Pacquiao-Cotto battle begins

MANILA - The "Firepower" bout between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto has begun at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao is aiming to dethrone Cotto in order to be the first boxer to win seven titles in seven different weight divisions.

He entered the ring to the tune of "Rocky" theme "Eye of the Tiger" by American rock band Survivor. "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC was played before "Eye of the Tiger."

The referee of the fight is Kenny Bayless while the judges are Adalaide Byrd, Duane Ford and Dave Moretti.

Filipino group La Diva, composed of Jonalyn Viray, Maricris Garcia and Aicelle Santos, sang the "Lupang Hinirang."

Ednita Nazario, meanwhile, sang the Puerto Rican national anthem and the "Star-Spangled Banner" was sung by Filipina-American Ramiele Malubay, a former American Idol finalist.

Roach doesn't see 'Pacman' knocking out Cotto

Aside from the WBO welterweight crown, Pacquiao and Cotto will be fighting for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Diamond belt in the 145-pound catch weight.

Pacquiao, 49-3-2 (37 knockouts), weighed in on Friday (Saturday in Manila) just a pound lighter than Cotto as the Filipino was greeted by deafening cheers from his supporters on the eve of the fight.

The Filipino dynamo tipped the scales at 144 pounds in front of a boisterous crowd of about 6,500 at the MGM Grand Hotel's Garden Arena.

Cotto, 34-1 (27 KOs), was right on the limit for the scheduled 12-round bout, which will be fought at a contracted weight of 145 pounds.

Although Cotto has won a world title every year since 2004 and will be competing in his natural division, Pacquiao is widely viewed as the favorite.

The atmosphere was electric as the two fighters made their way on to a raised stage for Friday's televised weigh-in where former boxing great Roberto Duran and undefeated WBO super bantamweight Juan Manuel Lopez were among those attending.

The 29-year-old Cotto will be fighting for the first time since he retained his WBO title with a split decision win over Ghana's Joshua Clottey in June.

Pacquiao, 30, last fought in May when he delivered a stunning second round knockout of Britain's Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand to claim the IBO light welterweight crown.

Roach's plan: Big shots early

The first round of the fight will be dangerous for both fighters, and Roach said their plan is to hit Cotto with some big shots from the opening bell.

"I don't have to tell him the game plan anymore," Roach said. "It is automatic now. I make moves in training like Cotto makes in the fight. It is like a dance. He knows exactly what to do in those situations.

Roach says they can shake Cotto's confidence by hitting him early.

"We are going to start quick. We always start quick anyway."

"We are going to show our power in the first round and hit him to remind him of the punches he took in the (Antonio) Margarito fight."

"We are not going to go in and start swinging at him we are going to do it smart. We will walk Cotto into a fight because he follows and when he follows we will take advantage of that."

'We'll make him quit'

Roach said if the smaller Pacquiao doesn't have the power to knock Cotto out, then he can wear him down with his superior hand speed and lightning quick feet.

"I honestly don't think we are going to knock him out," said Roach. "We are going to make him quit."

"Manny's foot movement and speed is too much for Cotto. That's where the fight is won in foot speed and that is where Manny excels."

After watching hours of tape of Cotto in his most recent fights, Roach predicts he will do one of two things.

"He is going to use his strength and come forward and show us he is a bigger stronger guy or he is going to try to become a counterpuncher. But you can't become someone else in an eight-week period. We have a perfect game plan, I think."

What other boxers are saying about Pacquiao-Cotto

Pacquiao, regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, expects to face the toughest challenge of his career against Cotto for the WBO welterweight title,

Some of the biggest names in boxing have been speaking about the hotly anticipated bout scheduled for 12 rounds:

* Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, one of the most fearsome and notorious fighters of all time. "I pick Manny Pacquiao by knockout. I think he will knock him out in (round) seven or eight. Manny just has too much for Cotto."

* Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, a five-time world champion who ruled as a welterweight, junior-middleweight and middleweight. "Manny is a big puncher and a good boxer but he has never faced a natural welterweight like Miguel. Cotto is the most dangerous fight of Pacquiao's career and I think Cotto will win on a decision. He might even get a knockout."

* Former world champion Bernard Hopkins, who reigned supreme in the middleweight division for a decade. "Pacquiao is going to chop Cotto up. Cotto will get some rounds but Manny is the Bruce Lee of boxing. His basketball and martial arts background give him that speed and agility. You can't tell where his shots are coming from."

* WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley, who has won world titles in three weight divisions. "I think Cotto will win because he's a little bit bigger and is a real welterweight. His power may be enough to overcome Pacquiao's speed. I think Cotto wins in a decision."

* Britain's undefeated world super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, who announced his retirement from the ring in February. "Manny Pacquiao is going to be too quick for Cotto. I was ringside when Cotto fought (Joshua) Clottey and he seemed to struggle a bit in that fight. Cotto is the bigger guy but I still think Pacquiao beats him in a decision."

* Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, whose famous fights included bouts with Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. "Pacquiao has been riding high and has beaten some of the best in the world. And it leaves you kind of complacent when you're winning. Even if you don't want it to, sometimes you can't get up for a big fight. And that's a plus for Cotto. I think Cotto wins in a 12 round decision."

Boxing analysts speak their minds

Boxing analysts agree that the "Firepower" match will be a big test for both boxers. They also shared opinions on how the fight might play out.

* Ed Picson, Sports columnist. “Actually malaking sugal ito para kay Manny…Strategy dapat ni Manny umiwas siyang maipit sa ropes, sumayaw at sundutin si Cotto. He (Cotto) has a lot of power, lalo na sa simula ng laban. It’s important for Manny to test the patience of Cotto.”

* Manny Stewart, HBO commentator/boxing trainer. “One thing we keep forgetting about both guys, even though we think about their aggressiveness and punching power, they have also shown that they can box. Cotto has demonstrated that he can be a beautiful boxer if he wants, Pacquiao can box also, and when he chooses to box, his best asset is his foot speed and hand speed.”

* Kevin Lole of Yahoo Sports. “I think it's going to be a terrific fight, but I favor Pacquiao because I think the speed is going to be too much for Cotto.”

* Keiran Mulvaney of Reuters. “I'm picking Manny Pacquiao simply because at the end of the day, I think his speed, the fact that he's so relentless and throws so many punches from so many different angles is going to be too difficult for Miguel Cotto.”

* Dennis Principe, sports analyst. “If he (Cotto) can force Manny to play the role of the challenger - 'Ako, habulin mo, I am the champion' - maganda, maganda chances ni Cotto. But if Cotto will fight the style of Manny, mahihirapan si Cotto.”

* Ronnie Nathanielsz, boxing analyst. “I think Pacquiao will go for the win early in the fight. The longer the fight goes, the stronger Cotto will get. His body punches might hurt Pacquiao. Cotto's strength is his left hook to the body. He’s got a decent right straight.”

* Teddy Atlas, boxing trainer/analyst. “He (Pacquiao) will need to box from the outside early on in the fight to establish a rhythm. Pacquiao seems to be the kind of guy that sets tones, he sets rhythms, and when he gets into a good rhythm, his offense flows like good music.”

Boxing to politics to boxing

Pacquiao has made no secret of his political ambitions outside the ring but dabbling in government isn't the same as taking it on as a full-time career, said Roach.

Roach said Pacquiao might run for office in his native Philippines, but after the fighter gets a taste of political life, Roach expects him to eventually return to his boxing roots.

"I would love to see him go out on top," Roach said. "The thing is he can fight for a long time, because his work ethic is so great.

"Once he gets into politics and finds out how corrupt it is he will come back to boxing. He can do more as a boxer than a politician for his countrymen. Although he's proven me wrong before." -- With reports from Reuters, Agence France-Presse, DogHouseBoxing.com, FightHype.com, and Dyan Castillejo and TJ Manotoc of ABS-CBN News