Two excellent events in one night is always a good thing in the fight business. One unreal star outshined them all last night.
Manny Pacquiao is a freak of nature and one of the best fighters possibly of all time. He added another notch to his already hall of fame career with a destruction of Miguel Cotto. The fight was stopped by referee Kenny Bayless in the 12th round but it should have been stopped a few rounds earlier.
The fight started well for Miguel Cotto but the fight was turned around for good in the 4th round. Cotto was aggressive and landing good shots and even showed some improved defensive skills. He had Manny Pacquiao on the ropes and seemed to be doing some good damage, mostly to the body, but he let him off the hook. Pacquiao took advantage and completely turned around the fight from that point on.
While Cotto seemed to be the bigger stronger fighter, it was Pacquiao that landed the harder cleaner shots and had more punching power. He spped and footwork are simply amazing. He made Cotto look foolish at times and even looked to the ref at times to see if he was going to let it continue.
Miguel Cotto has too much heart for his own good. He kept fighting and just took way too much abuse. Cotto's corner did him no favors as they should have thrown in the towel. The corner will continue to be a problem in future fights for Cotto as I see it. They seemed to lack a true game plan and the fighter was the one calling all the shots. That's a terrible combination against any fighter and devastating against a fighter the caliber of Manny Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao continues to get better and keeps climbing up in weight. It truly is remarkable. The only logical fight to be made is against Floyd Mayweather Jr. I don't see that fight happening for a number of reasons. Promoters, money, and the fact that Mayweather doesn't want to risk losing his undefeated record. Manny Pacquiao might be favored against any fighter from 160 pounds and lower. He's that impressive right now.
The UFC doesn't normally take a back seat but last night it sure did. Boxing was number one in the pecking order on Saturday but we did see some pretty good fights in the mixed martial arts world.
Let's take a look at the highlights from UFC 105
Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera
One of the worst main events I can remember. The first two rounds were almost unwatchable. It was a Greco Roman wrestling match for the first ten minutes. The last five minutes picked up but it was too late. Couture wins via unanimous decision in a snoozer
Dan Hardy vs Mike Swick
This fight was for the #1 contender spot in the 170 pound division. Hardy simply dominated Swick. He landed more shots and was the aggressor the full fifteen minutes. He is next in line for Georges St. Pierre and his title. He will present some problems for GSP. Swick was out of his league.
Michael Bisping vs Denis Kang
Bisping got back on the winning track with a come from behind victory. Kang looked solid in the first round and Bisping destroyed him in the second on his way to a TKO victory.
Full results:
Randy Couture def. Brandon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dan Hardy def. Mike Swick via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Michael Bisping def. Denis Kang via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:24
Matt Brown def. James Wilks via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 2:27
Ross Pearson def. Aaron Riley via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 2, 4:38
John Hathaway def. Paul Taylor via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Terry Etim def. Shannon Gugerty via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 1:24
Nick Osipczak def. Matthew Riddle via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 3:53
Dennis Siver def. Paul Kelly via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:53
Alexander Gustafsson def. Jared Hamman via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:41
Andre Winner def. Rolando Delgado via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 3:22
Another great night to be a fight fan. While the UFC was good, Manny Pacquiao was simply amazing. He is currently the best in world of boxing and needs to be considered one of the best of all time with what he has been doing these last few years. The fact that he is still improving is just remarkable.
