Pacquiao set to fight Cotto

Arum says the bout of champions will be at a catch-weight of 145 pounds.

By Robert Morales, Staff Writer

Manny Pacquiao, the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and welterweight champion Miguel Cotto have come to terms and will fight each other Nov. 14 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The fight was announced as a done deal Monday by Bob Arum, who promotes both boxers. It will be available on HBO pay-per-view.

The fight will pit two of the most popular fighters in the world in the Philippines' Pacquiao and Puerto Rico's Cotto, a top-10 pound-for-pound fighter. That and their similar styles figure to make this a highly anticipated matchup, Arum said.

"This is going to be a fight," Arum said from his offices in Las Vegas. "This is two guys who will give no quarter and will be at each other from the opening bell. This is the type of fight that people, when they see it, are so thrilled because they've really seen action.

"It is not going to be any kind of fancy boxing exhibition. These guys fight one way."

Arum said Cotto, 28, agreed to terms last week and Pacquiao did so over the weekend. Arum said they will fight at a catch-weight of 145 pounds, two under the welterweight limit.

This should not be a problem for Cotto, who weighed 146 pounds for his successful title defense against Joshua Clottey last month in New York City.

Pacquiao and his team initially had asked for the fight to be made at 143. But that would have put Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) in a situation he would have had to drain himself in order to make weight. Arum said he did not want any part of that.

"I wasn't going to do a fight just to make the fight, where one of the fighters had to jeopardize his health," Arum said.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, had no problem with 145.

"Cotto is a strong guy, so we obviously tried to get it as low as possible," Roach said. "At 145 or 143, I don't think it really matters. My job is getting him ready for that fight and that's what I'm going to do."

Pacquiao, 30, is 49-3-2 with 37 knockouts. He is coming off a second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in a junior welterweight fight in May at MGM Grand.

Arum said the contracts should be signed this week. He would not divulge the split of the purse at this time.

"The fighters asked me not to at this particular point," Arum said. "But I'm sure that once the contracts are signed, at the press conference they will give me permission to reveal it because it will be a matter of public record anyway."

Pacquiao has won titles in six weight divisions from 112 to 140 pounds, cementing the Filipino national hero's status and the sport's pound-for-pound champion. Pacquiao pummeled Oscar De La Hoya into retirement last December in his first welterweight fight.

[email]robert.morales@presstelegram.com[/email]

The Associated Press contributed to this report