First of all, thank God I got tickets to watch the fight live in Crown Plaza. I can't stand the thought of not witnessing this historic fight live. With that in mind, thanks to Paul Cheah, who got me the tickets, even if he wasn't watching with us. Now, it's time to check the answers in my fight primer.
Original Answer: No.
Post Fight Answer: Man, Manny really did his best to make me look bad. Not only was he able to take Cotto's power, he actually went out and tested it. I couldn't believe my eyes as my brother and I were watching. I could see Manny's plan as soon as he held his hands up and stood his ground. While others (including the commentators and people in the Crown Plaza Ballroom) were panicking, I muttered to my brother in disbelief, "He's doing it on purpose to mess with Cotto." True enough, after the fight, Manny himself said he wanted to see if Cotto could hurt him. He then took those punches, shook them off and attacked and destroyed Cotto. If I can ever get consolation, it's that Pacquiao had been candid and admitted that Cotto's punches really did hurt him.
2. Can Cotto nullify or match Pacquiao's speed?
Original Answer: No.
Post Fight Answer: This was an easy question as everyone has had problems with Manny's speed. After his "experiment" with Cotto's punching power (and giving trainer Freddie Roach a heart attack) Pacquiao relied on his superior speed and outclassed Cotto. Even Cotto, in a show of gentlemanliness and respect, spoke of Pacquiao's blinding and unworldly speed, saying he, "couldn't see where the punches where coming from."
3. Will either fighter's training camp distractions prove fatal to their bid?
Original Answer: No.
Post Fight Answer: Well, obviously Manny was not distracted as he was again at his best, displaying tremendous speed coupled with crunching power. In fact, so confident was Manny in his focus that he reportedly even spent time practicing for his post-fight concert! Heck, he even found the time to sing, "You Raise Me Up" before he returned to the locker room after the fight! Meanwhile, Cotto, as outclassed as he may have been, showed that he has fully recovered from the beating he received from Antonio Margarito and the distraction named Evangelista Cotto was a distant memory, even displaying an effective left jab against Pacquiao. He was also moving a lot better than his previous fights. Of course, he didn't move fast enough against the world's top pound for pound fighter. The bigger question now is, "Will he recover from the beating he received from Pacquiao?"
Original Answer: Manny will be too much for Cotto.
Post Fight Answer: At the risk of sounding arrogant, the fight went on as I envisioned, save for Pacquiao's experimentation with Cotto's power. What made Manny's latest triumph especially awe inspiring is how this fight went like his past three fights. David Diaz, Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton were all supposed to be stronger than him and all three were supposed to be ready for his speed. Instead, they were all mowed down by the buzzsaw from the Philippines. His blinding attack and hand speed overwhelmed Cotto, and I couldn't believe that Cotto trainer Santiago didnt stop the fight by the 9th round. Cotto later revealed he refused to stop, but the trainer should take charge in these situations as obviously pride and adrenalin will not allow Cotto to consider his own safety.
Original Answer: Pacquiao vs Marquez and Cotto vs Margarito
Post Fight Answer: Obviously Cotto and his camp cannot be making decisions and plans at this point. It's in his best interest to rest and recuperate, then have a long talk with his family regarding his plans. I still think that Cotto will be looking at Margarito, maybe Shane Mosley for his next big fight. Arum might set up a tune up for him first though. As for Manny, the clamor to fight Floyd Mayweather has begun and it is getting loud. I still have a gut feeling that Pacquiao will end up fighting Juan Manuel Marquez. Mosley presents too low a reward for the risk he presents and Mayweather, while exuding bravado, has not backed off his asking price of 65% of the purse share, which is absolutely absurd. If Mayweather will not agree to the 50-50 split Manny is proposing, then no further proof is needed to prove that "Money" is afraid to dance with human dynamo from the Philippines.
photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and Getty Images
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