Manny Pacquiao needs to clean his own house right now

I don’t need HBO’s unofficial judge Harold Lederman to tell me who is ahead in the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto preflight fight.

I give the first round to the Boricua Bomber and his legal adviser, Gabriel Penagaricano Jr., by a 10-8 margin due to knockdowns.

Seriously, while all the controversy has pumped up Pacquiao-Cotto big time even before tickets go on sale, it has been strictly “Amateur Night in Dixie” for Team Pacquiao.

For a millisecond, let’s put aside the endless brouhaha about whether Cotto will risk his WBO welterweight crown against Megamanny and talk about other issues.

They are:

1. NO SIGNED CONTRACT: Meaning that the so called verbal agreements about a 145 pound weight limitation and anything else are not worth the paper they are not printed on. Let’s make it clear that Cotto is in the driver’s seat as the Pacman camp has poorly played its strong hand. You cannot blame Penagaricano from squeezing both promoter Bob Arum and Team Pacquiao like a lemon. No signed contract means no signed contract meaning that only spoken words have been exchanged here.

2.PACMAN MUST DROP HIS TWO POUND CRUTCH: This may have been Cotto’s two-pronged ploy from the get go, milking Arum for more dough in the bout contract and a new promotional contract or extension of same and also getting around the 145 pound limit insisted upon by Coach Freddie Roach and the other members of Pacman’s team.
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Manny Pacquaio Vs. Miguel Cotto Undercard Starting To Take Shape

According to Steve Kim at Maxboxing, these are some of the rumored undercard bouts for Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto:

• Edwin Valero vs. Antonio Demarco
• Humberto Soto vs. David Diaz or Joel Casamayor

For Valero, Demarco is his mandatory opponent for the WBC lightweight title.
If you haven't seen Valero fight, don't blink, Valero's fights are reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson. If you go to get popcorn, the fight could be over already.
Soto will be stepping up to lightweight. It seems David Diaz has become the new lightweight stepping stone for fighters moving up. I think Diaz is a better choice than Casamayor, who doesn't want to go away quietly.
I'll have more as this card takes shape.
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Pacquiao Should Stop Dragging Boxers Down in Weight

By Liam Santiago: I am a big fan of Manny Pacquiao. But I wish he would stop demanding boxers come down from their natural weight. What gives Pacquiao the right to demand boxers lose extra weight than what they are comfortable losing. Of course, this gives Pacquiao a big advantage. His opponent is likely to be weak after pushing his body to extreme limits to make the weight limit. At this level, every pound makes a massive difference. As I say, I’m a huge fan of ‘Pac-Man’, but I wish he would fight at a weight limit, whether it’s lightweight, light welterweight or welterweight, I don’t care.
Just to be clear, this problem did not effect the Hatton fight. Pacquiao fought Hatton at light welterweight and shown his superior skills and talent by knocking Hatton out in the second round. This is what I want to see Pacquiao do, boxing at a weight limit. Weight limits are there for a reason. They prevent boxers getting seriously injured. When I heard Pacquiao was fighting Oscar De La Hoya, I instantly knew Oscar could not win. He simply could not make that weight limit and fight as he could at light middleweight. When a boxer fights in that condition he doesn’t stand a chance. Even at the weigh in, you only had to take one look at Oscar to decide who was going to be victorious the following day. He looked awful.
However, even though Miguel Cotto is going to have to shift an extra 2 pounds on November 14th this year, I am still predicting a Cotto knock out. Yes, them two pounds will play a part, but I think the Puerto Rican star can deal with it. If Cotto does not win it will be because he couldn’t deal with that drop in weight. Before the Oscar fight critics said Oscar would be too big, but, as I’ve said, the weight had the affect. Before the Hatton fight critics said Hatton would be too big and strong, but Hatton’s poor defense was embarrassingly exposed. Fighting Miguel Cotto, I imagine, will be somewhat different. Cotto should deal with the weight ok and he won’t have a weak defence ; plunging forward with his chin out to dry, like Hatton did. I know it has been said before, but I see power and size being the key factor. I predict Cotto to stop Pacquiao in round 9 or 10.
But, the big question is Can Cotto handle that extra two pound drop in weight. If it does bother him and he loses energy like Oscar did, Pacquiao will win and the referee will probably stop the fight. I don’t want to see Pacquiao’s legacy built on fights where his opponents were drained that badly they could only stand there and take Pacquiao’s shots. That’s no legacy. However, like I said I am a big fan of Pac-man. What he did against Diaz and Hatton was incredible. He has amazing power and speed and I believe he does deserve his pound for pound spot. The fight I really want to see Pacquiao in is not with Mayweather. Its Marquez 3.
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Face me at 147 for WBO title, Cotto tells Pacquiao

MANILA -- Miguel Cotto said that he would only agree to stake his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao if they agree to fight at 147 pounds.

In a report by MB.com.ph (Manila Bulletin), Cotto said that Pacquiao would have to fight as a true welterweight if he wants the 147-pound title.

“If Pacquiao wants that the fight be for the title, (it) will have to be in 147 pounds. I won the title in that, the welterweight (division) and that is 147 pounds,” the Puerto Rican champion said in the report.

Should the WBO insist on making the Pacquiao-Cotto match a title match at 145 pounds, the Puerto Rican said he will not hesitate to surrender the title.

“The OMB (WBO) has the legal authority to dismiss me as champion and gladly I deliver them the title. (WBO president) PacoValccel, better than nobody, knows that the 145 pounds is not a division,” said Cotto.

Pacquiao is pushing to make his November 14 date with Cotto a title fight in his bid to become a seven-division champion.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pag-sanction ng WBO sa laban namin, mangyayaring magkaroon ako ng tsansa na maging isang seven-division champion, na hindi pa nangyayari sa kasaysayan ng boxing,” the Filipino boxing icon said in his column “Kumbinasyon” posted on Philboxing.com.

Pacquiao, the reigning IBO junior welterweight champion, is a former WBC lightweight champion, WBC Super Featherweight champion, IBF Super Bantamweight champion and WBC Flyweight champion.

He also won lineal championships in four weight classes, one of which was counted as a title he won over Marco Antonio Barrera.
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Why Pacquiao can’t train long on US soil

Manny Pacquiao stands to pay millions in taxes to the Internal Revenue Service of the US if he insists in holding his entire training camp for the November 14 fight with Miguel Cotto on American soil.

Owing to an IRS regulation called the Substantial Presence Test, Pacquiao has been told by Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum to spend the first half of his eight-week training camp outside the US to avoid shelling out “millions of dollars.”

Arum’s promotional outfit Top Rank is staging the Pacquiao-Cotto bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Harvard-educated lawyer has informed the Filipino that he ought to set up camp in the Bahamas, Mexico or Canada.

Arum said if Pacquiao insists on training exclusively on US territory just like in the past, his earnings will be subjected to taxes.

“All of his income from around the world will be subject to tax,” said Arum.

But if Pacquiao follows Arum’s advise, “just his purse for the fight (with Cotto) will be subject to tax.”

Pacquiao lawyer Franklin Gacal said they knew all along that the IRS would one day knock on their door.

“We’ve been told about this even before so we’re not surprised,” said Gacal, who is likewise setting his sights on Vancouver as an option to host Pacquiao’s training camp.

Meanwhile, Team Pacquiao will come out with an announcement regarding the on-going negotiations the moment Gacal confers with Arum.

“I have been given instructions by Manny on the matter,” said Gacal yesterday afternoon after efforts to contact Arum proved futile.

Meantime, Cotto told the Puerto Rican press that for him to defend the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown, the fight with Pacquiao should be at 147 lbs, and not at a catch weight of 145 lbs.

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Pacquiao Poll: What course should Manny take?

By popular demand, as the Pacquiao Worldwide Army is on air raid alert, a White Gorilla poll of you the paying customers.

What should Manny Pacquiao do now:

a) Forget about 145 pounds, agree to fight Miguel Cotto for WBO title with 147 limit

b) Fight the Puerto Rican, hold to 145 pound limit, and don’t worry about the belt

c) Tell Cotto to stick it where the Boricua sun don’t shine and fight Shane Mosley at aqreed to contract weight of 140 up to 143 or 144.

d) Demand that Bob Arum make Cotto risk the title and keep to 145 pounds as verbally agreed to.

Post your vote on the Comments section under this article as my email mailbox is limited in space.
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Pacquiao doesn't need Cotto or his belt

Truth be told Manny Pacquiao does not need Miguel Cotto, nor his belt. Just based on both fighters' recent history, it should be Cotto crawling on all fours wanting to fight Pacquiao to revive his slumping career.

I don't know whether Cotto is posturing or is simply stubborn when he said he wouldn't put up his WBO welterweight belt against Pacquiao even if he had to vacate it. Fighting words from the gallant Puerto Rican, but why would Pacquiao care?

If that's the case then Cotto isn't really interested in the biggest payday and break of his career after all. If I was a Team Pacquiao adviser, I'd simply tell Manny to walk and explore his many other options.

Mosley is willing and waiting in the wings and would even go down to 140 and take 40% of the pot just to dance with Manny. Of course there's still the option of paying Marquez step-aside money as Floyd Mayweather Jr. himself suggested and get right down to business with "Money May". Or he can stay in his division and fight the winner of Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell next week at the Agua Caliente Casino in Palm Springs. Call me T.I. because fact of the matter is Manny, "you can have whatever you like". Such are the rewards of being the best and most popular boxer in the planet. When Cotto actually locates his heart after Antonio Margarito beat the crap out of him and fighting the last four rounds of his controversial win against Joshua Clottey on skates, then he can start acting like a diva.

Really? He will vacate his title just so Pacquiao wouldn't be able to get a shot at it? That's simply disrespectful in my book. You wouldn't even give a much smaller person a shot at a belt he very well deserves if he beats you just because of two almost meaningless pounds? Even when it means you are to get the biggest payday of your career? Really?

Pacquiao did not invent title fights at a catch weight, in fact great boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard have done it before him in the past. The welterweight limit is from 141-147 pounds, the 147 is just the maximum weight they can come in at the weigh-ins. Realistically, Pacquiao is really that small compared to Cotto so the two pounds only makes it sensible. Just a year ago, even Bob Arum himself said imagining Pacquiao in the ring with Cotto was ludicrous and he simply could not see it happening. That was then, this is now. And now all of a sudden it's ridiculous for Pacquiao to ask for a title-fight for asking Cotto to come down 2 pounds?

Let's put things in proper perspective. Pacquiao does not need Cotto right now. Actually, Cotto is fortunate that he is getting all this attention and publicity after his ho-hum victories and devastating loss to Margarito. A lot of people even consider him damaged goods and actually lost to Clottey. That's not to say I agree with that, I personally feel Cotto is still one of the toughest fights for Pacquiao out there but it doesn't mean it's the best fight for him necessarily especially if it would be a beltless fight and if Cotto would go out of his way just to not make it a title-fight. Pacquiao can fight Mosley who is a better sell for American veiwers and Pay-Per-View buyers anyway. You also finally get to see Pacquiao fight an African-American boxer, one of the best at that, as some people have been clamoring for. I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record but Pacquiao got options... Pacquiao got options....Pac-paca-pac-pa-pac-pac got chiki-chiki op-tions... Pacquiao got op-o-o-options. Broken record, scratch, scribble, dice and transform it, whatever it takes to send the message. Got it? Good. (By the way shout out to my boy DJ QBert, one of the best skratch DJs to have ever lived)

Perhaps somebody whispered something behind Cotto's ear for him to be confident of whatever happens at the moment. It's almost as if he is willing to just finish up his contract with Top Rank against whoever and jump ship to Golden Boy where promised greener pastures await. It makes sense. De la Hoya could have very well guaranteed Cotto a shot at Mayweather or a rematch with Mosley with some serious dough in tow. Nobody really believes that all Cotto and De la Hoya did was a round of golf a couple of weeks ago.

That's besides the point however. Last time I checked, Pacquiao hasn't signed any papers to fight Cotto yet. Cotto is a good opponent but there are better options for Pacquiao out there if Cotto insists on playing hard-to-get. He can go for Mosley's belts at 143 if he wants to rather than negotiate with a fighter people consider as "damaged goods".
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