Manny Pacquiao became the first fighter in boxing history to win his seventh title in seven weight classes with a 12th round TKO victory over Miguel Cotto last night (OK, and this morning here on the east coast). Pacman landed a blistering 336 punches as he improved to 50-3-2 overall (with 38 KOs), discarding his opponent with relative ease after a very competitive beginning to this fight. Cotto fell to 34-2 with the loss.
Cotto managed to win the first round or two, depending on how you looked at the fight. I would say he definitely won the first round. He …read more

The countdown to Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto officially begins this evening when HBO presents the first installment of Pacquiao-Cotto 24/7. This fight brings extra excitement in that Manny, who many consider to be boxing’s pound-for-pound champion (until he fights Floyd Mayweather, I believe), is moving up in weight (again) to 145 pounds to fight Miguel Cotto, the current WBO welterweight champ. I’ve doubted Manny in the past and I’ve always lived to regret those doubts.
There are unanswered questions for both fighters. Miguel has only lost once. That was a little over a year ago when Antonio Margarito beat him …read more

Manny Pacquiao did more than knock out Ricky Hatton last night. His 73rd punch in the second round of the Junior Welterweight bout sent Ricky sprawling for the third and final time in what was a short-lived, lopsided event in front of 16,262 fans at the sold out MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. And in the process, I believe he placed himself among the elite in boxing history.
There is little doubt that Manny is the pound-for-pound champion at this point. But what about all-time? Manny has compiled a 49-3-2 record in six different weight classes. Yes, six different …read more

I don’t cover boxing here, but if you’re looking to catch the Manny Pacquiao Vs. Oscar De La Hoya match head on over to Filiapina Soul. They are covering the fight via live-blogging tonight with an open mic. You can find the link below.
http://www.filipinasoul.com/open-mic-this-weekend-the-pacquiao-de-la-hoya-dream-match/

Imagine you are Antonio Margarito. Your impressive July beat down of Miguel Cotto was a rousing success both in pulling pay-per-view buys and in garnering media attention. Casual sports fans have started recognizing your name and maybe even your face.
The sky is the limit. Right? Well, not so much. There are so few people out there for you to fight for your deserved huge payday. Shane Mosley? Yawn, that guy never caught the public’s eye. Paul Williams? Nobody knows him and maybe he’s a little too dangerous. Zab Judah? I’d have a good time at least. Ricky Hatton? Um, …read more

The wooing is over, the coy glances have stopped, the contractual bickering has been worked out and the most anticipated fight since Larry Merchant suggested it to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael in October 2007 is on!
That same Dan Rafael reports that at a 2:00 p.m. press conference today Oscar De La Hoya will his December 6, 2008 opponent in what he claims will be his last fight. That adversary is expected to be the popular pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.
There are so many stories, plots, and intrigues with this super fight. Most pressing to me is: will Larry Merchant get …read more

I love boxing and pro wrestling but this weekend is one of those times when I’m jealous of my fellow b5 media sports bloggers. You see, my sports have BBBIIIIIGGGG events this weekend but in order to watch them I have to shell out some BBBIIIIIGGGG bucks. $89.98 before taxes to be exact. Does anybody else here cover a sport where you have to pay to watch its BBBIIIIIGGGG events?

Tonight Manny Pacquiao (46-3-2), arguably the #1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is stepping up a weight class to fight Ring Magazine’s #3 ranked lightweight David Diaz (34-4-1). It should be …read more

Finally we at www.jabandgrabble.com have some boxing to watch. Last week’s sweet science dearth was rough but the good HBO and Showtime cards this weekend have me thankful for my DVR.
Although there will be no live television coverage the week also is the 2008 International Boxing Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in Canastota, New York. I’ve never been to an induction weekend but I’ll talk later in the week about my 2003 trip to the Hall of Fame.
This week’s action begins tonight with ESPN2’s Wednesday Night Fights headlined by a 10-round light heavyweight bout pitting Philadelphia’s Yusef Mack (24-2-2) …read more