B-Hop rooting for Pacman

HOPKINS

LOOK who’s rooting for a Manny Pacquiao victory over Miguel Cotto in their Nov. 14 showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It’s Bernard Hopkins no less.

The former undisputed middleweight champion declared that the Filipino boxing superstar is going to beat Cotto in their highly-anticipated bout four months from now.

The 44-year old boxer from Philadelphia and a known associate of the great Oscar De La Hoya in his Golden Boy Promotions made his prediction of a Pacquiao victory during an interview over ESPN Friday Night Fights.

“I just like Pacquiao because Pacquiao’s proven fight after fight after fight that he can answer the call. He is the legitimate pound-for-pound fighter right now until something else happens,” said Hopkins.

The statement of the boxer dubbed `The Executioner’ comes as a surprise after previously going against Pacquiao in his last two big fights.

Hopkins both picked De La Hoya and Englishman Ricky Hatton over the Filipino ring icon, two opponents whom Pacquiao convincingly demolished.

Against De La Hoya, the General Santos City native scored a sensational eight round technical knockout, but proved to be even devastating against Hatton whom he destroyed inside only two rounds.

Now Hopkins sees the same thing happening to the 28-year old Cotto, a Puerto Rican who is the reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) super-welterweight champion.

“Basically, I see Cotto busted up. I don’t think his face is gonna hold up through twelve rounds of the fight,” said Hopkins.

Cotto’s stunning loss against Mexican Antonio Margarito last year and his unimpressive split decision win recently against Joshua Clottey of Ghana doesn’t augur well in his 145-pound slugfest with Pacquiao, Hopkins pointed out.

“Cotto’s game. He’s a game fighter. We all know he comes with that Puerto Rican pride. He’s coming in to try and win the fight, but I just think the Margarito fight, where he suffered punishment from round one to the end end, and also the last fight he just fought, he showed grit and he showed guts and he pulled it out, and he had a nasty cut.

“Too many things working against him, not for him, and he’s fighting a guy who’s going to take advantage of all those opportunities,” said Hopkins.

In contrast, everything appears going in favor of the Pacman.

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