Does Cotto or Bradley have a better chance at pulling off the upset?

[Rantcatrat]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

[shza]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

Like most people, I agree with you that Bradley has the better chance (though I still favor Pacquiao). I just think Cotto has virtually no chance.

[erics44]

i voted bradley

thing is, since the fights both lb4lb'ers had with JMM (obviously pacs more recent one) mayweather has been put on even more of a platform

i think if cotto has anything left he is the best fighter mayweather has faced for a long while

and cotto is being written off mainly coz of the way pac took care of him

[Slim the BoxingManiac]

I voted Bradley. Pacquaio is aging, and Bradley is still a young pup.

But people are writing Cotto off too quickly. The guy is most certainly not shot. He's got almost as much of a chance as Bradley does.

[Althugz]

i voted bradley

thing is, since the fights both lb4lb'ers had with JMM (obviously pacs more recent one) mayweather has been put on even more of a platform

i think if cotto has anything left he is the best fighter mayweather has faced for a long while

and cotto is being written off mainly coz of the way pac took care of him

Absolutely KILLS me to say this...but..you're right

This is exactly why people think Bradley has more chance. I still think Cotto is a much better fighter than Bradley is, so based on that I voted Cotto.

The last performances of both Floyd and Pacquaio have separated the two in many people's eyes and that's why the fight seems closer than it is.

For me Floyd is going into territory where he didn't look his best (154) and Bradley is going up to 147 (where the first and last time he did, he didn't look great I hear) - Cotto has more experience, better C.V, weight advantage. He is just facing the better opponent.

I still would favour him to trouble Floyd more than Bradley will Pac. I think Pac will have one of those nights against Bradley where he looks a million bucks. I could be wrong of course.

The voting says more about what people think of the skills of Mayweather and Pacquiao rather than their two opponents IMO.

I'm looking forward to both fights - They're both good scraps.

[Althugz]

Oh, also took into consideration the last two performances of Bradley and Cotto. While both of their opponents weren't great, Margarito surely had more in the tank than Casamayor did and Bradley looked lethargic where as Cotto looked GOOD.

[Rantcatrat]

Oh, also took into consideration the last two performances of Bradley and Cotto. While both of their opponents weren't great, Margarito surely had more in the tank than Casamayor did and Bradley looked lethargic where as Cotto looked GOOD.

Bradley was coming off a relatively long lay off and Casamayor didn't do Bradley any favors by holding and punching low. Casamayor made that fight ugly and it wasn't like Bradley did poorly either in that he stopped Casamayor in the 8th round. Cotto didn't stop Margarito, the ref stopped Margarito, and conveniently pretty early in my opinion.

[Althugz]

Man saying "Bradley has beat his best opponents and Cotto has lost to his best opponents" is the worst argument of all time..You just compared Margarito (with loaded gloves which he avenged with relative ease) and Manny Pacquiao to Junior Witter (really??), Peterson, Holt and Alexander....

Apart from that, Rantacrat, I can see your other points as being pretty valid - We are both obviously looking at this from different angles. Some things you see as an advantage/disadvantage for Bradley/Cotto, I see as a disadvantage/advantage in vice versa.

We'll have to see how the fights pan out..

[Rantcatrat]

i voted bradley

thing is, since the fights both lb4lb'ers had with JMM (obviously pacs more recent one) mayweather has been put on even more of a platform

i think if cotto has anything left he is the best fighter mayweather has faced for a long while

and cotto is being written off mainly coz of the way pac took care of him

Absolutely KILLS me to say this...but..you're right

This is exactly why people think Bradley has more chance. I still think Cotto is a much better fighter than Bradley is, so based on that I voted Cotto.

The last performances of both Floyd and Pacquaio have separated the two in many people's eyes and that's why the fight seems closer than it is.

For me Floyd is going into territory where he didn't look his best (154) and Bradley is going up to 147 (where the first and last time he did, he didn't look great I hear) - Cotto has more experience, better C.V, weight advantage. He is just facing the better opponent.

I still would favour him to trouble Floyd more than Bradley will Pac. I think Pac will have one of those nights against Bradley where he looks a million bucks. I could be wrong of course.

The voting says more about what people think of the skills of Mayweather and Pacquiao rather than their two opponents IMO.

I'm looking forward to both fights - They're both good scraps.

I agree in part. There are two reasons why Bradley has a better shot than Cotto. We agree on one.

(1) Mayweather is tougher to beat than Pacquiao. We agree on this point.

People view Floyd as unbeatable and Pacquiao as ready to be taken. Can the Cotto who Manny ko'd, and has been ko'd before, beat someone who hasn't looked beatable since Castillo I? Conversely, can Bradley, who has never lost, and in his prime, beat Pacquiao who looked very human in his last fight? The answer is obvious.

(2) Given Pacquiao's current state, and strengths/weaknesses, Bradley is a tougher opponent than Cotto.

El Terrible and the other proud Puerto Rican boxing fans, please note that I'm not talking the seek-and-destroy machine that was Cotto pre-Margacheato I. I'm also not talking legacy and hall of fame potential because Cotto wins hands down. I'm talking contemporary Cotto.

Bradley is more difficult than the current Cotto for five reasons not in order. (1) Desire: Bradley is hungrier than Cotto. Cotto is out there for a pay check (yes, El Terrible, he deserves it!). (2) Tasting Defeat: Bradley has never tasted defeat and Cotto has capitulated twice in big fights. (3) Primes: Cotto is passed his prime. I'm not saying Cotto is shot, but he's passed his best years, and Bradley is smack in the middle of his prime. (4) Styles: It appears Pacquiao struggles with defensive, counter-punching types, and Bradley can do both. Cotto has morphed into a boxer-puncher, as opposed to his old puncher-boxer if that makes sense, and you can't outbox Mayweather. (5) Speed: Bradley matches Pacquiao's speed or is very close to it. Cotto isn't close to matching Mayweather's hand speed.

To your points in favor of Cotto:

I don't see the weight as being an issue for either fight. Mayweather is going up in weight to 154, but Cotto is a tiny junior middleweight. Cotto isn't even a true junior middleweight in my humble opinion, and probably is best at 150 now. I actually think with the right conditioning, he still could be a welterweight, he's just not that hungry at this point in his career. Bradley has been effective at 147. He looked good against Abregu. Manny isn't a big welterweight, and generally weighs around 145 for the weigh-in anyway. Moreover, Bradley actually looked bigger than Manny at their recent press conference.

Cotto has the advantage in experience over Bradley, but he's lost against his best opponents. Bradley has beat his best opponents. It's not like Bradley has been with bad opposition by any means either. He's travelled to hostile territory (Witter). He's beat slick fighters (Alexander), pressure fighters (Peterson), and punchers (Holt).

The question posed was who has a better shot at the upset, and to me, it's Bradley, hands down.

At the same time, Cotto-Mayweather should be more fun to watch than Pacquiao-Bradley and will do better ppv numbers.

[Manos de Piedra]

i voted bradley

thing is, since the fights both lb4lb'ers had with JMM (obviously pacs more recent one) mayweather has been put on even more of a platform

i think if cotto has anything left he is the best fighter mayweather has faced for a long while

and cotto is being written off mainly coz of the way pac took care of him

Absolutely KILLS me to say this...but..you're right

This is exactly why people think Bradley has more chance. I still think Cotto is a much better fighter than Bradley is, so based on that I voted Cotto.

The last performances of both Floyd and Pacquaio have separated the two in many people's eyes and that's why the fight seems closer than it is.

For me Floyd is going into territory where he didn't look his best (154) and Bradley is going up to 147 (where the first and last time he did, he didn't look great I hear) - Cotto has more experience, better C.V, weight advantage. He is just facing the better opponent.

I still would favour him to trouble Floyd more than Bradley will Pac. I think Pac will have one of those nights against Bradley where he looks a million bucks. I could be wrong of course.

The voting says more about what people think of the skills of Mayweather and Pacquiao rather than their two opponents IMO.

I'm looking forward to both fights - They're both good scraps.

I agree in part. There are two reasons why Bradley has a better shot than Cotto. We agree on one.

(1) Mayweather is tougher to beat than Pacquiao. We agree on this point.

People view Floyd as unbeatable and Pacquiao as ready to be taken. Can the Cotto who Manny ko'd, and has been ko'd before, beat someone who hasn't looked beatable since Castillo I? Conversely, can Bradley, who has never lost, and in his prime, beat Pacquiao who looked very human in his last fight? The answer is obvious.

(2) Given Pacquiao's current state, and strengths/weaknesses, Bradley is a tougher opponent than Cotto.

El Terrible and the other proud Puerto Rican boxing fans, please note that I'm not talking the seek-and-destroy machine that was Cotto pre-Margacheato I. I'm also not talking legacy and hall of fame potential because Cotto wins hands down. I'm talking contemporary Cotto.

Bradley is more difficult than the current Cotto for five reasons not in order. (1) Desire: Bradley is hungrier than Cotto. Cotto is out there for a pay check (yes, El Terrible, he deserves it!). (2) Tasting Defeat: Bradley has never tasted defeat and Cotto has capitulated twice in big fights. (3) Primes: Cotto is passed his prime. I'm not saying Cotto is shot, but he's passed his best years, and Bradley is smack in the middle of his prime. (4) Styles: It appears Pacquiao struggles with defensive, counter-punching types, and Bradley can do both. Cotto has morphed into a boxer-puncher, as opposed to his old puncher-boxer if that makes sense, and you can't outbox Mayweather. (5) Speed: Bradley matches Pacquiao's speed or is very close to it. Cotto isn't close to matching Mayweather's hand speed.

To your points in favor of Cotto:

I don't see the weight as being an issue for either fight. Mayweather is going up in weight to 154, but Cotto is a tiny junior middleweight. Cotto isn't even a true junior middleweight in my humble opinion, and probably is best at 150 now. I actually think with the right conditioning, he still could be a welterweight, he's just not that hungry at this point in his career. Bradley has been effective at 147. He looked good against Abregu. Manny isn't a big welterweight, and generally weighs around 145 for the weigh-in anyway. Moreover, Bradley actually looked bigger than Manny at their recent press conference.

Cotto has the advantage in experience over Bradley, but he's lost against his best opponents. Bradley has beat his best opponents. It's not like Bradley has been with bad opposition by any means either. He's travelled to hostile territory (Witter). He's beat slick fighters (Alexander), pressure fighters (Peterson), and punchers (Holt).

The question posed was who has a better shot at the upset, and to me, it's Bradley, hands down.

At the same time, Cotto-Mayweather should be more fun to watch than Pacquiao-Bradley and will do better ppv numbers.

I agree with Rantcatrat, Great post.

[:::PSL:::]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

With only 41.3% ko rate, I don't think Bradley has a chance of pulling off an upset. He aint' gonna outbox Pac if that's what you're thinking. That's nowhere his gameplan. Hes gonna get timed and probably will get hurt badly.

Anyways. Cotto can execute a hail mary punch, and Bradley can't.

Yeah. Just like that. As simple as that.

[Rantcatrat]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

With only 41.3% ko rate, I don't think Bradley has a chance of pulling off an upset. He aint' gonna outbox Pac if that's what you're thinking. That's nowhere his gameplan. Hes gonna get timed and probably will get hurt badly.

Anyways. Cotto can execute a hail mary punch, and Bradley can't.

Yeah. Just like that. As simple as that.

Bradley can't punch. It's one of his weaknesses. However, he can box and is quick. He also can be rough. He's got a shot of stealing rounds and winning on the cards. The fight could end in the 7th after a head butt opens up a cut on Pacquiao and when it goes to the cards, Bradley is up. I see a scenario like that as more likely than Cotto winning.

[ElTerribleMorales]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

With only 41.3% ko rate, I don't think Bradley has a chance of pulling off an upset. He aint' gonna outbox Pac if that's what you're thinking. That's nowhere his gameplan. Hes gonna get timed and probably will get hurt badly.

Anyways. Cotto can execute a hail mary punch, and Bradley can't.

Yeah. Just like that. As simple as that.

Bradley doesn't have the power to KO Pacquiao, but he has the stamina and physical strength to maul and pressure Manny to a decision win, Marquez hasn't come close to stopping Manny but he's whooped that ass 3 times already

Cotto has the weight advantage, has big fight experience, is using his technical ability a lot more in recent fights, has shown better stamina in recent fights, so IMO he has just as good a chance as anyone, that said Mayweather still wins

[Manos de Piedra]

I don't see either guy winning but I picked Bradley just because his head butts may open up a early cut on Pacquiao's eye, which will affect Pac's vision and allow Bradley to steal rounds leading to a close decision win.

[Maravilla2012]

In my estimation, Bradley does. However, for those that believe Cotto does, I am curious to hear your reasoning.

With only 41.3% ko rate, I don't think Bradley has a chance of pulling off an upset. He aint' gonna outbox Pac if that's what you're thinking. That's nowhere his gameplan. Hes gonna get timed and probably will get hurt badly.

Anyways. Cotto can execute a hail mary punch, and Bradley can't.

Yeah. Just like that. As simple as that.

Bradley doesn't have the power to KO Pacquiao, but he has the stamina and physical strength to maul and pressure Manny to a decision win, Marquez hasn't come close to stopping Manny but he's whooped that ass 3 times already

Cotto has the weight advantage, has big fight experience, is using his technical ability a lot more in recent fights, has shown better stamina in recent fights, so IMO he has just as good a chance as anyone, that said Mayweather still wins

I voted Cotto. Bradley is going to try and walk in and rough Pacquiao up and the last time saw someone try to come forward and be very agressive vs Pac was Hatton. So I see Bradley being the victim of a brutal KO