TOP 5 ADVANTAGES: MANNY PACQUIAO [49 wins, 3 losses, 2 draws]

1. History is on the line. Motivation. He is not called "The People's Champ" for nothing. Pacquiao will be fighting for his country again, and attempt to do what no one in the history of boxing has ever done. Call him Lance Armstrong or Michael Jordan. Along with Manny, only Oscar "The Golden Boy" de la Hoya has won six titles in six different weight classes. A win over Cotto will make Pacquiao the only fighter in history to win an unprecedented seven belts in seven weight classes.



Let's apply a so-called "Pacquiao Standard." For all the talent that a Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. bring to the table, we do not see them fighting a big Paul Williams at junior middleweight. Similarly, we won't see a Paul Williams - as talented and big as he is - fighting a Bernard Hopkins at light heavyweight. As great as he was, you did not see a prime Roy Jones, Jr. fight a 5'11" Mike Tyson.

The point is, Manny is raising the bar. Like no one before has ever done - in terms of weight climbing and mauling the big boys. Here's a 5th grader who's been beating up 6th graders, 7th graders, and now 8th graders in de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. Now that 5th grader is trying to maul a high school freshman in Cotto. People say, that's one bad-ass 5th grader. Don't mess with him!


2. Faster hands. This everyone knows. Both throw combinations. Cotto's combos are heavier. Manny's combos are quicker. Additionally, I attribute Manny and Cotto to be on par in terms of footwork. The Puerto Rican is an effective footwork tactician in the ring and understands spacing and cornering.
Speed or power?


3. Cotto's historically open defense. This makes the Puerto Rican susceptible to straight lefts. However, this may not be as important factor in the fight as Pacman fans would readily assume. Cotto will be working on tightening up his defense. Specifically, his gloves can be close together, protecting his cheeks and temples, while his elbows tend to be spread apart. That forms a triangular shape that makes Cotto vulnerable to a quick jab from the shorter Pacquiao, similar to what happened to de la Hoya last December 6. Cotto has to tighten up that opening or he'll be eating straight lefts. Worse for him, Roach might concoct a nasty "upper cut cocktail special" for Cotto to drink all night, and get drunk to.
Straight left or upper cut?


4. Venue. Manny will have his legions in Las Vegas. Cotto enjoys a home court advantage in New York. This fight is at the MGM Grand. Chants of Manny, Manny, Manny!!! will be ringing in people's ears before and during the fight. Pacman will raise his gloves signaling the start of the war.


5. Stamina. Pacquiao should only hold a slight edge here come fight night. Cotto tends to slow down later in the rounds, a reflection of the energy he expends on his power punches during the beginning and toward the middle of a fight. Manny, on the other hand, is one of the most conditioned fighters in the sport - along with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley. Surely that is why Cotto is starting his training over three months prior to the fight. Cotto should, to an extent, negate most of this advantage.

Source