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The verbal war between Pacquiao’s and Cotto’s camps continue. After Cotto said to Roach, that he is unlike Pacquiao’s recent victims and that Pacquiao was in for a war, Roach shot right back by saying that Pacquiao will expose Cotto. Freddie Roach implied that Cotto is no longer the same fighter as before and is still suffering the effects of his loss to Antonio Margarito.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told fighthype.com, “We are not going to stand in front of this guy and trade with him. Manny is a much smarter fighter. Now he is boxing very smartly and we are going to expose Cotto. His skills are not quite where they used to be and we are going to expose him.”

Another issue was whether or not to make the Pacquiao-Cotto bout a title fight. Cotto publicly announced to defend the title only when Pacquiao would agree to move up to 147lbs (full welterweight limit). He refuses to defend the title because it is currently being contested at 145lbs. But WBO has been pressuring Cotto to defend the title, and they will let Cotto pay a huge sanctioning fee if he does not comply. Regardless of what Cotto may say, Roach thinks that the title will be on the line.

If even before their fight, it is already this intense, I can only imagine the level of intensity between Pacquiao and Cotto during the fight. This battle will definitely go down in the history of boxing.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Pacquiao might be training outside the United States, probably in Mexico for most of the time. This is to avoid the 183-day rule of the US Internal Revenue Service. Manny Pacquiao will have to cut down the number of days he spends in the US.

If Arum is already talking about where Pacquiao is going to train, does this mean that the Pacquiao-Cotto fight is really final?

Bob Arum explained, “In 2007, 1/6th of the days spent in the US, 2008 is 1/3rd of the days spent which will be added to 100 percent of the days spent in the US in 2009, and if the total of those three numbers equals or exceeds 183 days then you are taxed on all your revenues from worldwide income.”

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It seems that the tension between the camps of the two very popular boxers, at present, is about to blow up into proportions any time soon.

Miguel Cotto said to Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer, to be ready to go to battle. Cotto wants to tell Roach that he will not give Manny Pacquiao an easy fight, on the 14th of November at the M.G.M. Grand in Las Vegas. He emphasized that he does not like to be treated as if he was like Pacquiao’s most recent victims, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. He explained that he is still at his prime, unlike Oscar De La Hoya, and that he is not overrated like Ricky Hatton.

In addition to that, Cotto said that he would only agree to put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on the line against Manny Pacquiao, if Pacquiao is willing to make the fight at 147lbs. and not on the agreed catch-weight. Cotto said that Pacquiao would have to fight as a true welterweight if he wants the title.

“If Pacquiao wants that the fight be for the title, it will have to be in 147 pounds. I won the title at the welterweight division and that is 147 pounds,” Cotto said in the report by Manila Bulletin.

However if the WBO should insist in making the Pacquiao-Cotto super fight a title match at 145lbs., Cotto would oblige without any resistance to surrender the title. The OMB (WBO) has the authority to dismiss Cotto as the current welterweight champion.

Pacquiao is seeking to push the November 14 bout to a title match. If he wins that fight he will become a seven-division champion. Pacquiao is the former WBC flyweight champion, IBF super bantamweight champion, WBC super featherweight champion, WBC lightweight champion and is currently the IBO junior welterweight champion. But, Pacquiao is seriously considering retirement, because he wants to go into politics and probably because of his old age (wear and tear).

Just when we thought that Pacquiao-Cotto was already a done deal, here we are with the realization that there are still a lot of things to negotiate.

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Finally, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Promotions officially confirms, July 20, 2009, that the Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto fight is sealed. The super-fight is scheduled this November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at a catch-weight of 145 pounds. This is the result of what has been a really interesting negotiation between both camps.

The legitamcy of the match-up, the purse split, and the amount of interest it generates are just some of the issues that slowed down the development of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight. Sugar Shane Mosley and along other fighters in the ‘Pacquiao Derby’ complicated things when they called out for a fight against Manny Pacquiao. But, Cotto is the number one contender for Manny Pacquiao. Both fighters were eager to face each other, making the negotiations relatively simple after Pacquiao agreed to the 145-pound weight limit insisted upon by Cotto’s trainer.

“With Manny, you don’t tell him who to fight,” Arum said. “He tells you who he wants to fight. He’s not afraid of anything. There’s a lot of easier guys he could fight, but he doesn’t want that. He wants the best, and that’s Miguel.”

This is perhaps one of the greatest challenges that the pound-for-pound fighter will be facing. Miguel is a highly ranked and a very skilled opponent. Miguel Cotto had beaten Joshua Clottey of Ghana via a split decision, suffering a serious cut on an accidental head butt during their fight. But his performance during that fight was not that bad. He still proves to be a grave threat to Manny Pacquiao.

Everybody knows the kind of speed that Manny Pacquiao has and it might still be his advantage against Miguel Cotto, who is clearly slower compared to the former. But Miguel Cotto is very skilled, a good body puncher and has a high knockout percentage. Technically, either fighters have any advantage, as of this moment, against the other going into this fight.

However, we are still plagued with so many questions. Will Cotto be able to handle his weight drop to 145 lbs.? Will Pacquiao be able to handle the punches of the biggest and strongest man he has ever faced? Will Cotto be able to keep up with Manny Pacquiao’s speed? Who will emerge victorious?

Tickets for the Pacquiao-Cotto super-fight will go in sale this coming August.

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