Pacman Sevenfold: The Legend of Manny Pacquiao Grows Once Again

The big question now for Manny Pacquiao is not the how the customary parades, speeches, and celebrations will be planned. That has been partially answered with the subsequent concert with his band at the nearby Mandalay Bay.

The question is this: will Floyd Mayweather Jr. finally challenge a seven-time world champion whose legend continues to flourish to the point that it can never be tainted or destroyed, no matter what happens now and into the future?

Just about everyone at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., knew that it had to be inevitable.

Even Miguel Cotto knew that he was facing the greatest Filipino fighter in the history of boxing.

Pacquiao stopped Cotto in the 12th round to win the WBO welterweight championship belt, adding to his collection of titles.

After a early firefight from Cotto in the first round, Pacquiao rebounded in the second. And while Cotto did all he could to bounce back he was unable to match up to Pacquiao's speed, power, and head movement technique.

Pacquiao wore Cotto down, round after round, draining the Caguas native with a series of power punches. Knockdowns in the third and fourth rounds added to the misery. By the end of the ninth round, it seemed like the Puerto Rican fighter was trapped.

And the genius of trainer Freddie Roach continued to grow with the legacy of the Pambansang Kamao (National Fist).

"They should have stopped it three rounds earlier, when Cotto started to run," Roach said when interviewed by HBO's Larry Merchant. "We will just start right out and overwhelm him with Manny's speed. We need to break him down." 

In fact, the fight should have been over in the eighth. But for Cotto, common sense was no match for pride. And pride can sometimes become a man's downfall, no matter what the intention.

Pacquiao, a street urchin of General Santos City in his youth turned sporting icon in his prime, has faced many greats in his time.

Barrera. Morales. Marquez. De La Hoya. Hatton. All tried. And all failed. 

And now Miguel Cotto falls in line with the fallen.

"I have fought all the greatest welterweights," he said, "and Manny is the best."