INQUIRER Sports

LAS VEGAS – (UPDATE) Fighters past and present, Hollywood celebrities and writers are picking Manny Pacquiao to score a big victory over Miguel Cotto, a poll by Boxingscene.com showed on Monday.

Of the huge majority who selected Pacquiao in the poll http://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=23356, most credited the Filipino icon’s speed and momentum to play crucial roles in his bid to win seven weight crowns.

Those who defended Cotto, meanwhile, said mostly that the Puerto Rican’s sheer edge in size will offset Pacquiao’s speed.

“I pick Manny Pacquiao by knockout,” said former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. “I think he will knock him out in 7 or 8. Manny just has too much for Cotto.”

“Pacquiao is going to chop Cotto up,” said Bernard Hopkins, the former two-division world champion.

“Out of respect, 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. Unlike Rocky, Bruce Lee was a real dude and so is Manny.”

Legendary two-time heavyweight king George Foreman, however, picked Cotto because he feels Pacquiao will come in overconfident from the high of his two previous smashing victories.

“When I faced [Muhammad] Ali, [Joe] Frazier and [Ken] Norton both had beaten Ali, and I had knocked them out pretty easily,” recalled Foreman. “So when I faced Ali, I had that confidence, and you think I surely can beat this guy. So I know the feeling, and I think that will happen to Pacquiao.”

“While both fighters possess tremendous punching power and heart, I believe that the speed of Pacquiao will earn him the WBO welterweight belt,” said Donald Trump, CEO of The Trump organization who rose to fame with his The Apprentice reality show. If Pacquiao is victorious, Mayweather would be the next fight that I and all fans would want to see.”

“Pacquiao is my guy, we've hung out before,” said Transformers star Tyrese Gibson. “He's the kind of guy you'd want with you if a bar fight broke out, I will be there to support him.”

“Manny Pacquiao's nickname is 'The Mexicutioner.' He's beaten more Latinos than the police,” said comedian George Lopez. “Pacquiao [by] unanimous decision.”

Pacquiao was also a favorite among boxing writers polled by the popular website, with noted scribe and historian Bert Sugar saying: " Cotto is a gutsy and gritty fighter, but I think Pacquiao stops him on cuts, and wins in the 8th round."

Don’t underestimate Cotto

Renowned commentator Larry Merchant, however, said there’s no underestimating Cotto.

Merchant, the man responsible for the Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya match that catapulted the Filipino ring icon to superstar status, said it would be wrong to overlook Cotto.

“I give [Cotto] a chance,” Merchant said in an interview with DogHouseboxing.com (http://www.doghouseboxing.com/DHB/Tyler111009.htm). “I think it’s an even fight and that means I seriously give him a chance.”

Merchant said: I think Cotto, unlike Pacquiao, is a versatile fighter. He has proven that he can box as well as throw a punch. If [Cotto] can handle Pacquiao’s punch, that will give him the serious edge he needs by putting Paquiao on the defensive.”

Merchant, however, refused to pick a winner, saying “I don’t do that with fights that I cover.”

Camp Cotto, however, is confident.

“He has had a great camp,” trainer Joe Santiago told ReviewJournal.com. “We’ve trained very well, from Puerto Rico to Tampa to here (in Las Vegas). He’s a great professional. He handles everything well.”

“I trust my team and they trust me,” Cotto said. “When I put my feet in the gym they know they’re going to get 100 percent from me.

“I am prepared for anything (Pacquiao) can bring me. He has a lot of things beside his speed. I have to be prepared for all he can show me.

“No matter who talks, his trainer or whoever says he is going to win, I know that I am very confident that I am going to come out with a victory that night,” Cotto said.