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Relentless Pacquiao reigns, stands alone as seven-class champion
The hero of the Philippines put a pounding on Miguel Cotto until the highly anticipated bout was stopped.
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LAS VEGAS - Manny Pacquiao's speed and power were way too much for Miguel Cotto's heart.
Pacquiao put on yet another dominating performance Saturday night, knocking down Cotto twice before finally stopping him at 55 seconds of the 12th round.
The Filipino star used his blazing speed and power from both hands to win his seventh title in seven weight classes and cement his stature as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. No other fighter has held titles in as many classes.
The fight was billed as a 145-pound classic, and in the early rounds it didn't disappoint. Cotto more than held his own as they traded punches in the center of the ring.
Pacquiao dropped Cotto with a right hand early in the third round, but he wasn't badly hurt and finished the round strong. But after Pacquiao put Cotto on the canvas with a big left hand late in the fourth round, the Puerto Rican was never the same again.
"Our plan was not to hurry but to take our time," Pacquiao said. "It was a hard fight tonight, and I needed time to test his power."
Cotto fought gamely, but in the later rounds he was just trying to survive as blood flowed down his face and Pacquiao kept coming after him. It looked as if his corner was trying to stop the fight after the 11th round, but Cotto went back out, before a final flurry along the ropes prompted referee Kenny Bayless to stop the fight.
"I didn't know from where the punches were coming," Cotto said. "Manny Pacquiao is one of the best boxers I ever fought."
Pacquiao, coming off of spectacular wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, added another one against Cotto, who had lost only once and held the WBO version of the welterweight title.
Next likely will be an even bigger fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., and many in the soldout crowd at the MGM Grand arena began chanting, "We want Floyd! We want Floyd" after the fight ended.
"I want to see him fight Mayweather," trainer Freddie Roach said.
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