Pacquiao vs Cotto Pressure Raised, WBO Title at Stake

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Filipino boxing hero and world pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao has insisted that his “Fire Power” showdown with Miguel Cotto on November 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas be for Cotto’s welterweight title and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says he “has no problem with that, let’s have it done.”

Pacquiao’s lawyer Franklin “Jeng” Gacal told BoxingScene.com, insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that he had spoken to both Arum and WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel and told them that Pacquiao wants the Cotto fight where the Puerto Rican had agreed to a catch-weight of 145 pounds to be a title fight and that both men had agreed.

Arum had earlier been quoted as saying the Pacquiao-Cotto fight would not be for the WBO 147 pound belt because apparently the fighters , particularly Cotto, wanted to save on the WBO sanction fees. At the same time boxing writer Michael Marley quoted Arum as saying “no one cares in the US about the belt.”

But after Gacal conveyed Pacquiao’s demands to Arum, the Top Rank promoter told Gacal he was ready to make it a battle for Cotto’s belt.

Gacal quoted Valcarcel as s aying “all or nothing” in reference to the fight, insisting that Cotto’s title be on the line.

Well known ring physician Dr. Allan Recto told us he had spoken to the WBO president Valcarcel who informed him that the sanction fee Pacquiao would have to pay amounts to $150,000 but gave no indication of how much the champion, Cotto, would be assessed.

Valcarcel also told Dr. Recto that Arum had told him before that “he was willing to pay the whole amount – for everybody.”

The WBO president said Pacquiao has “to write the WBO a letter of request. Then he talks to Bob Arum and Bob will inform me. Arum is willing to do it, you know. Now after that we can push Miguel Cotto to do it. We can both (Arum and Valcarcel) pressure Cotto to do it.”

A victory over Cotto in a WBO world welterweight title fight will reinforce Pacquiao's incredible legacy and establish the certified Philippine hero and a hero of Asia as perhaps the greatest fighter of all-time with an incredible seven world titles.