Hard times are history for Pacquiao

Ron Borges

• Last Updated: November 14. 2009 11:58AM UAE / November 14. 2009 7:58AM GMT

Manny Pacquiao works out with trainer Freddie Roach. Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun/ Reuters

LAS VEGAS// When Freddie Roach first met Manny Pacquiao eight years ago the Filipino was a little known 112-pound former flyweight champion going nowhere.

In the early hours of Sunday, with Roach in his corner, Pacquiao will be going to the Grand Garden Arena to try to make boxing history.

If Pacquiao can defeat WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto he will become the first fighter in history to win world titles in seven different weight classes and the latest to have transcended the sport to become something larger than simply another champion.

Perhaps more importantly for boxing, the fight is projected to be one of only 25 bouts in history to crack the one million pay-per-view barrier and the second this year.

What is driving this resurrection of the long dormant sport is Pacquiao’s growing international celebrity and the belief that he will dominate Cotto as he did Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton in a way Roach never thought possible when they first met.

“I never dreamt Manny would become what he has,” the three-time Trainer of the Year said.

“The first time I saw him he was looking for someone to train him. Everyone had turned him down.

“He came into my gym and someone from his team said, ‘I hear you’re pretty good with the mitts. Will you work with Manny?’

“After the first round I told my people, ‘Wow! This guy can hit.’

“I’ve been training him ever since. You only see guys like this once in a lifetime. He is a throwback.

“You don’t have fighters like that today who move up in weight like this to win championships in all of these different weight divisions.

“He is carrying his punch and his power with him along with his speed. He is too fast for Cotto. He is on the level of the top five fighters of all time.”

He may be but that means nothing to Cotto. Although many in boxing believe he has never recovered from the 11-round beating he took a year ago from Antonio Margarito in a fight in which Cotto eventually quit, bruised and bloodied . His opponent was found to be wearing illegal hand wraps covered with a hardening agent in his next fight.

Although Cotto has won twice since and regained the WBO title in his last fight despite a deep gash over his left eye, most boxing experts believe he has slowed noticeably and grown tentative.

But Cotto claims he is fully prepared to derail Pacquiao. “I trained to win. Once I beat Pacquiao they can continue their plans but I am not going home without winning.’’

On Saturday night, the truth will be revealed and either a new chapter in boxing history will be written or an old story of broken dreams in Las Vegas will be told once again.

rborges@thenational.ae