PacMan Defeats Cotto Nov. 14 @ MGM Grand Las Vegas

Manny Pacquiao “One of the best boxers I ever fought”

One of the most honest and exciting fights to come to the MGM Grand Arena in a long time was Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. It was a true merit of heart and honor for both fighters. Manny Pacquiao won in a brutal 11 rounds before referee Kenny Bayless stepped in and stopped the fight within 55 seconds of the 12th round. Miguel Cotto refuse to throw in the towel, he stood strong through the entire time before crumbling to the mat. Both fighters carried their own strengths but Cotto’s strength was nothing compared to Pacquaio’s speed, it was at times overwhelming for Cotto during the fight.

Preliminary Bouts:

Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8KOs) from Isreal defeated Daniel Santos (32-4-1, 23KOs) by knocking him down one minute into the 11th round for the WBA super welterweight title.

Alfonso Gomez (21-4-2, 10KOs) and Jesus Soto-Karass (24-4-3, 16KOs) WBC Continental Americas welterweight title bout ended in more like a blood-bath. After a head butt in the third round over Gomez right eye, the tone of the fight was set. Gomez was bleeding so bad, it was uncontrollable after the fifth round. The ref stopped the fight 2:41 of the sixth round and judges gave Gomez unanimous decision.

Rodrigo Garcia (5-0, 4KOs) won a unanimous decision over Martin Vierra (5-3-1, 2KOs).

Eden Sonsona (14-3, 4KOs) defeated Eilon Kedem (9-2-4, 6KOs) in a swift second round TKO win.

Matt Koborov (8-0, 6KOs) took a sixth round defeat over James Winchester (10-3, 3KOs), even knocking Winchester’s mouth piece into the crowd in the third round.

Richie Mepranum (15-2-1, 3KOs) won a split decision against Ernie Marquez (9-6-2, 3KOs) and that didn’t sit well with anyone watching the fight.

Miguel Cotto’s cousin was another successful fighter on the card. Adner Cotto (5-0, 3KOs) remains undefeated by taking home a unanimous decision over Lupe Guzman (3-5).

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Arturo Gatti Found Dead in Brazillian Hotel Room

Foul play suspected in Gatti's death
ESPN.com news services


SAO PAULO -- Former boxing champion Arturo Gatti, one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, was found dead in a hotel room in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas early Saturday.

Police investigator Edilson Alves told The Associated Press that the body of the former junior welterweight champ was discovered in his hotel room at the tourist resort, where Gatti had arrived on Friday with his Brazilian wife Amanda and 1-year-old son.

Alves said police were investigating and it was unclear how the 37-year-old Canadian died.

"It is still too early to say anything concrete, although it is all very strange," Alves said.

A spokeswoman for the state public safety department said Gatti's wife and son were unhurt. The women declined to give a name in keeping with department policy.
"There were no bullet or stab wounds on his body, but police did find blood stains on the floor," she said.

Gatti first captured the junior welterweight title in 1995, when he defeated Tracy Harris Patterson in Atlantic City, N.J. His brawling style and natural charisma made him a fan favorite, and he became one of New Jersey's adopted sons while fighting some of his most memorable battles on the Boardwalk.

"His entire boxing career he fought with us, we've known him since he was 17," Kathy Duva of promoter Main Events told The Associated Press. "It's just an unspeakable tragedy. I can't even find words. It's a horror."

Brazilian boxer and four-time world champion Acelino "Popo" Freitas told the G1 Web site of Brazil's largest television network Globo that he was a close friend of Gatti and his wife, and that he "knew they were having some sort of problem and were about to separate, but I didn't know they were in Brazil."

Francisco Assis, a local police investigator, told G1 that Gatti could have died up to eight hours before his body was found early Saturday.

Gatti won the United States Boxing Association junior lightweight title and International Boxing Federation's world junior lightweight title.

Gatti (40-9, 31 KOs) was best known for his all-action style, which was epitomized in his classic trilogy with Micky Ward in 2002 and 2003.

It's why Gatti was a fixture at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., where he drew huge crowds and fought many times, including the final nine fights of his career.
In his first fight after the Ward trilogy -- which Gatti won 2-1 -- he captured a world title in his second division, outpointing Gianluca Branco for the vacant WBC junior welterweight title.

Gatti made two defenses before losing it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via sixth-round TKO in June 2005. He returned to defeat Thomas Damgaard but lost his final two bouts, a ninth-round TKO in a challenge to then-welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in July 2006 followed by a one-sided beating from former "Contender" star Alfonso Gomez in July 2007.

In the dressing room following the seventh-round knockout loss to Gomez, Gatti announced his retirement.

He had been working in real estate in Montreal following his retirement, but still attended fights, as he did in April for the Timothy Bradley-Kendall Holt junior welterweight unification bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

ESPN.com boxing writer Dan Rafael and The Associated Press contributed to this report.