Manny Pacquiao: best fighter today...or ever?

As I watch the post-fight highlights even before the particulars are announced, I can't help but wonder whether we're getting the privilege of watching the best boxer ever to lace on gloves: Manny Pacquiao. As he picks up his record seventh title in seven weight divisions, the arguments are strong. To hear Pacquiao compared by Emmanuel Steward with the caliber of fighter of Sugar Ray Robinson seems proof positive. What a brutal pleasure to get to see the prime of the Pac-man. Manila is surely going wild tonight.

Miguel Cotto clearly came prepared and expected to be able to match speed with Manny. At first, it seemed possible. Then Manny warmed up. He dropped Cotto in the third and fourth rounds and began to mark him up so badly that Cotto's face was ground beef by the time it was stopped in the 12th. Ever the classy guy, Cotto agreed to be interviewed in the ring after the fight by Larry Merchant where we got to see the extent of the damage. Cotto didn't hide behind sunglasses and his eyes were so badly swelled and reddened that it was a wonder he could see out of either eye.

I had Pacquiao ahead 107-99 by the time Kenny Bayless mercifully stepped in, giving Pacquiao the TKO in the 12th. The once-proud Cotto spent almost the entire second half of the fight running from the smaller, faster Pacquiao. Pacquiao meanwhile walked him down, eventually getting obviously frustrated by Cotto's unwillingness to engage, rushing occasionally to pin Cotto in a corner or against the ropes to inflict more damage...and waiting for someone to stop the carnage. It wasn't going to be Cotto, so eventually the referee did it.

The second knockdown was really telling. Pacquiao rope-a-doped Cotto for almost a full minute, then flushed a left uppercut while backing out from a close quarters exchange and took away Cotto's legs. Cotto clearly didn't see it coming and he admitted in the post-fight that, predictably, his biggest problem was that he was unable to defend himself against punches he couldn't see coming. Speed kills.

My prediction of a seventh round KO almost came true. Indeed, I wrote as I watched that I almost felt sorry for the brave Cotto who, so clearly prepared and steeled for battle, was so badly outmatched. Cotto was totally defensive by that point and between the seventh and eighth, his corner told him to "keep away...move side to side", apparently resigned to the result even that early because at that point their fighter was already down at least five points down.

So...how will Mayweather handle Pacquiao? As the HBO team pointed out, the economics of the fight seem to make it impossible not to make happen. It would probably outstrip DelaHoya/Mayweather in pay-per-view buys...which is what we presume Mayweather has been waiting for. Or is it? I wonder if Mayweather will keep up the running outside the ring that has characterized his ring presence in the ring. I hope not, but if history tells us anything...it's possible. He refused to rematch Delahoya, whom he barely scraped past. Keep in mind that Pac ate DelaHoya up. The reverse comparison of Mayweather/Marquez is a little less convincing, where it comes to comparing common opponents.

But styles make fights and this matchup matches speed against speed. And Pac's speed is better, but Mayweather's skills as a defensive fighter are better. Can Mayweather survive long enough to take a decision? potshot and slip away? tie Pac up, land and turn out...over and over and over? These are the questions that make up the analysis. He's definitely willing..we know that much.

By that I mean that Mayweather has proven that he is perfectly willing to win ugly and by decision. He doesn't mind backing up, tying up, potshotting and running away. He possesses just enough speed, skill and willingness to do it to Pac for 12 full rounds. My first instinct is that Mayweather wins a disappointingly dull decision where Pacquiao spends half the night inviting him to fight, chasing him and eating a single shot coming in, then coming up empty...over and over. The other half, he spends tied up by Mayweather, who slips, uppercuts and rabbit punches around Pac's guard. Mayweather by ugly decision.

Our collective hope is that Pacquiao, with his otherworldly speed (rivaled perhaps only by Mayweather himself actually), can make Mayweather pay for his hubris and willing half-cowardice. Mayweather backs out warily and lightning fast from his one or two punch mini-offensives. Can Manny, who comes quicker and with heavy leather from more difficult angles than any fighter alive, jump in and catch Floyd? Maybe...just maybe. I'll definitely tune in.

As for Miguel Cotto, he gave us a brave fight. But he was badly outmatched. I'm amazed at that though, because he is a fast fighter. He did match Mosley's speed and Mayweather has been ducking Mosley his whole career, presumably because of Mosley's speed and power. If Mosley was matched on speed by Cotto, but Cotto was blown out by Pacquiao...the speed differential may well carry over and we'll see Mayweather fall exactly as we've seen DelaHoya and Cotto fall. These were two great fighters. Both utterly destroyed by the speed of Manny Pacquiao. Wow. That's all there is left to say. Wow.