Cotto may 'punching power' vs Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Kung may sandata mang nakikita si trainer Floyd Mayweather, Sr. na posibleng magamit ni Miguel Angel Cotto laban kay Manny Pacquiao, ito ay ang punching power ng Puerto Rican.

Sa panayam ng Examiner.com kahapon kay Mayweather, sinabi nitong ang lakas ng 28-anyos na si Cotto ang siyang magiging problema ng 30-anyos na si Pacquiao.

“I think Pacquiao is too much for Cotto right now but my thing is if Cotto can hit hard to the body and to the head, he can knock Pacquiao out," ani Mayweather. "If he don’t land those shots, he is not gonna win against Pacquiao.”

Nakatakdang hamunin ni Pacquiao si Cotto para sa suot nitong World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown sa Nobyembre 14 sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada.

Maliban sa WBO welterweight title ni Cotto, nagdadala ng 34-1-0 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 27 KOs, nakataya rin sa kanilang salpukan ni Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) ang WBC Diamond Belt.

Kamakailan ay sinabi ni Mayweather na kayang talunin ni "Pacman" si Cotto dahil sa bilis at lakas nito.

At naipakita na ito ni Pacquiao sa kanyang technical knockout win kina Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, Mexican-American David Diaz, Puerto Rican Oscar Dela Hoya at Briton Ricky Hatton.

"Manny is beating the best of the best," sabi ni Diaz, inagawan ni Pacquiao ng World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight belt via ninth-round TKO noong Hunyo 26, 2008. "He is doing unbelievable things. May hats off to him. A great fighter. A great person."

Haharapin ni Diaz (34-2-1) si two-time world champion Jesus Chavez (44-5) sa Setyembre 26 sa UIC Pavilion sa Chicago.

"Manny will outbox him and beat him in the later rounds," prediksyon ni Diaz sa laban ni Pacquiao kay Cotto. (Russell Cadayona)