Pacquiao vs. Cotto: The best bet for your money

When I see great boxers, I can’t help but compare them with stocks in the stock market. Pacquiao and Cotto are elite fighters that belong to the top 10 P4P rankings of the prestigious Ring Magazine. They are equivalent to blue chip stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Index. Currently, Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao, is regarded as the best boxer in the world, so that makes him the bluest of the blue. On November 14, 2009, there is a score to settle between these two great warriors and it’s poised to be a rough and bloody encounter. Again, just like in the stock market, big money is definitely involved here because of the betting odds. As of this writing, the boxing odds favor Pacquiao by a mile, but we expect to see some major changes as the fight draws near. I am a serious investor but I am tempted to wage some money on this fight, so that makes me a bit of a gambler. This, to me, is a make or break fight that could make you either rich or poor in a span of several minutes. The fight will produce a winner and a loser, although, a tie is always a possibility. Nevertheless, I am going to wage a lot of money on this very explosive event and make sure I won’t be on my gambling mode but on my investor mode when I do my decision. How will I do it? Simple, I’ll analyze the fighters based on their records and achievements. Check below:

Manny Pacquiao “Pac-Man”

Fight record: 54 fights / 49 wins / 3 losses / 2 draws / 37 Kos

Achievements: Current Ring Magazine #1 Pound-for-Pound Boxer in the World
Current IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight Champion
First boxer to win lineal championship in four different weight classes
Won six world titles in six different weight divisions

Stance: Southpaw

Nationality: Philippines

Advantage: Power and Speed

Notable Wins:

Chatchai Sasakul KO8
Lehlohonolo Ledwaba TKO6
Marco Antonio Barrera TKO11 and UD12
Juan Manuel Marquez D12
Erik Morales TKO10 and KO3
Oscar Larios UD12
David Diaz TKO9
Oscar De La Hoya TKO8
Ricky Hatton KO2

Miguel Angel Cotto “Boricua Bomber”

Fight record: 35 fights / 34 wins / 1 loss / 27 Kos

Achievements: Ring Magazine #6 Pound-for-Pound Boxer in the World
Current WBO Welterweight Champion
Former WBA Welterweight Champion
Former WBO Light Welterweight Champion

Stance: Orthodox

Nationality: Puerto Rico

Advantage: Power and Size

Notable Wins:

Lovemore N’dou UD12
Paul Malignaggi UD12
Carlos Quintana RTD5
Zab Judah TKO11
Shane Mosley UD12

Conclusion:

Their records alone show that they are really fundamentally sound and betting on either of them is still a good choice. The problem now is that they are fighting against each other, leaving you clueless whether POWER & SPEED would overcome POWER & SIZE or vice versa. Between these two, Pacquiao has a way more impressive resume than Cotto’s, but I still do not discount the fact that he is going up in a weight class where he has not fought a guy like the Boricua Bomber. People say that he might be biting more than he can chew, but time and time again, he has proven the skeptics wrong. His wins against Dela Hoya and Hatton were very much downplayed that I wanted him to beat the Klitschko brothers just to prove that he is in a different league. I believe Pacquiao’s thrashing of these two men was legitimate (case closed). His memorable fights against these legends, future hall of famers, champions and former champions, make me forget about his three losses on record because of the way he defeated them. In my own opinion, he is still undefeated. And by the way, just looking at his record, he probably does not know what a tune-up fight is? Or does he? Just check his last ten opponents and figure out who among them were considered a tune-up fight. Miguel Cotto, on the other hand, is another favorite of mine. He is another fighter I also still consider undefeated, if not, because of a potentially illegal substance that Margarito’s corner applied with his hand-wraps. A loss is still a loss, but being pounded by fists made of concrete is a different story. Cotto is a legitimate welterweight with obviously above average skills. He has defeated great fighters with different styles and had fought bigger opponents most of the time. It is a very interesting match-up as we witness two fighters relatively walking through the unknown, with Pacquiao fighting in unfamiliar territory against a legitimate, skillfull and dominant welterweight, and Cotto fighting a boxer with a caliber of Pacquiao. To be honest, it’s hard to bet against anyone from these two because both of them are capable of upsetting each other, and there is always a question of “what if?” But then again, a decision has to be made. I will bet on Pacquiao all-in. Why Pacquiao when Cotto can potentially give you a bigger reward? Well, just wanted to secure my money. Look, aside from Manny’s achievements, he appears to be the hungrier of the two and works really hard to achieve greater heights to give honor to his country. He is a proven commodity. Wow! If you are investing in a stock market, a company with the same qualities and achievements as Pacquiao’s is always a good buy. I am confident that his current run won’t stop with Cotto, and that my forecast tells me that there will be no correction leading up to the target fight between him and Mayweather.

Embarrassing moments: Aaah shhooooes!

I had this embarrassing moment, one time, when I left the office for an important meeting at Shangri-La Hotel. Every time I drive, I’d usually wear my beige driving shoes no matter what, and it has been a constant habit pretty much like putting a seatbelt on. Upon arriving the hotel entrance, I quickly grabbed my coat, reached for my bag (which contains important documents), got my valet ticket and walked really fast because I was already 10 minutes late. While in the lobby I just realized that I’ve forgotten to change my shoes!!! I wanted to turn away but it was too late, my clients-to-be waived at me. I was so embarrassed that my dark suit did not match my beige driving shoes. - Danny

It was a terrible feeling when one morning I had to ask my neighbor if I could hitch a ride with her to Makati since my office is just a walking distance away from hers. I had experienced hitching a ride before and it wasn’t a pleasant one since she and her teen-aged kids are notorious for wearing strong perfume. Since my car broke down, I had no choice but to prepare my nose. I walked over to her house where they were patiently waiting for me inside the car. I hopped in and said “hi!” to everyone. Five minutes later, I was surprised that I wasn’t smelling perfume but something like that of a smelly shit. Then everyone started reacting to the stench including me. Everybody rushed to open their windows to gasp some fresh air and immediately checked on each one’s shoes to find out where the smell was coming from. Then at one moment, I realized that my left shoe was surrounded by dog poo! OMG! I might’ve stepped on some on my way over to their house. I quickly apologized to everyone. Talk about embarrassment. – Reenalyn

One day, I remember leaving for work at 5:00 in the morning so I could be in the office just before 6 am. It was stormy and it still looked like night time. After taking a cold bath, the electricity shut off probably due to bad weather, I used a flash light so I could get my clothes on. It was a struggle going to the office because few jeepneys were plying the streets, so I was out soaked-wet patiently waiting for one to arrive. When I reached our office, one of my officemates noticed that the color of one of my shoes didn’t match the other. My left shoe was black while the right one was blue. I felt humiliated and embarrassed because everybody in the office was laughing including the janitors and guards. To make things even worse, I was visited by our Vice President to join the laughter. - Weng

This was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life. I was on my way to the office where I was about to get my final interview. It was 10 a.m. and finding a parking space in Makati was getting a little difficult. Luckily, I found one but I still had to walk some few blocks to reach the office. I was already half-way to my destination when the most horrifying moment happened. The soles of my shoes were about to disengage, and that’s probably the reason why I could hear and feel some flapping underneath. I knew at that point I was in serious trouble. At first, going back to my car wasn’t an option as I had just passed a coffee shop and some establishments where there were just full of people. Still, I believed that the best option is to get back to my car and change them with my old pair which I’ve considered, at that moment, way-way presentable than the pair of new ones I rarely use for special occasions. But to get back to my car was a big problem because I would be putting myself in embarrassment. So I decided to stop by a corner until I chanced upon city sweeper (metro aide). Obviously, he was wearing a dirty pair of black rubber shoes, but I had to grab my chance. I called him and asked if I could borrow his shoes so I can get to my car. He was hesitant at first but I told him about my problem and my willingness to pay him P500 out of desperation. Good thing he obliged and I was able change in no time. What happened to my interview next? Don’t even dare ask! - Oliver