By Greg R. Penilla, M.D.
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Nov 2009

A new dawn, a new era is about to transpire in the history of the Sweet Science of boxing. By this time next week, Manny Pacquaio would have already emerged as the only boxer in the planet who would become a seven time world champion in seven weight classes.

Multitude of great and Hall of Fame fighters, the likes of Ali, Robinson, Leonard, Armstrong, Chavez, Duran, Sanchez, etc., have gone before him, but the Filipino warrior will go down in the annals of boxing history as the first, and maybe the last, to achieve this extraordinary feat. Interestingly though, a 154 pounds title is within the realm of possibility.

Unfortunately, despite Pacquiao’s unparalleled accomplishments on top of the ring this decade, detractors abound. In spite of his hallowed place in boxing history, some writers, so-called boxing experts and jealous boxers do not give him all the recognition he rightfully deserves.

This coming Saturday, November 14, Pacquaio is going against Miguel Cotto, a very formidable and elite fighter who is in the prime of his career. He has trained hard and he probably represents the most difficult fight so far for Manny Pacquaio. Although the Las Vegas odds seem to overwhelmingly favor Pacquaio to win, this fight will not be a walk in the park for the Philippines’ “National Fist”. This fight has the makings of the Fight of the Year.

However, win or lose, Manny Pacquiao is between a rock and a hard place.

If he loses against Miguel Cotto, his detractors would surely say, “I told you so, he is not as good as advertised”. It is understandable and perfectly logical for some pundits to pick Cotto as the winner. There is nothing unreasonable about that. What is comical is when analysts disparage Pacquiao.

Oscar De La Hoya is favoring Cotto not because he thinks Cotto is a great fighter but he thinks that Pacquiao does not hit hard enough.

He was quoted as saying, “Pacquiao doesn’t hit hard enough to knock anyone out in the welterweight division. I’m basing that on my fight against Pacquiao. I could’ve stood there and put my face in front of him and he couldn’t have hurt me”.

One would wonder if De La Hoya looked at the mirror at the hospital where he was taken by an ambulance after the fight. Obviously, Pacquiao would have sent De La Hoya to dreamland had he come out in the ninth round. But instead of protecting his boxing legacy and his dignity, De la Hoya opted to quit on his stool knowing that another minute with the pound for pound king would inevitably end up with him sprawled on the canvas.

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Oscar De La Hoya would have gotten more respect from boxing purists had he decided to fight to the very end. Ironically, he is now practically saying Pacquiao did not hurt him? Please explain!

When, not if, Pacquiao wins this coming Saturday, it will not be surprising for skeptics to find excuses for Cotto’s loss.

Cotto is over trained
Cotto is weight drained
Cotto is forever damaged by his loss to Margarito
Cotto is distracted
Cotto did not fight the right fight
Cotto has inexperienced corner men

Regardless, excuses will still be made, while Cotto himself has declared that he has completely recovered physically and mentally from the Margarito fight and he is focused, confident, well trained and in the best shape of his life.

Sadly, the doubters will not say, Pacquiao won because he is simply the best boxer of this era.

Manny Pacquiao cannot get any break from some who are hell bent to discredit any of his spectacular wins against all the elite fighters he has demolished.

To the skeptics, he will never be good enough.

When Floyd Jr made the face of Juan Manuel Marquez as a target practice, Mayweather’s supporters all but declared that he is the greatest of all time. There is no doubt that he did win a one sided fight over an old (36), slow, underweight and most of all, a damaged fighter from the two wars he had with Pacquiao.

One really wonders what is more spectacular, a 12 round decision by a significantly bigger, faster and younger fighter who connected a very high per cent of his “power shots” but leaving his opponent standing and relatively unmarked or a smaller fighter who has demolished and reconfigured the faces of his much larger and stronger opponents in breathtaking fashion within a few rounds?

Regrettably, doubters continue to nit pick Pacquiao’s wins.

When Pacquiao, with a mere two week notice, stunned the boxing world in 2001 with his upset win via a 6th round knock out of the world champion Lebwada, the win was called a fluke.

His win against the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera was diminished by the skeptics, pointing out that the future Hall of Famer had been to too many brutal boxing wars and too old (only 29) that Pacquiao’s win was not totally unexpected.

Pacquiao’s inability to finish Juan Manuel Marquez after dropping him three times in their first fight that eventually ended in a draw, notwithstanding an error in scoring that could have made Pacquiao the outright winner on points, convinced the critics that Pacquiao had no boxing skills and a one dimensional fighter.

There was almost a collective sense of excitement among the cynics when Pacquiao lost by unanimous decision to Erik Morales and were eager to point out that Manny was a flash in the pan.

Less than spectacular wins against B fighters like Velasquez, Larios, Solis and a fading Barrera (still only 32) whose strategy was simply to survive, provided the seeds for hesitation for some to declare Pacquiao as a great fighter.

Despite obliterating the Mexican great, Erik Morales in their second and third classic fights, it was unbelievable that some writers still found reasons to tarnish Pacquiao’s astonishing wins. Just like Barrera, Morales was labeled old (only 30) and broken down.

The much awaited second Pacquiao-Marquez fight won by Pacquiao by the slimmest of margin convinced the doubting Thomases that Pacquiao did not deserve the win. It is well known who hit the canvas.

With elite opposition drying up in the lower weight classes, Pacquiao, clearly possessing improved boxing skills embarked on fighting bigger men with spectacular wins. The one dimensional fighter has bloomed into a two armed fighting machine, at the same time remaining fast and powerful.

But to his usual skeptics, Diaz, although a World Champion was a nobody. De La Hoya, although the overwhelming favorite and Oscar’s left hook to Pacquiao’s brain would make him do the crack head dance, was too old (35) and weight drained. Hatton, who was proclaimed by the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee, as possessing a powerful left hook that would bring Pacquiao down but was suddenly labeled to be too slow and over rated after Manny sent him lights out in the second round.

If Pacquaio – Mayweather Fight ever happens and Pacquiao wins, I can almost predict the excuse why Manny wins. He is on steroids.

What more does Pacquiao need to do, to gain the respect of everyone?

Sadly, to some, he will never be good enough.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-29203.html

By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Handlers of Manny Pacquiao yesterday declared the Filipino ring icon as fit and ready for his world welterweight championship fight with Puerto Rican belt-owner Miguel Cotto one week from now.


Chief trainer Freddie Roach and strength coach Alex Ariza, on the eve of Team Pacquiao’s departure to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, said their ward is 100 percent prepare to wrest the 147-pound crown and become the only man in the history of sweet science to win seven titles in as many weight divisions.

“Manny’s 100 percent ready,” Pacquiao’s American trainer told GAZETTE in an overseas telephone interview. “All the things that we had started in Manila had been completed here in Los Angeles.”

The 49-yeasr-old thrice recipient of the ‘Trainer lf the Year’ award from the Boxing Writers Association of America added that the last week of preparations in Las Vegas will only be confined on regimen to maintain his present condition.

Ariza, the junior-welterweight champ’s Columbian-born condition expert echoed Roach’s statement, saying he had never seen the six-weight titleholder in such a tip-top shape.

“I have handled Manny in his last four fights, including against (Oscar) De La Hoya and Hatton and I can safely say that I have never seen in this physical shape,” Ariza attested.

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Middleweight prospect and former alternate in the United States Olympic boxing team Shawn Porter, Pacquiao’s sparring mate since setting up his training camp in Baguio City, agreed, saying: “Manny is definitely ready. I think this is his time and I think fans will see a lot in the ring.”

The Pacman himself, in a separate talk, assured his fans and countrymen back home of his readiness to make history and bring honor, not only to himself, but the country and the Filipinos as well.

“Napakaganda ng pakiramdam ko. We’ve had a goog training camp in the Philippines and here in Los Angeles,” he told this writer.

“This is the best condition I have ever been. I will be one hundred percent ready for this fight as I have been for all my fights,” he said. “I feel stronger and faster in this weight.”

Paquiao and party will be driving to Vegas on a bus used in his previous trip to the gambling city as a matter of tradition and serving as lucky charm.

Manny though, a source in the camp said, prefers to ride in his Ford Expedition with his driver at the wheel because it will be more comfortable than being with the big entourage.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee and her own team has landed at LAX, the same insider said.

Jinkee, he said arrived with at least seven more in her traveling party, including her mother, her father, her sister and a few more guests. It is believed she spent the night at a family owned mansion in the swanky Hancock Park section of LA, an area where Muhammad Ali lived for some years.

Manny’s estranged father, Rosalio, will be at ringside to see his son fight for the first time. Pacman’s mother Nanay Dionesia will also be an honored guest at ringside at fight night on November 14 at the MGM Grand Arena.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-29200.html

By Rod Mijares
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 10 Nov 2009

Filipino Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto will be his 11th fight in Las Vegas, Nevada. Eight of those fights including this fight with Cotto on November 14, 2009 at MGM Grand Arena are world championship bouts. He first fought in Las Vegas against South African Lehlohonolo Ledwaba on June 23, 2001 at MGM Grand where he captured his second world championship belt in the super bantamweight in as many weight class being the WBC flyweight title against Chatchai Sasaku of Thailand as the first.

However, inspite of the million of dollars that Pacquiao has brought to the coffers of Las Vegas, I still did not hear or read that Mayor Oscar Goodman of Las Vegas will present Manny Pacquiao with the key to the city.

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Perhaps, Mayor Oscar Goodman should be informed that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California has already bestowed Manny Pacquiao with the honor of the “People’s Champion” on March 7, 2009.

Being a Las Vegan myself and a Filipino, me and thousands of Filipinos living in Las Vegas, we will be honored if the mayor will bestow this award to Manny Pacquiao. Not that Manny needs it but if the honorable mayor is the happiest mayor in the whole wide world, Pacquiao in the same token is the happiest and most accomplished boxer in the planet and most of the time makes Las Vegas as the happiest and center of media attention for a week every time Manny fights. So what is more fitting than the mayor finally giving this honor to Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino. If this becomes a reality, what happens in Vegas should not just stay in Vegas…Let the world know.

Source: http://philboxing.com/news/story-29202.html

by Edwin Espejo

With just days to go before Miguel Angel Cotto tips the scales for the official weigh-in schedule Friday (Saturday in Manila) for his welterweight title defence against Manny Pacquiao, all eyes are now trained on how the Puerto Rican champion will handle the contracted weight issue.

Up until last week, Cotto was still donning a sweat jacket during training, indicating his battle with the scales is far from over. Ideally, Cotto should be near the 148-149 mark a week before the weigh-in to enable him to rehydrate to his fighting weight, estimated at 156 pounds on fight night.

Most dieticians and conditioning experts are of the opinion that a boxer should not balloon by more than 10 per cent of his contracted weight on fight night.

Cotto could be a lumbering mass if he will carry a 160-pound body weight on November 14 (November 15 in most of Asia). His calves, officially measured at 12 inches, are three inches smaller than Pacquiao’s. On paper, that portion of the tale of the tape is offset by his bigger thighs and upper body girth.

But wear and tear could exact their toll on those calves carrying a huge upper body mass and the longer the fight with Manny wears on, Cotto’s legs will betray him.

Three of Cotto’s five fights against quality opponents went at least 11 rounds. Against Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey, Cotto faded in the home stretch and only an early lead allowed him to escape with decision victories. But against Antonio Margarito, he took a knee after absorbing heavy punches in the later rounds.

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So why are we looking at this angle in dissecting this year’s biggest pay-per-view event?

Forget about the first-round knockout which Pacquiao coach Freddie Roach predicted early on. That would only come if a window of opportunity comes at the opening bell.

Manny will show Cotto different angles and will throw punches from different directions to confuse the Puerto Rican. If Cotto won't come charging at him, Manny will pick him up using his ringsmanship and speed. He knows the longer the fight goes on, Cotto’s stamina will be suspect after coming down in weight.

Pacquiao has learned this lesson from previous fights where he dehydrated himself dry. When he lost via knockout to Thailand’s Singsurat Medgeon following his failure to tip the scale, Manny was so emaciated he could no longer even shed a tear.

When he fought Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 pounds, he was so pale and thin he almost looked like a ghost. He climbed into the ring at 143 pounds the following night and that obviously slowed him down, making him an easy target for Marquez’s accurate counterpunching. Only a knockdown in the third round allowed Manny to capture the lightweight crown from Marquez via a close split decision.

Cotto is technically inferior to Manny.

While he showed he can box with the likes of Mosley and Clottey, his footwork is simply not enough against Manny’s speed. Cotto’s lateral movement is also average and that should be foremost in Roach’s mind and instructions to Pacquiao.

At his age and late stage of his career, Cotto could no longer transform himself into a boxer overnight. All he can hope is to cut the ring and slow down Manny by digging into the Filipino’s suspect body.

He can do it with his left hooks but they way he telegraphs them will only open himself to Manny’s counter right hooks and lighting fast left straights.

Cotto could also throw away the thought of waiting for Manny to commit a mistake.

He has to pressure Manny and land the first big punch to gain the Filipino’s respect and fear. But will his legs go the whole nine yards, so to speak, against the mercurial Filipino speedster?

How will you do it, Miguel? Tell us, please.

Source: http://asiancorrespondent.com/edwin-espejo/pacquiao-watch:-will-cotto%E2%80%99s-legs.htm

Miguel Cotto believes fighting Manny Pacquiao at 145lbs is to his advantage and not the Filipino's.

The pair meet in Las Vegas on Saturday night for Cotto's WBO welterweight title, but with Pacquiao more used to fighting in lower divisions, the fight has been made at a catchweight of 145lbs - 2lbs below the regular welter limit.

However, Cotto says shedding an extra two pounds will not be a problem for him and that his power at the weight is likely to prove crucial to the outcome.

Asked about the issue, Cotto said: "When we took this fight we decided that we were fine with 145. We knew we could do it and we knew we would be at our best the next night.

"We would not have taken this fight if we didn't think I was going to be at my best the next night after the weigh-in.

"The last fight I spent more than 24 hours doing nothing. Just waiting for the weigh-in. My weight was 145. All I have to do is add a half hour to my work every day and I am going to reach 145 with no problem."

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Pacquiao has produced some explosive knockouts during his career, arguably none more spectacular than his dismissal of Ricky Hatton inside two rounds in his last outing in May.

That contest was staged at light-welterweight though and Cotto says the step up will not favour the 'Pac Man'.

He said: "He is coming from a lower weight division and if he thinks he is going to have the same power as Miguel Cotto, his thinking is very wrong."

The naturally lighter Pacquiao is likely to use his speed in a bid to counter Cotto, but the Puerto Rican says he's worked on combating that aspect of his opponent's style.

"I am prepared for anything he can bring me that night," Cotto added. "He has a lot of things beside his speed. I have to be prepared for all he can show me.

"We know he has speed. We know he has a style and we are prepared to beat it. You'll find out on the 14th how I am going to deal with his speed. It's not going to be a factor even though everyone thinks it is."

Source: http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=boxing/09/11/08/manual_233741.html

by Bryan Brennan on Nov 9, 2009 1:26:07 PM
The Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto breakdowns are in the books. Now it’s time to decide the winner of their Nov. 14 superfight.

Ahh, the prediction, it is half the fun of a fight. It doesn't need to be a big fight, or even a hard one to predict, just as long as you can ponder, debate and make the call.
How many times have you sat down to watch Friday Night Fights and thought to yourself, "This is a recipe for an upset -- I'm taking the little guy."

When the fights get bigger, it just means you have more research to do: Who beat who, who looked good against what type of fighter, who's bigger, who's faster, which guy cuts, what shirt was I wearing last time he won?

The prediction can lead to months of back-and-forth anguish, sleepless nights and all sorts of mathematical equations. You read another person's prediction and think, "Maybe he knows something I don't." You ignore house chores and procrastinate when it comes to anything that might take away from fight study. In the end, it's all about bragging rights -- telling people you knew all along what was going to happen. You are the Nostradamus of fistic fury.

On the flip side, once it's out there, you can't take it back. All your ranting and raving, all the fights you watched, and all the hours you spent reading on the Internet were for nothing. Now you have catch up on bills you ignored, the laundry that hasn't been touched in a month and that shed that you never finished building.

Remember though, if you pick right, you will be lifted through the city on the shoulders of others. Parades will be formed in your honor, and there is no doubt that streets will be named after you.

I think I am looking forward to the Pacquiao-Cotto fight so much because it seems like it's been so long since a pay-per-view fight came along that people were actually split on their predictions.

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In the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, was there any real question who would win? Even if you were a big time Marquez fan, you had to know that it was a long shot.

When Pacquiao took on Ricky Hatton, I thought that it would be a tougher fight, but I always thought it would finish with Hatton on the canvas.

The last PPV fight that had such a split opinion might be Cotto-Shane Mosley. (I'm obviously not referring to the minor PPV cards like Latin Fury and such.)

I separated this series into three parts for several reasons. I have major respect for Pacquiao and Cotto, I have respect for the massive fan bases of both fighters, and I am just plain excited about this matchup. Each guy has a legitimate chance to win this fight. They both have giant hearts, solid resumes and great boxing skill.

Pacquiao has looked like a world beater lately, steamrolling through David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton.

Cotto looks as if he has seen better days, being stopped for the first time at the hands of Antonio Margarito, and pulling out the decision against Joshua Clottey by a thin margin.

There are some lingering questions with both of these fighters. Was Hatton made for Pacquiao? Was Clottey that good, or did Cotto lose a step? Does Pacman look better than he actually is? Did Cotto get a little fight taken out of him by Margarito? Can Pacquiao handle Cotto's body work? Can Cotto handle Pacquiao's speed?

Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2,37 KOs)

No matter what Jim Lampley and his cohorts wanted us to believe, De La Hoya didn't look good against Steve Forbes. Going into De La Hoya’s fight with Pacquiao, all I paid attention to was the difference in size, not where the two were at in their respective careers, which, as we all know, turned out to be a mistake.

Hatton is not as bad as people have made him out to be since his destruction at the hands of Pacman. Hatton always had a habit of going in face first. He had done it his whole career. There were only a few guys who took full advantage of that: Mayweather, Pacquiao and Louis Collazo (Collazo was a slick boxer who caught Hatton late in their fight, but didn't have the explosiveness that Pacquiao has to finish him off).

Manny Pacquiao deserves to be rated as the pound-for-pound best these days because he is doing something that not many people in the sport are -- stepping up. I don't mean to say that other fighters are chicken, but Manny can make money without Cotto or Hatton. He wants to be the best, and fights like the Cotto bout put him there.

Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs)

Miguel Cotto is coming off of a decision over Clottey, and didn't look his best.

But has anyone looked good against Clottey?

Clottey is a Winky Wright-type fighter. Even if you beat him, you'll never look good against him. Clottey was beating Margarito until Clottey claims he hurt his hands. Either way, he stopped fighting the same way he did against Cotto. So maybe that fight looks the same no matter when it happened (before or after Margarito).

I always felt going into fights that Cotto had finally bit off more than he could chew. Against Zab Judah, I thought uppercuts and speed could be a major factor, but Cotto weathered the storm, went to work and broke Judah down.

I thought Cotto would have issues with Paulie Malignaggi’s boxing skill and movement, but Cotto stuck to his game plan, cut off the ring and punished Malignaggi.

Mosley was a big, strong, fast and skilled welterweight. I was sure Cotto was over his head, but he boxed, moved and showed some skills I didn't know he had (keep in mind I never doubted Cotto -- just questioned him).

I have always thought that Cotto's weakness was facing fast-handed, slick boxers like Malignaggi, Judah or Mosley. Cotto disposed of all three of those fighters. He cut off the ring, boxed beautifully and broke each guy down as if he were chopping down a tree (Mosley wasn't chopped down, but he did lose the fight).
In the end, the two fighters that gave Cotto the most trouble were straight-ahead, rough-and-tumble boxers -- Margarito and Clottey. Those are two sturdy guys who come to fight, don't back up and have granite chins.

Breaking it down

For some reason, the fight I think about most when trying to make a prediction is the Judah-Cotto fight. Judah was a small, fast, hard-hitting, skilled junior welterweight. Cotto had some rough moments early on, but eventually his size and strength was imposed on the smaller fighter.

The major difference is that Pacquiao is a much smarter fighter than Judah, and he can punch from all angles. I also have zero questions about Pacman's heart, corner or his ability to change game plans in the middle of a fight.

Pacquiao is explosive enough to hurt and perhaps even knock out Cotto if Cotto is not careful. I think back to Allen Green on Friday Night Fights talking about different kinds of knockout power. Some have brute strength, and some have speed from out of nowhere. Pacquiao seems to have the latter. The early parts of this fight are very dangerous for Cotto.

This fight could go the way the Judah fight went. Pacquiao will be very dangerous early with his hand speed and explosive power, but I think Cotto will weather the Pacman tornado and take over in the later rounds. Cotto might take some punishment from Pacquiao's early movement and fast combinations, but the Puerto Rican will be doing what Teddy Atlas refers to as "putting money in the bank," as he works Pacquiao any way he can to slow him down in the second half of the fight.

Hatton said after his fight with Collazo that he could feel the force of the punches more at 147 pounds than at 140. I don't think Pacquiao has fully experienced that yet. He is not only facing a harder puncher than Collazo, but he will also be facing a guy who will be able to hit him, unlike his last couple fights.

My official prediction is that the first half of the fight is all Pacquiao with Cotto's methodical style and bodywork taking its toll late. I think Pacquiao's streak stops here.

Prediction: Cotto TKO 10

Hopefully, I am correct because I really don't want to finish that shed.

I leave you with one final question: No matter which boxer you pick in the Cotto-Pacquiao fight, who do you think has a better chance against Floyd Mayweather Jr.?

Source: http://www.nesn.com/2009/11/miguel-cotto-has-what-it-takes-to-knock-off-manny-pacquiao.html

By Steve Kim

Exactly one week before he was scheduled to face Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao was the center of attention this past Saturday night at the Montalban where a send-off celebration was staged in his honor by Nike. This event, which played to a full-house on Vine St.( just a few blocks from where he trains at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood) was hosted by MTV personality Quddus, and included video messages from the likes of Mario Lopez and Mark Wahlberg.

The focus of this event was Pacquiao and his team members( Alex Ariza, Buboy Fernandez and Freddie Roach). This hour long session included a short video presentation, a Q-and-A segment with the fans and for Pacquiao, an impromptu duet with Filipina pop star, Melissa R. The Swoosh has never really gotten involved in boxing but Pacquiao is one of seven athletes( that include the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Rafael Nadal) who are a part of the companies AW77 Pound-for-Pound campaign.( And yes, this shindig was also designed to sell some hoodies, too).

A Nike billboard of Pacquiao is located adjacent to the theater. (http://twitpic.com/osbdi)

While Floyd Mayweather and his minions may disagree, right now, Pacquiao is not only the biggest name in boxing, but also it’s most important figure. Mayweather gets some free gear from Reebok, Pacquiao gets to be a part of a world-wide campaign. And because of it, ’Firepower’ is gaining steam.

" I’ve never seen such a response, forget about the normal boxing sites, I’m talking about outside the general public- Time Magazine, New York Times with a huge Sunday blowout piece. New York Times!!!" exclaimed Bob Arum, who promotes the Filipino icon. " It’s significant because its reached out- not only to the sports people, but to the general public. People are fascinated by the fight because they’re fascinated with Pacquiao and they know that Cotto is a tremendous obstacle."

The New York Times covers boxing about as often as the Haley Comet comes around. Time Magazine, not only did a five-page spread, the Asian edition has him on the cover. Arum, has been around superstars for as long as he’s been involved in this business, from Ali, to De La Hoya and now Pacquiao. ’the Golden Boy’, who Pacquiao bludgeoned last December to exponentially increase his popularity, was the last fighter to have any transcendent appeal.

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In contrasting the two figures, Arum explained," De La Hoya, had going for him- in addition to good looks, obviously, and a certain type of charisma- he was an American kid of Hispanic heritage and therefore you could exploit all of that in promoting him. Manny, has been much more difficult because he’s a foreigner, he comes from half-way across the world and he’s not an athlete that the American public would generally seem to cotton to and adopt. But through his body of work and through what people have seen and because he is the kind of kid he is, people are fascinated by him. And that is something that was more of a stretch than it was for Oscar."

His week began when he made an appearance on ’the Jimmy Kimmel Show’ on ABC, where he not only hammed it up a bit with the shows host, but also belted out a song for the audience. This outing was well-received.

" Better than any of us hoped for," said veteran publicist, Fred Sternburg, who has worked closely with the camp for this promotion." First of all, they had a line around the block to get tickets, which was unheard of. The crowd was about half Filipino. It was bedlam inside. Jimmy, was pleasantly surprised by just how at ease Manny was and just how great he was in front of the camera."

The media day which took place the next day at the Wild Card was another example of the claustrophobia that Pacquiao brings nowadays wherever he goes. He’s about the only prizefighter that needs the presence of a fire marshall to quell the crowds he can attract. It’s been unspoken by those running this promotion, but their goal is to exceed the surprising number of pay-per-view buys( one million) that Mayweathers bout did against Juan Manuel Marquez did in September.

This promotion has certainly gained a great deal of momentum.

" It’s not even an incremental increase," Sternburg, pointed out last Thursday as Pacquiao went through his days work." It seems to be snow-balling, it’s very exciting. People think,’ Oh, it just happened,’ a lot of these stories had been designed, pitched and planned in the summer- including Jimmy Kimmel, we had him booked in July. So we kind of knew it was coming up but they way everyone is just getting on board and it’s no different than the message we’ve been preaching since the first ( Erik) Morales fight: this guys the goods. And I think the public in general, the sports public is becoming more and more educated in Manny Pacquiao and Pac-mania and what it all means."

There was a time when the narrative surrounding Pacquiao was the idolatry he received in his home country. Yet now, the question is, does he play in Peoria? Based on the number of press credential requests that have been filed, the answer seems to be yes.

" Outside of something like a De La Hoya or Sugar Ray Leonard fight that I’ve done, this is probably the biggest I’ve seen," said Sternburg, who mentioned that even the Wall St. Journal will be covering this event." It’s world-wide and it hasn’t stopped. I’m wondering where we’re going to put everybody." Because of this demand on Manny’s time, they long ago stopped fulfilling requests for advanced interviews. But that still hasn’t stopped the onslaught.

On this day, after he had finished his days work, which took approximately two-and-a-half hours, he would then get changed for his customary dinner at the near-by Nat Thai’s, which is located on the same strip mall as the Wild Card. As various memorabilia was walked in for him to sign, an interesting exchange took place between Sternburg and Rob Peters, head of Pacquiao’s security. Camera crews from both the Versus Network and Fox Sports had come to the gym to film segments with Pacquiao, with several other reporters( including this one) hovering around, hoping to get a few minutes with him.

" Rob, Manny has to do these guys over there," said Sternburg, pointing towards the back ring, where a green-screen had been set up hours ago.

" How long?" asked Peters, getting a bit nervous at the thought of telling his boss.

" Oh, about ten minutes each."

Just then a producer for Fox Sports, chimed in," It will actually be about five, it shouldn’t take that long."

Pointing at him, Peters says," I like his plan much better."

After about a half-hour in the dressing room, Pacquiao finally emerges, and only the presence of Peters and Sternburg keep him from being swarmed. By that point, more than a few visitors had been let in. As he walked towards the back part of the gym, he said of this aspect of his life," This is my responsibility being Manny Pacquiao or being famous. If you want to be famous, that’s your responsibility to take care of your responsibilities."

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He understands that being who he is and maintaining that brand, is work. Just about every hour and minute of your life is now planned out, with people pulling you in a multitude of directions. Even your supposedly ’private’ sessions in the gym, are really just a relative term. In the past few weeks, people like Jeremy Piven and Ron Artest have come around to catch a glimpse of Pacquiao. And there will always be that family who traveled a long distance with a sad story and puppy dog eyes for Peters( that big softie) to deal with. As you walk out of the gym and into the parking lot, you see a congregation of at least 50 fans wait around hoping just to catch a glimpse of ’the Pac Man’. It’s a pattern that is repeated every twilight. The sun goes down, and the crowd gathers. There’s nothing that Peters, the LAPD or the National Guard can do about it. There’s no stopping them. They love themselves some Manny Pacquiao.

It’s almost incomprehensible that he’s even reached this plateau of popularity. Small little guys, who come from third-world countries, who don’t really speak the language aren’t supposed to be where Pacquiao is today. It’s even surprised his own promoter- who’s never been a stranger to hyperbole or exaggeration.

" No, I must say no," admitted Arum, when asked if he ever envisioned this for Pacquiao." I had real great aspirations for him. Much more so than most people had but not at this level. No. Not that we would somehow come up with an Asian Ali. He is, somebody said,’ the Bruce Lee of boxing.’"

It’s even stunned the fighter, himself.

Pacquiao says of his ever-expanding appeal." It’s amazing, and it’s all from God. I didn’t expect anything like this."

BOB SC’ARUM

Arum took great umbrage over some comments made by De La Hoya in his blog at Ringtv.com where he basically stated that there is a very specific reason why the ring next week will be 20-by-20 feet.

" That Ring Magazine, that alleged site, which allows it’s owner, Oscar De La Hoya, to have a blog, did you read his blog?" asked Arum on Friday afternoon, who can still take umbrage with the best of them." He knows that I favor Manny and therefore I rigged the fight by bringing in a big ring. Doesn’t this guy know that in Nevada ALL rings must be 20-by-20, that Oscar whenever he fought in Nevada- which most of his fights were, fought in a 20-by-20 ring and this fight is no different. It’s a matter of law in Nevada. That the ring has to be standard 20-by-20.

" So how does he have the nerve to say that? I brought in a big ring because I favor Pacquiao. Now that’s outrageous for Ring Magazine to allow that to go on."

UNDER THE HOOD

Here are some photo’s of the event on Saturday night.

http://twitpic.com/oscz6

http://twitpic.com/oscyv

http://twitpic.com/oscyf
http://twitpic.com/osclg

http://twitpic.com/osbzu

DAWSON

While he conclusively out-pointed Glen Johnson this time around, I’m not sure that Chad Dawson really helped his cause all that much with his safety-first approach he took on Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford, CT., where more than a few boos could be heard.

One of the key facets in the popularity of Pacquiao is the fact that he’s an exciting fighter who gives you your monies worth, each and every time he gets out there. Professional boxing, is entertainment and quite frankly, while Dawson was effective, he certainly wasn’t exciting. And unlike a Mayweather, he doesn’t have that type of personality that can polarize people and create an emotional stir.

So while he may have won. To a certain degree, he also lost.

Source: http://www.secondsout.com/news?ccs=1624&cs=114185