Pacquiao entered to the tunes of AC/DC's Thunderstruck, followed by Survivor's Eye of the Tiger. The challenger was led by the Philippines flag, wearing a red robe with blue sleeves. Once in the ring, he climbed to the top of a ring post and raised his right fist skyward, to the cheers of the crowd.
Cotto entered the ring to Hispanic rap tunes, wearing a white hoodie cut off at the waist, with a member of his entourage holding his WBO belt aloft.
Michael Buffer: "Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!!!"
Round 1: Cotto jabs. Three times. All land. Cotto throws a hook. The crowd chants Manny, then, Cotto. Three Pacquiao jabs fall short. Cotto counters with a grazing left. Cotto drills a three-punch combination, once to the body. Cotto lands a left to the head. Cotto moves in behind his jab. Three Cotto jabs and a left to the body. Another Cotto jab to the head lands. Pacquiao misses with a right. Cotto finishes with a three-punch combination. Cotto's round, 10-9
Round 2: Pacquiao fires his right from his southpaw stance. Cotto is beating him to the punch. Pacquiao drives a left right. Cotto is steady and focused behind his jab. Pacquiao lands his left, but takes a hard left jab. A four-punch combination lands from Pacquiao, then three more blows. The crowd cheers. Cotto comes forward and drills Pacquiao with a hard left hook to the head. Pacquiao gets his right hand going. Pacquiao goes to the body and head with a five punch combination that shakes Cotto in his tracks. Another five-punch combination from Pacquiao stuns Cotto. Cotto closes strong, but Pacquiao wins the round on activity. Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 3: Cotto moves forward with measured aggression. A hard right from Pacquiao stuns Cotto. Then Pacquiao drops Cotto with a right hand to the temple. Cotto rises and comes forward. Pacquaio drives to the body, goes to the ropes. Cotto drills Pacquiao with a left hook to the head, but the challenger takes it. Pacquiao's lead left lands twice. Cotto drives three punches to the body and one to the head. Paquiao fires three right hands, a left and dances away. Cotto follows and nails Pacquiao with a right-left combination to the head. Pacquiao's round, 10-8
Round 4: Cotto follows, Pacquiao dances away on his toes. Cotto nails Pacquaio with a three-punch combination on the ropes. Pacquiao goes to the head with a right and then to the body with a left. Cotto takes a three-punch combination to the body. Cotto drills a right to the body. Pacquiao pot-shots Cotto. Cotto lands about seven punches on Pacquiao along the ropes. Pacquiao covers up. Once off the ropes, Pacquiao circles and catches Cotto with a left uppercut that drops the champion again. Cotto rises and is saved by the bell. Pacquiao's round, 10-8
Round 5: Pacquiao's speed, power and elusiveness are impressive. The crowd chants the challenger's name. Cotto moves in behind his jab. Pacquiao appears to be timing him. Pacquiao wobbles Cotto again. Cotto continues to move forward and go to the body. Pacquiao appears to be setting up the champion. Too fast. Cotto nails Pacquiao with a left uppercut on the ropes and then a right off the ropes that shakes him. Pacquiao closes with a one-two, just before the bell. Cotto's round, 10-9
Round 6: Cotto comes forward behind his jab again. Pacquiao goes to the body and head, the latter, with two right hands. Pacquiao comes forward and nails Cotto along the ropes. In the middle of the ring, Pacquiao's lead left is twice effective. Cotto is flinching in anticipation of punches that he doesn't appear to be able to see coming. Cotto backs up, and Pacquiao pursues, nearly putting Cotto down with a right along the ropes. The fighters exchange, evenly, to close the round. Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 7: Pacquiao opens the round with a 10-punch assault. Cotto covers, yet he still is being battered. A lead left to the body backs up Cotto. Pacquiao digs in and lands a right and left uppercut near the center of the ring. Cotto lands a left, but his face already is reddened and seemingly about to come apart. Pacquaio is flat-footed and teeing off with the lead left and followup right. Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 8: Pacquiao meets Cotto in the center of the ring. Pacquiao leads with the left and lands it twice. Pacquiao seems ready to go for the kill. But Cotto lands a nice jab. Pacquiao is undeterred, missing wildly with three volleys. Cotto is on his toes. Pacquiao lands three left hooks and a right. On the ropes, Cotto takes another three-punch combination. Cotto takes a right. Pacquiao absorbs two left hooks to the head. On the ropes, Pacquiao rakes Cotto with a three-punch combination. Near the end of the round, Pacquiao does so again, this time, in Cotto's corner. Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 9: Cotto bravely meets Pacquiao in the center of the ring and begins to jab, but tables turn quickly as Pacquiao corners him and drills him with about 10 punches along the ropes. A three-punch combination staggers Cotto, and referee Kenny Bayless looks ready to step in, as he breaks the fighters. Cotto is bloody and ready to go as he dances away. His eyes are puffy and his face a mass of redness. Pacquiao, hands down at his sides, is simply chasing him and punishing him. Cotto's face is a series of welts and cuts. Pacquiao's round, 10-8
Round 10: Cotto is simply surviving, jabbing as much to keep Pacquiao off of him as to win. Pacquiao stays in his face, firing his right jab, and looking as fresh as the first round. Pacquiao takes a deep breath and drops his hands, but Cotto doesn't take advantage. Cotto jabs twice, but takes a two-punch, and then, a three-punch combination along the ropes before the bell. Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 11: The crowd chants Pacquiao's name to start the round. Pacquiao moves in behind his jab. Cotto's trunks are red with his own blood. Trapped in Pacquiao's corner, Cotto takes a seven-punch combination. Cotto continues to back-peddle in survival mode. Pacquiao drills two right hands home. Pacquiao drops his hands at the end of the round as if to say, "Fight me." Pacquiao's round, 10-9
Round 12: The crowd chants Pacquiao's name, and after a hard left hand is delivered that drives Cotto to the ropes, referee Kenny Bayless quickly steps in, cradles Cotto and waves an end to the fight to prevent more punishment. Manny Pacquaio wins by 12th-round technical knockout victory. The official time is 55 seconds of the round
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