By Norm Frauenheim
LAS VEGAS – It was a news conference, which only means not a whole lot happened. Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto talked Wednesday like diplomats after accepting keys to the city from the only politician with a title, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.
If Goodman’s gift included any keys …

Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto attended a press conference today ahead of their bout on Saturday.

The first few speakers are the typically dry promoters and officials from the MGM, Top Rank etc. The mayor of Las Vegas also appears to give the key to the city to both Cotto and Pacquiao.

Also announced earlier today was the fact that the winner will be declared the WBO super champ, which pretty much lets the champion have an easier time of things with regards to title defences, and lets them get title shots faster in other WBO divisions. It seems rather meaningless given the fact that Pacquiao will probably move on to a different title should he win, and he’s the big favourite.

By Ronan Keenan
LAS VEGAS — The deference between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto was upheld at Thursday’s final pre-fight press conference, the last chance for promoters to crank up the publicity machine ahead of this weekend’s showdown at the MGM Grand.
The tone was relaxed, with promoter Bob Arum exclaiming …

By Carlos Cinco
With three episodes of Pacquiao – Cotto 24/7 down and only one to go, I think we’ve seen everything that needs to be seen already. There should be no more surprises left until the night of the fight itself. The premise is clear. It will …

By Kevin Baxter
Whenever Manny Pacquiao or Miguel Cotto fight — never mind when they fight one another — the run-up to the bout is refreshingly free of the trash-talking that has long marred boxing.
All of which made the words of Cotto’s new trainer, Joe Santiago, stand out at Wednesday’s final …

By Bill Dwyre
The quest to have you part with $54.95 to see the Pacquiao-Cotto fight Saturday night on HBO pay-per-view was in its homestretch here Wednesday.
If this is a tough sell, it is only because slugfests are not high priority in sluggish economies. Or because the stars, Manny Pacquiao and …

Boxing’s pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao talks about his mental strategy to the sport with Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times before Saturday’s welterweight title shot at Miguel Cotto.

By TIM DAHLBERG
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The best little fighter you will probably ever see had the seat of honor on the bus carrying him to his grand arrival at the MGM Grand casino. Manny Pacquiao had some more promoting to do, some more hands to shake, some more fans …

By Frank Lotierzo
As a boxing purist it’s impossible not to be a big fan of Miguel Cotto. He like Marco Antonio Barrera altered his style later in his career as he moved up in weight. Cotto used to fight almost exclusively as the attacker as a junior welterweight; now …

By Gabriel Montoya

When two fighters of similar mentalities but contrasting styles collide a foundation is created upon which a violent nirvana can be built. Hagler/Hearns, Castillo/Corrales, and the Marquez/Vasquez trilogy are just a few shining examples. While it’s two early to tell just how good or bad of chemistry Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto (43-1 with 27 KOs) and the Philippines’ Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2 with 37 KOs) have, all the ingredients of an all out war have definitely been put in the pot to begin simmering. On the eve of this Saturday’s 145 lb welter catch weight battle at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Miguel Cotto seems as focused and intent on winning at all costs as ever.

“Manny Pacquiao has the things he has today because he earned them,” said Cotto at a recent open media workout at the Pound for Pound gym in Los Angeles, CA. “He beat Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar was a great champion but Manny chose the right time to face him in the last fight of his career. Everybody knows Hatton doesn’t have a good defense and Manny proved it in their fight. But now he is going to fight Miguel Cotto. You can’t compare me to those fighters.”

On paper, Pacquiao is the faster, harder hitting fighter; a whirling dervish of a southpaw who darts in and out looking to land heavy leather in rapid succession from all angles. It’s this exceptional speed that amplifies Pacquiao’s considerable power has made him a 2 ½ to 1 favorite and most every pundit’s pick to win. But Cotto insists quietly that he has faced speed before and defeated it.

“I don’t know a lot about betting. I just go about work to prepare for the fight,” Cotto explained. “When I fought Zab Judah and Shane Mosley everyone talked about the speed being the big advantage against me. But if you saw the fights you didn’t really see the difference being the speed, you know? We had a really equal camp and people are going to see.”

He is the most influential and polarizing figure in the Philippines. Even the level of popularity that Michael Jordan and Julio Cesar Chavez attained in their own countries pale in comparison to the heights he's achieved. Even more amazing, his fame probably doubled in the past year ever since his impressive victory over Oscar De La Hoya. But why are Filipinos so passionate about Manny Pacquiao?

For non-Filipinos it may be difficult to apprehend why an athlete is given such a high degree of attention. But for Filipinos, it's more than just Pacquiao and the sport of boxing. It is the first time that a Filipino has been considered the best in any major sport around the world. For a community with a large number of its young generation still searching for their identity, it has given many a role model that makes them proud of their heritage.

By Sugar-Boy-Sweetie
OK here is my prediction for the fight. I don’t and never have claimed to be a fountain of boxing knowledge and although I have my view I think this fight is so hard to call that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I was totally and utterly …

By Scott Heritage
Manny Pacquiao’s strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza has hit back at Floyd Mayweather Sr. and his accusations of steroid use by the fighter.
The accusations came out of the blue from the father of Floyd Jr. and sometime trainer, and were not received warmly by Pacquiao or his …

By Stan James
Miguel Cotto has confidently predicted he will shatter the myth that Manny Pacquiao cannot be beaten when they meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday (Pacquiao 4/11, draw 30/1, Cotto 15/8 Fight Prices) in one of the biggest fights of 2009.
The WBO welterweight champion feels …

By Mike Freeman
CBSSports.com National Columnist
The first indication that Manny Pacquiao had evolved from mere stardom into something universally larger came this month when he appeared in Time magazine’s Asia edition, making him one of the few Filipinos to ever grace the cover. One of the others was former President Corazon …

By Abac Cordero
LAS VEGAS – He was 30 minutes behind schedule, late as usual, but the moment Manny Pacquiao stepped into the main lobby of the MGM Grand on Tuesday the place went crazy.
The crowd that packed the lobby of the grand hotel here in Sin City chanted his name …

By CompuBox
If Mayweather-Marquez was the pay-per-view appetizer, Miguel Cotto vs. Manny Pacquiao may be the main course because unlike the former one can’t easily predict the result of the latter. Pacquiao’s attempting to become just the fifth fighter in history to win five titles in five different weight classes. Oscar …

Kevin Iole, Yahoo Sports (Sports.Yahoo.com/Box)

“This is a great fight fan’s fight. They’re two action fighters with styles that will mesh well in the ring. Each has the ability to hurt the other and each likes to fight an offensive fight. I like Pacquiao, though I don’t discount Cotto at all. I’d actually pick Cotto if he hadn’t fought Margarito. That fight seemed to take so much out of Miguel. In his two fights since, he’s appeared to have slowed and has been hit more than I’ve ever seen him. I think Pacquiao’s speed and quickness will make a big difference. If the old Cotto reappears, that could change things big-time, but I’ll go with Manny by decision.”

By Jerry Izenberg/Columnist Emeritus
LAS VEGAS—The names are passed down generation to generation — from trainer to trainer in the steamy gyms, from fathers to sons in the barrios and all across the Island from San Juan to Ponce:
Sixto Escobar, the first Puerto Rican to win a title in …

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
Manny Pacquiao will be looking to make history Saturday night when he takes on Miguel Cotto in a welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old Filipino superstar, who made a grand entrance along with his opponent at the scene of the fight …

American promoter Bob Arum predicts a brutal ending in the world welterweight bout between Filipino Manny Pacquiao and defending champion Miguel Cotto this weekend.

By FightFan News Wire (10-Nov-2009)
Big George Foreman leads the list of boxers, professional athletes, celebrities and the esteemed press core who all have opinions about the outcome of FIREPOWER: Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto this Saturday November 14 at MGM Grand Garden Arena! Read on to see which fighter the …

By John Nguyen
For whatever reason, fight fans have a hard time being objective about Manny Pacquiao.
For the most ardent fans of the Filipino phenom, he’s a demigod. His straight left vaporizes his foes, his smile calms crying babies, and his sweat cures the gout.
For …

By Tim Starks
So begins our marathon coverage of one of the biggest fights of 2009, Manny Pacquiao against Miguel Cotto, culminating in a live blog of the bout Saturday. Now — the importance of Pacquiao-Cotto. Later today — a look at the one major question facing each boxer coming into …