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Friday November 6, 2009

Pacquiao eyes history in bout with Gotto

LOS ANGELES: To pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, size really doesn’t matter.

The Filipino boxing hero, gearing up for a world title clash with Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto on Nov that could give Pacquiao a slice of boxing history, said he doesn’t put much stock in those who say Cotto’s superior size could prove too much.

“I have heard that a couple of times the past two years,” Pacquiao said with a smile Wednesday, as reporters, photographers and TV cameramen jammed Hollywood’s WildCard boxing club to see him train.

After all, Pacquiao’s most recent victories have come against bigger opponents. Admittedly Oscar De La Hoya was past his prime when Pacquiao stopped him in the eighth round in December of 2008.

On May 2, Pacquiao knocked out Britain’s Ricky Hatton in the second round of their junior welterweight clash.

“It’s not about comparing size, not about comparing power,” Pacquiao insisted. “Knowledge is power. You don’t have knowledge, you don’t have power.”

Pacquiao handed Hatton his first defeat at junior welterweight. He claimed the International Boxing Organisation belt to match a ring record with a title in a sixth career weight class.

Pacquiao secured his place among boxing’s all-time greats, adding the junior welterweight crown to past world titles at lightweight, super featherweight, junior featherweight, featherweight and flyweight.

With the hard-hitting Cotto’s World Boxing Organisation welterweight belt on the line in a bout to be fought at 145 pounds, Pacquiao could capture an outright record by claiming a title in a seventh weight division.

“If I win it’s boxing history - seven titles in seven different weight divisions,” Pacquiao said. “I would be so proud - being a Filipino who captured titles in seven weight divisions.” — AFP

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