Manny "The Destroyer" Pacquiao Will Never Destroy Miguel Cotto

Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto defeated Joshua Clottey in a split decision to successfully defend his WBO welterweight title Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In the first round, Cotto(34-1) landed a solid jab that floored Clottey(35-3) and the reigning champion seemed destined to easily control the contest in front of his many supporters, who attended the card on the eve of the Puerto Rican Parade.

However, the entire bout was altered in the third round when Clottey, 32, accidentally head-butted Cotto, 28, and opened a severe laceration over the titleholders left eye.

With blood profusely flowing from his wound for the remainder of the fight, Cotto exhibited tremendous grit, determination and courage and he was able to battle and withstand Clottey's relentless assaults despite his injury.

“Gutsy,” boxing promoter Bob Arum said of Cotto’s performance. “I think Clottey was very good. Cotto had to fight with adversity with that cut eye the whole fight. He could have taken the easy way out. I saw a lot of rounds where he couldn’t collect himself because the blood was running through his eye.”

If a boxer suffers an accidental injury and the pugilist’s corner or a ring doctor decides to put a halt to the fight, the contest can be sent to the scorecards and judged after five rounds.

Like a valiant warrior, the thought of escaping with such a flimsy victory was never a legitimate option that Cotto considered.

“I’m never going to use any excuses in any of my fights,” Cotto stated.

On the contrary, an incensed Clottey was readily prepared to utilize every excuse he could muster to rationalize his loss.

When the decision was announced, a distraught Clottey screamed, “Oh no! This can’t happen. That’s it, I quit, I’m done with boxing. I can’t take it anymore.”

When informed of “The Grand Master’s” comments, Arum told the native of Ghana that he had fought “a magnificent fight” and he urged him “to continue” his boxing career.

“I’m very, very upset,” Clottey said. “He’s [Cotto] hitting me with low blows. He picked me up and threw me down. He hit me behind the head. The referee is trying to protect him because he doesn’t want the Puerto Rican fans mad.”

Clottey later recanted his stated intention to retire and he claimed, “the best thing that could make me happy is to get the rematch.”

Under normal circumstances, the savage war waged by Cotto and Clottey in Gotham would have fans demanding a rematch.

Unfortunately for Clottey, another encounter between the two prizefighters does not seem likely to occur in the imminent future.

Arum watched the bloodbath ringside Saturday night with the current IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight Champion, Manny Pacquiao(49-3-2).

“He [Manny] kind of hoped they’d stop the fight because he thought Cotto was going to be in big trouble and he was far enough on the scorecards to win a decision,” Arum revealed of a conversation he had with Pacquiao, 30.

Arum is determined to schedule a matchup between Pacquiao and Cotto for sometime in November.

“This showed me that Cotto and Pacquiao is a dead even fight,” Arum said. “I think it is a very competitive fight.”

Cotto, whose battered face resembled Reginald Denny’s, was not prepared to even mull his options in the immediate aftermath of his narrow victory.

“The people have to wait until I rest a little bit,” Cotto remarked of his future plans. “I think it’s just rest now and after that I’ll talk to the company.”

Cotto is a genuine champion who deserves to enjoy an absence from the ring and the brutalities of “the Sweet Science.”

Last July at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cotto suffered his first loss as a professional boxer to Antonio Margarito(37-6).

From the outset, the fight between Cotto and Margarito was extremely competitive.

But, eventually, the “Tijuana Tornado” wore Cotto down and pulverized him against the ropes until his corner was forced to throw in the towel.

Many boxing analysts believed that Cotto had finally met his match and that he lost to a more powerful and seasoned pugilist.

Those sentiments were proven to be unfounded when Margarito, 31, was exposed as a whispering eye this past January after he lost his WBA title to “Sugar” Shane Mosley by a nine round TKO.

Prior to the fight, controversy swirled when it was alleged that Margarito had an illegal plaster substance in his gloves.

In an effort to quiet the storm, Margarito was forced to rewrap his hands.

After his decisive loss to Mosley, boxing officials analyzed the evidence they found and declared that Margarito was guilty of devious, Mr. Fuji-like tactics, and they suspended him from the sport of boxing for a year.

In retrospect, it is safe to presume that Margarito cheated before and it is absolutely unfair to regard Cotto as anything except an unblemished champion.

Manny Pacquiao is rated by Ring Magazine as the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world and there is no dispute that he is a spectacular talent.

Nevertheless, provided that the “Pac-Man” doesn’t steal a pink chapter from Margarito’s illicit book, one can easily reason that Cotto is a bigger human being and he will dispose of Pacquiao in a reasonable time when they ultimately square off.

No matter what, “The Destroyer” will never be able to destroy a brave and tough man the likes of Miguel Cotto.

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