 fans. They chant for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who wasn;t in the building but might have been able to hear them from his home in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao-Mayweather is a fight that the had public talking even before Saturday night opening bell.. Now, it is more than just talk. It’s boxing next promise, one of the biggest ever. —Norm Frauenheim
Another Midwesterner, another victory for Junior.
Saturday night, starring in the last fight before the one folks came to see, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KOs), son of the legendary Mexican, continued what is becoming a historic streak of meaningless wins against hopeless competition – this time in the middleweight division – as he battled his way to a unanimous decision over Michigan’s light-hitting Troy Rowland (25-3, 7 KOs), winning by scores of 99-91, 98-92 and 97-93.
Chavez, unquestionably his country’s most-protected fighter, whipped left hooks to Rowland’s right elbow and a number of right crosses to Rowland’s jaw, but never had his opponent in trouble. At his new weight, Chavez appeared slow and often found himself reduced to one-trick status – left hook, left hook, left hook. Still, he caused an initial series of cheers from Mexicans in attendance who remain ever faithful to his father’s memory.
As for everyone else, ringside sentiments were best captured by one insider who said of Chavez’s routine overwhelming of hand-picked Midwesterners, “He’s kicking the Big 10’s ass!”
Yuri Foreman was right all along.
From the opening bell through the 12th round, Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs), a rabbinical student, landed repeated rights for a unanimous decision over Daniel Santos (32-4-1, 23 KOs) and the World Boxing Association’s junior-middleweight title, also the first major boxing championship ever won by an Israeli.
For 11 rounds, Foreman’s righteous right bounced off Santos’ chin, cheekbones and forehead. The plodding Santos, a Puerto Rican, never could get out its way. In the twelfth, Foreman, who lives and studies in New York, threw a right to the body, sending Santos to his knees. By then, it didn’t really matter. On the scorecards, Israel already had won its first major boxing title.
But the knockdown served to punctuate the historical moment in the right way.–Norm Frauenheim
Referee Vic Drakulich seemed determined to stop Soto-Karass-Gomez for five rounds because of a cut. In round six, he finally did.
The “Firepower” broadcast began with six rounds of welterweight prizefighting that featured Californian “Contender” alumnus Alfonso Gomez (21-4-2, 10 KOs) against durable Mexican slugger Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3). After sustaining an accidental-butt-induced cut in the second round, Gomez boxed well and kept Soto-Karass off him long enough to win a technical unanimous decision by scores of 58-54, 57-55 and 57-55.
The shortened fight was closer than the judges’ cards would indicate. Soto-Karass had two points deducted from his tally for low blows. A stable-mate of former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito’s, Soto-Karass plodded forward and appeared to be making progress against his slicker foe when the fight was stopped. An unfortunate ending to a highly anticipated fight.
UNDERCARD
The evening’s final off-television bout saw a somewhat uneventful super welterweight match between undefeated Californian Roddrigo Garcia (5-0, 4 KOs) and Arizonan Martin Vierra (5-3-1, 2 KOs). Neither fighter was imperiled, and Garcia won a unanimous decision by three scores of 40-36.
The evening’s final off-television bout saw a somewhat uneventful super welterweight match between undefeated Californian Roddrigo Garcia (5-0, 4 KOs) and Arizonan Martin Vierra (5-3-1, 2 KOs). Neither fighter was imperiled, and Garcia won a unanimous decision by three scores of 40-36.
A bantamweight southpaw from General Santos City scored a second-round knockout! That’s what you’re supposed to say, anyway, when you read the result of Filipino Eden Sonsona’s latest fight. Sonsona (14-3, 4 KOs) looked rather impressive in dropping New York’s Eilon Kedem (9-2-4, 6 KOs) twice and winning by knockout at 0:17 of the second round. In victory, Sonsona even raised his head to the rafters and folded his gloves over his face – in a striking Pacquiao imitation.
Highly touted Russian middleweight prospect Matt Korobov (8-0, 6 KOs) easily handled North Carolinian James Winchester (10-3, 3 KOs) in a six-round fight that began 90 minutes after doors opened, decisioning Winchester by three scores of 60-54. That written, Korobov – a southpaw who is exceedingly fond of using his right hand – displayed some potential flaws. He occasionally chopped and slapped with his jab and appeared to get bored when Winchester didn’t throw back. These will have to be remedied.
Saturday’s second fight, a six-round junior lightweight bout between a Filipino and a Coloradoan, saw Richie Mepranum (15-2-1, 3 KOs) – stylistically, another mini Pacquiao from the Philippines – decision Ernie Marquez (9-6-2, 3 KOs) by split scores of 57-56, 56-57 and 58-55. Mepranum bore some resemblance to his most famous countryman by dropping Marquez once in the second round.
The “Firepower” fight card began promptly at 3:30 PM local time with a six-round lightweight tilt between Puerto Rican Abner Cotto (5-0, 3 KOs) and Texan Lupe Guzman (3-5, 2 KOs). Despite going the distance, it was something of a mismatch as Cotto prevailed with unanimous-decision scores of 59-55, 60-54 and 60-54.
Photo by Chris Farina/ Top Rank
FOLLOW PACQUIAO / COTTO LIVE!!!!
FOLLOW all the action as it happens as Miguel Cotto defends the WBO Welterweight title against Pound for Pound king Manny Pacquiao. The action gets underway at 9pm, eastern/6pm pacific/9 am in General Santos City and 10pm in Caguas, Puerto Rico with a three fight undercard that will feature Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Troy Rowand, Daniel Santos defending the WBA Super Welterweight title against Yuri Foreman and an all Mexican showdown between Alfonso Gomez and Jesus Soto Karrass
12 rounds WBO WELTERWEIGHT TITLE–MIGUEL COTTO (34-1, 27 KO’S) VS. MANNY PACQUIAO (49-3-2, 37 KO’S)
ROUND 1: gOOD JAB FROM cOTTO..Jab…Pacquial lands a left to the body…10-9 Cotto
Round 2: Good left to the body from Cotto..good left from Pacquiao …Cotto rips a jab..3 punch combination from Pacquoia.. Good left from Cotto..Straight left from Pac..Pac landing hard shots….great give and take…19-19
Round : Cotto lands a left…RIGHT HOOK DOWN GOES COTTO…Cotto lands a left to the body..right hook from Pac..3 body shots from Cotto…3 more ..jab…Left hook counter…Hard uppercut snaps Manny’s head back…29-27 Pacquiao
Round 4: Cotto lands a left against the ropes..Right to the body..Pac lands a flurry…right from Cotto..HUGE LEFT AND DOWN HGOES COTTO…39-35 Pacquiao
Round 5: Hard right hook from Pac…Uppercut from Cotto..Left hook stuns Pac..48-45 Pacquiao
Round 6: Hard left from Pac…Left hook from Cotto..Hard right hook from Pac…Straight left..Pacquial flurries on the ropes..Hard straight left rocks Cotto…Cotto lands a right at the bell…58-54 Pacquiao
Round 7: Hard right hook and left from Pac..68-63 Pacquiao
Round 8: Hard left hurts Cotto…78-72 Pacquiao
Round 9: Cotto lands a left…Right from Pac…hard flurry in the corner..Straight left lands flush..Cotto taking a ton of punishment..3 more head shots..88-81 Pacquiao..Cotto’s corner will give him 1 more round
Round 10: Cotto lands a right..97-91 Pacquiao
Round 11: Big flurry from Pac…Cotto bleeding from left eye, mouth and nose..Hard right from Pac…107-100 Pacquiao
Round 12: 2 HARD LEFTS AND REFEREE KENNY BAYLESS STOPS THE FIGHT —TKO 12 FOR MANNY PACQUIAO AT 55 SECONDS
10 ROUNDS–MIDDLEWEIGHTS–JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR (40-0-1, 30 KO’S) VS. TROY ROWLAND (25-2, 7 KO’S)
ROUND 1: Not Much…10-10
Round 2: Rowland lands a couple right…Body shot..Good left hook from Chavez..Good right from Rowland…Good body shot from Chavez…20-19 Rowland
Round 3: Good left hook from Chavez…29-29
Round 4: Chavez lands a stiff jab..39-38 Chavez
Round 5: Trading of right hands…Good hard right from Chavez..Rowland lands a right..Hard right from Chavez..49-47 Chavez
Round 6: 59-57
Round 7: Chavez opens up with a combination 69-66 Chavez
Round 8:
Round 9: Much of the same with Chavez pressing
Round 10:
99-91; 98-92; 97-03 CHAVEZ JR.
12 ROUNDS-WBA SUPER WELTERWEIGHT TITLE–DANIEL SANTOS (32-3-1, 23 KO’S) vs. YURI FOREMAN (27-0, 8 KO’S)
Round 1: Foreman lands 2 rights…10-9 Foreman
Round 2: Good left uppercut from Santos…Good quick left hand..Foreman lands a straight right and a right cross…Left counter buckles Santos…RIGHT HANDS AND DOWN GOES SANTOS..20-17 Foreman
Round 3: Body shot from Foreman..Good straight right..30-26 Foreman
Round 4: Santos lands a left..hard right hurts Santos..40-35 Foreman
Round 5: Hard right from Foreman..50-44 Foreman
Round 6: 60-54 Foreman
Round 7: Double jab and hard left from Santos…The two clash heads and santos goes down..Foreman cut over left eye from accidental headbutt..69-64 Foreman
Round 8: Good right from Foreman wobbles Santos..79-73 Foreman
Round 9: Santos lands a combination..Hard right from Foreman..Santos lands an uppercut..4 punch combination from Foreman..89-82 Foreman
Round 10: Headbutt re opens Foreman’s cut above left eye..Foreman lands a body shot..Hard right … Santos lands a jab but Foreman lands 4 little counters…99-91 Foreman
Round 11: 2 hard rights wobbles Santos…Foreman snaps Santos head back with a right..Foreman lands a right..Blood from right eye of Santos..Doctor now looking at the cut..Ruled a headbutt..109-100 Foreman
Round 12: QUICK LEFT HAND INSIDE AND DOWN GOES SANTOS…119-108 Foreman
116-110; 117-109; 117-109—FOREMAN
10 ROUNDS WELTERWEIGHTS–JESUS SOTO KARASS (24-3-3, 16 KO’S) VS ALFONSO GOMEZ (20-4-2, 10 KO’S)
ROUND 1: bOTH JABBING…GOOD LEFT HOOK TO THE BODY By Gomez..Jab..Looping right..Soto Karass lands 2 body shots..Jab…10-10
Round 2: Right cross from Gomez…Jab from Soto Karass..combo from Gomez..Left hook..right..Good right..Good long right..20-19 Gomez
Round 3: Headbutt causes a cut outside the right eye of Gomez…1 point deducted from Soto Karass for a low blow…30-28 Gomez
Round 4: 1 more point deducted from Soto Karass for yet another low blow..40-37 Gomez
Round 5: Hard right from Soto Karass…Good jab..Good jab from Gomez..49-47 Gomez
Round 6: Doctor looks at the cut and the fight is stopped …go to the cards…59-57 Gomez
58-54; 57-55; 57-55 FOR GOMEZ
A Friday night preview of Filipinos and Latinos
By Bart Barry (Ringside)
LAS VEGAS – No promoter has a better feel than Top Rank for the passion ethnic rivalries breed. As “Firepower” weekend was about Manny Pacquiao against Miguel Cotto, Friday night’s nine-fight appetizer card was about Filipinos against Latinos.
It was also about a warning to Pacquiao: Little good can result from making a war of attrition with a Latino volume puncher.
Set in an innovative sunken arena at Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues and televised by Azteca America, Friday night’s card had four Filipinos and a lot more Latinos, providing a wide variety of styles and outcomes.
But first the main event.
If you’ve ever asked yourself “what would Manny Pacquiao look like if he were half as fast and had never met Freddie Roach?” your answer has seven syllables and hails from Zamboanga Del Norte: Federico Catubay. Fighting out of a southpaw stance and winging overhand-left leads from opening bell to closing, the Philippines’ Catubay (25-16-3, 14 KOs) spent Friday night absorbing enough punishment from Mexican Alberto Rosas (31-5, 25 KOs) to lose his IBF super flyweight eliminator bout to Rosas, unanimously, by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 117-111.
Catubay had all Pacquiao’s intensity and bravado – ending most every exchange with his arms spread – but little of his countryman’s polish. Serving as yet another cautionary tale for Pacquiao (on the odd chance he was watching), Catubay proved on the eve of “Firepower” that going toe-to-toe with a Latin volume puncher is never a wise route to take.
MARK MELLIGEN VS. MICHEL ROSALES
The night’s co-main event featured Mexican versus Filipino in a spirited and satisfying 10-round welterweight scrap between Mexico’s Michel Rosales (25-3, 21 KOs) and the Philippines’ Mark Melligen (16-2, 12 KOs). Rosales would prevail by split-decision scores of 96-94, 92-98 and 96-94.
In a style that bore certain resemblance to a Mexican prizefighter to be featured on Saturday’s undercard, Jesus Soto-Karass, the lanky Rosales pushed forward, crossed his feet over and never ceased to pressure his smaller southpaw opponent, despite being hit flush with numerous left crosses. In the end, Rosales’ pressure and volume would impress Vegas judges more than Melligen’s clean punching and balanced attack.
Z GORRES VS. LUIS MELENDEZ
In a grueling10-round bantamweight fight, Filipino favorite Z Gorres (30-2-2, 15 KOs) outclassed Colombian toughman Luis Melendez (26-4-1, 21 KOs) for 29 minutes and 30 seconds before being caught by a left cross and dropping hard to the canvas. Gorres hung on till the final bell and ultimately prevailed by unanimous-decision scores of 98-90, 98-90 and 97-91.
The night then took a tragic turn as Gorres collapsed in his corner moments after having his hand raised in victory. Ringside paramedics were called into action and Gorres was removed on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face. He underwent brain surgery and is reported to in critical condition as of 10:30 PM local time.
UNDERCARD
After TV Azteca went off the air, Texas featherweight Roberto Marroquin (11-0, 8 KOs) made quick work of Kenyan Anthony Napunyi (10-5, 5 KOs), stopping him with a short, crisp left hook at 0:31 of the third round. Cheered on by his mother – presiding from the nearby balcony – Marroquin showed good technique and spirit in remaining undefeated.
Friday’s sixth bout saw local Las Vegas ticket-seller Diego Magdaleno (12-0, 3 KOs) remain undefeated in an eight-round super featherweight match with Brazilian Josenilson Dos Santos (10-1, 6 KOs). Magdeleno, a light-hitting boxer who nevertheless engages opponents fiercely, won by unanimous-decision scores of 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75.
The evening began with an entertaining super-flyweight scrap that saw Californian Angel Magdaleno (3-0-2, 1 KO) take the ‘0’ from Puerto Rican Rafael Miguel Tapia (4-1-1, 2 KOs), stopping him at 1:48 of round four.
15rounds.com will have full ringside coverage of “Firepower” on Saturday.
ESPN News- Manny Pacquiao overwhelms Joshua Clottey, wins unanimous decision March 14, 2010Manny Pacquiao has won a unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey in their welterweight fight, keeping up his reputation as the world's best pound-for-pound fighter. […]Associated Press
- Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight draws more than 50,000 fans to Cowboys Stadium March 13, 2010The Pacquiao-Clottey fight at Cowboys Stadium gets the third-largest indoor crowd ever for boxing. […]Calvin Watkins
- Marco Huck retains WBO cruiserweight title in Berlin March 13, 2010Marco Huck of Germany has retained his WBO cruiserweight title by knocking out Adam Richards of the United States in the third round. […]Associated Press
- Samuel Peter KOs Nagy Aguilera, eyes heavyweight title shot March 13, 2010Former heavyweight titleholder Samuel Peter moved a step closer to another title opportunity when he savagely knocked out Nagy Aguilera in the second round of a title eliminator on Friday night at the Gaylord Texan hotel. […]Dan Rafael
- Former lightweight champ Spadafora stops Fiorletta in 8th round March 12, 2010Former IBF lightweight champion Paul Spadafora stopped Italy's Ivan Fiorletta in the eighth round Friday night. […]Associated Press
- Junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. signs with HBO March 12, 2010Junior welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr., the No. 1-rated 140-pounder in the world since pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao's exit from the division, will switch to HBO. […]Dan Rafael
- Muhammad Ali visits San Francisco Giants' clubhouse March 9, 2010Muhammad Ali showed up in the San Francisco Giants' clubhouse as part of a campaign for his charity. […]Associated Press
- Judge dismisses felony coercion charge in battery case against Roger Mayweather March 9, 2010A court clerk says a judge dismissed a felony coercion charge against boxing trainer Roger Mayweather, who faces trial June 1 on allegations that he beat and choked a female boxer at a Las Vegas apartment he owned. […]Associated Press
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. associate faces charges in Vegas shooting March 9, 2010Police say an associate of boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been arrested on attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon charges in an August shooting outside a Las Vegas skating rink. […]Associated Press
- Britain's Amir Khan to defend WBA light welterweight title against American Paulie Malignaggi March 9, 2010Amir Khan of Britain will defend his WBA light-welterweight title against American challenger Paulie Malignaggi on May 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden. […]Associated Press
- Manny Pacquiao overwhelms Joshua Clottey, wins unanimous decision March 14, 2010
