The welterweight title belt that will be fought for Saturday night between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto belongs to Cotto.
That’s about the only thing surrounding this fight that belongs to Cotto, “The Pride of Puerto Rico.”
There’s no doubt who the marquee star of this show is.
From the oversized poster behind him on the stage during Wednesday’s final press conference, featuring Pacquaio on the cover of Time Magazine Asia, to the faux pas by the WBC’s Mauricio Sulaiman, setting the brand new “Diamond Belt” in front of Pacquaio, it is unquestionably the “Manny Pacquiao Show,” also starring Miguel Cotto.
Even Bob Arum, who has the enviable job of promoting both fighters, admits that the 29-year-old Filipino makes this the pay-per-view mega-fight (HBO, 9 p.m. ET) it is expected to be.
“Absolutely,” Arum says. “Manny’s the star of the show. That’s why everybody is here.
“And Miguel is the obstacle. He knows that. That’s the role he’s playing. But I give Miguel a hell of a shot to win the fight.”
Mark Taffet, senior vice president of HBO Sports PPV, says, “being second to Manny Pacquiao in a promotion is no slight. And Miguel Cotto is a tremendous fighter.
“But Manny Pacquiao right now is in the midst of a meteoric rise. He’s not just a boxing star. He’s a news star, and it’s just something unique that you see, if you’re lucky, once a decade.”
Arum, 78, who promoted Muhammad Ali for part of his career, says Ali was the last fighter he can think of who has the kind of crossover appeal to boxing fans and non-boxing fans alike that Pacquiao has.
“This kid connects with the world,” says Arum.
“It’s the story. His body of work, plus his life, is something people can identify with. It’s a feel-good story, how he has an entire country living and dying on every step he takes.
“When have we ever had this in any sport, where the whole psyche of a country is tied up in one person? Where the president of the country gets on a show on (HBO’s) 24/7 to extol Manny Pacquiao?”
Besides being on the cusp of boxing history by becoming the first champion in seven different weight divisions with a victory, Pacquiao is equally well known, especially in his home country, for his humanitarian work.
While training in the Philippines last month, Pacquiao took time out from his training regimen to help people who were displaced by the massive typhoons that ravaged the country.
“He’s still humble; he still identifies with the people, and they identify with him,” says Arum. “It’s a remarkable story.
Pacquiao says winning a title in his seventh weight division is big, but not so much for himself.
“It’s a big honor to my countrymen, it’s an honor to my country and to myself. And … 30 years from now, they won’t forget my name.”
Pacquaio also has political ambitions, running for a second time for Congress in the Philippines. The election takes place in May but even if he wins, Arum says he will continue boxing.
The last time he ran, three years ago, he was beaten handily by a woman.
But his mind is strictly on boxing on this day.
“There’s no concern about the political career (right now),” Pacquiao said Wednesday.
“This is boxing, this is sports. We have to give our best to make people happy, and give enjoyment to those people who are going to watch on television.”
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