After weeks of negotiation and a 15-minute phone conversation with Bob Arum, Manny Pacquiao finally agreed on the megablockbuster Pacquiao-Cotto fight (or Cotto-Pacquiao depending on whose side are you).

I don’t know what Arum offered to make “Pacman” accept the 145-pound weight limit insisted upon by Miguel Cotto’s physical trainer but the deal must be sweet, ka-ching!  ($$$) This early, Pacquiao is already in the running for next year’s highest paid athlete list.

Pacquiao and Cotto will meet on November 14 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, USA at a catchweight of 145 lbs. In fighting Cotto, Pacquiao will attempt to win his 7th world title in as many weight classes, which is a feat no other boxer in history has done.

The 2008 Fighter of the Year Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs) has won titles in six weight divisions from 112 to 140 pounds beating the likes of Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Marco Antonio Barrera and Ricky Hatton (via a 2nd round KO) and is on a 10-fight winning streak.

Puerto Rican Miguel “Junito” Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) owns the WBO welterweight belt and defended it last June 13 via a split-decision victory over Joshua Clottey.  His only loss is to Antonio Margarito, who had his boxing license suspended after putting hardened plasters inside his gloves before a bout. The legitimacy of his win over Cotto is now being questioned.

In Cotto, Pacquiao will be facing the biggest opponent of his career. When I watched “Junito” survived Joshua Clottey on that welterweight match, I saw how big he is for “Pacman”. He has big arms and with biceps exploding! Pacquiao was also at ringside watching that fight scouting his next opponent.

You might say that Pacquiao has already defeated another welterweight in dela Hoya but at 35, the “Golden Boy” was already past his prime at that time and he was drained trying to shed pounds just to make the weight limit. At 28, Cotto is undoubtedly in his prime. He is also two years younger than Manny, has fought at welterweight since 2006 and has gone into the ring at fight night as high at 160 lbs. Pacquiao has never weighed more than 148 lbs at fight night. That’s a significant weight advantage for Cotto right there.

Being the top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world, early betting line favors Manny about 2-1.

The fight contracts are expected to be signed by the end of the week. HBO pay-per-view will televise the bout.

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UPDATE November 15, 2009: Manny Pacquiao gets to rewrite history as he defeated Miguel Cotto via 12th Round TKO to capture Cotto’s WBO welterweight belt and his record-breaking seventh world title in seven world divisions.

Check out the Pacquiao vs Cotto fight highlights or the Pacquiao vs Cotto full video of the fight.

Please read my related posts:

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2. Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto Highlights After 12 rounds of non-stop barrage of punches from Pacquiao that made Cotto’s face a bloody mess, referee Kenny Bayless...
3. HBO’s Newest 24/7 Series Features Pacquiao and Cotto HBO’s Emmy award winning documentary reality series 24/7 is here once again. As part of the promotion for the Manny...
4. Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 Episode 2 At the start of the premier episode of HBO’s Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7 , we saw Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto at...
5. Pacquiao vs Cotto, Pacman and Junito Collides In a boxing event aptly titled “Firepower”, the two most fearless and strongest boxers in the world will meet inside...

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Tags: manny pacquiao, miguel cotto, pacman