Profile: Manny Pacquaio
When Manny Pacquiao fights, the entire Philippines sits down and watches. He is adored in the Philippines like none before him. Even government troops and rebel forces are known to put hostilities on hold just to watch his fights live.
Pacquiao the knockout artist continues to dominate the boxing world, and his global fame likewise continues to surge. For new fans whose only recollections of Pacquiao were his famous demolitions of boxing heartthrob Oscar de la Hoya and British sensation Ricky Hatton, Gulf News gives you a brief backgrounder of the man hailed by Time magazine as one of the world's most influential people of 2009.
Manny Pacquiao, also known as Pacman, was born Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao on December 17, 1978 to a poor family in Kibawe, Bukidnon in the southern island of Mindanao.
Poverty eventually forced him to quit school after finishing his elementary education. He took odd jobs to support his family before ending up a professional boxer at the age of 16, making his debut in the flyweight division.
Pacquaio would eventually win his first world title — the WBC flyweight crown — just days before he turned 20, but lost it barely a year later when he encountered problems making the weight limit in his second title defence.
He would move up in weight several more times and along the way captured world titles in — not necessarily in order of succession — super bantamweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight and light welterweight divisions.
Dethroning Cotto as WBO welterweight champion would give Pacquiao his seventh world title, making him the first to achieve such a feat.
Pacman is known for his exceptional hand speed and knockout punch, especially with his left. His first big break came when he defeated Marco Antonio Barrera. He followed that up with big wins over marquee fighters Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Hector Velazquez, Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis, David Diaz, de la Hoya and Hatton.
Profile: Miguel Cotto
Miguel Ángel Cotto, Puerto Rico's biggest boxing star today, is going for the biggest challenge of his career when he squares off with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on November 14 in Las Vegas.
Pundits predict Cotto to be Pacquiao's toughest opponent yet as the Puerto Rican champion has considerable experience against fighters who, like Pacquiao, have exceptional hand speed such as Shane Mosley and Zab Judah, who both lost to Cotto.
Like Pacquiao, Cotto is known for his power punches and his fast hands. He often launches attacks to the body and is known to switch between orthodox and southpaw stances to confuse his opponents.
Born on October 29, 1980 in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Cotto began his professional career in 2001 and three years later he went on to win the WBO junior welterweight championship.
He is now the reigning WBO welterweight champion and he also previously ruled as WBA welterweight champion.
Cotto has also defeated the likes of Carlos Quintana and Alfonso Gómez. He suffered his only loss at the hands of Mexico's Antonio Margarito.
When Cotto started as an amateur boxer, he represented Puerto Rico in the lightweight and light welterweight divisions at various international events including the 1999 Pan American Games, the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 1998 Junior World Championships where he won a silver medal.
Cotto is married to Melissa Guzmán-Cotto and has two children. Boxing runs in the family blood: his father Miguel Sr, brother Jose Miguel, cousin Abner and uncle Evangelista are also into the sport.
Cotto also owns a boxing promotions company named "Promociónes Miguel Cotto", which organises fight cards in Puerto Rico.
