Necrologist: For Your Information

Slowly but surely, Manny Pacquiao is picking up more speed and more intensity in his training for the November 14 battle with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.“Manny’s improving each passing day,” top trainer Freddie Roach told the Bulletin after watching the lethal-hitting Filipino lefty rack up his 24th round of sparring at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City.

Before flying to Los Angeles for a one-day photo shoot with Kobe Bryant for a leading sports apparel company, Manny Pacquiao revealed that he will bat for a catch weight of 142-143 lbs for the proposed November 14 match with welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. While admitting that negotiations are running smoothly, Pacquiao said the two parties have yet to agree on the revenue split and the catch weight although the Puerto Rican press has reported that it'll be at 145 lbs.


MANNY PACQUIAO VS MIGUEL COTTO - FIRE POWER Pacquiao's speed seems to be the major issue for all of his opponents. When he fought David Diaz in June of 2008, the speed advantage for Pacquiao was just ridiculous. Diaz during a post fight interview said, " It felt like the f'n referee was hitting me too." So the question is, can his speed overwhelm Miguel Cotto as well? Cotto has proven how tough he is with impressive wins over Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, and more recently Joshua Clottey. He came up short against Antonio Margarito, but I hesitate to count that against him because of the big ass asterisk that has been rightfully stamped next to Margarito's name.


MANNY PACQUIAO VS MIGUEL COTTO - FIRE POWER It matters little to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum that Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto are each regarded as among the world’s 10 finest boxers. Arum is simply thrilled that the fight between them that he finalized last week while on vacation in Israel and Italy will, in fact, be a fight. Arum said Monday that Pacquiao and Cotto will meet in a fight with a 145-pound weight limit on Nov. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on HBO Pay Per View. Pacquiao is a unanimous No. 1 in the Yahoo! Sports poll of the world’s top boxing writers. Cotto is sixth and that alone should make for an intriguing matchup.

From all reports, Manny Pacquiao’s training camp in Baguio City, Philippines has been picking up much intensity as his sparring sessions with both undefeated Shawn Porter and Lightweight contender Urbano Antillon have been brisk and fasted paced. A recent name to add to the mix is that of Jose Luis Castillo, as the former Lightweight king is set to arrive in Manila today and begin sparring with Pacquiao this coming Saturday.