This has blowout written all over it. Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) has split his last two big fights. His blood-letting at the mischievous hands of Antonio Margarito took a heavy toll. His narrow, bloody win against Joshua Clottey seemed to confirm suspicions that the Margarito fight had permanently tainted him.
Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) is sitting on top of the boxing world. He first moved up to lightweight to obliterate over-matched titlist David Diaz. He then jumped two divisions to welterweight to thoroughly embarrass the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. And most recently, he sent chills through the spines of even the most sadistic onlookers, with his savage starching of Ricky Hatton.
Cotto appears to be on his way down while Pacquiao is flying higher than the stuff that Joaquin Phoenix appears to be on. However, things aren’t often as they appear. Despite Pacquiao’s recent highs and Cotto’s recent lows, I see this fight as a toss-up.
Here’s the breakdown, utilizing the Boxing Fight Predictor scoring system.
I’ll go against conventional wisdom and predict that this fight goes the distance. However, like most fans, I expect the fight to be 1) highly-entertaining and that 2) Manny Pacquiao will emerge victorious in decisive fashion in two weeks.