Well the big match has come and gone. Many (except for me) were surprised at the way Pacman dispatched Cotto, in what was billed as the fight of the year. Sympathies for Cotto though as he wanted to go out with honor via decision, but the referee made the right choice in stopping the fight, with regards to fighter safety. Lets review the performance of both fighter, and I'll give you a glimpse of what the future might hold for these two warriors.
Post Fight Analysis: Manny Pacquiao
I'm running out of superlatives for Manny. This fight was easily the best performance in his already remarkable career. This fight was nothing like what we saw against De La Hoya & Hatton, in the sense that Manny did not flurry his opponent with a barrage of non-stop punches, but tore him apart piece by piece, mercilessly. First round aside, Pacquiao dominated the fight impressively, dishing out deadly combos to Cotto, cutting and bruising him till he was literally a staggering flesh wound. The 3rd & 4th round knockdowns clearly showed that at 145lbs, Manny still has the power and ferocity to obliterate opponents. Cotto did sneak punches, jabs & uppercuts in, but Pacman merely shrugged it off, grinned and continued his onslaught. Manny's' stamina baffled the crowd as he showed no signs of fatigue right up to the 12th round, on-route to his TKO and I personally felt that he was only in 4th gear throughout. 10/10 for Pacman
Post Fight Analysis: Miguel Cotto
Credit to Cotto for his lion like courage & heart throughout the match. No other boxers could ever take that kind of beating. Cotto had a plan, and it all looked bright after the 1st round. He got some good punches in, had a great defence against Mannys' attack and really brought himself well, but that was it. 2nd round onwards he seemed to have lost the strategy as everything went totally wrong. 3rd & 4th saw him go down once in each, taking some menacing looking punches from the Pacman. He looked to have come back from the dead in the 5th, composing himself and taking the fight to Manny, getting some good punches in which looked to have hurt the small Filipino. 6th onwards he lost everything again, and was constantly on the back foot, looking like he was "running away" from the Pacman. My personal opinion was that he could have have gone all the way till the end of 12, but the fight was stop after 55 seconds on the 12, when referee Kenny Bayless decided enough was enough and sounded the bell.
Pacquiao Verdict
Pacman has hinted that he might have 3 fights left before he retires, so we shall definitely see some big name opponents on the cards. A final bout against Manuel Marquez is on the cards, and I see Pacquiao winning that easily via KO. Then he may face either Shane Mosley or the highly anticipated, mouth-watering fight against Mayweather Jr. ( he'll knock both guys out, trust me). Whoever Manny's' future opponents may be, we can be sure that this record breaking, boxing extraordinaire will bring with him the kind of excitement and thrill that has made him a worldwide superstar.
Cotto Verdict
Miguel should not feel incredibly disappointed after this match. he did infact fight the #1 pound for pound boxer and managed to stay on his feet (almost) throughout the match. He is still a big name in the boxing arena and has a few exciting prospective opponents for the future. I feel Cotto should fight Margarito next, and prove to the world that Margarito did win the previous encounter with loaded gloves. If he wins that, then a fight against Shane Mosley might be up. A rematch against Pacquiao is possible although highly unlikely. Cotto is a very good fighter and I give him full credits for all that he has achieve, and see him returning to the spotlight in the near future.
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