Manny Pacquiao has shared the ring with some of the very best over the course of his incredible career.
Pacquiao will look to become one of boxing’s oldest champions when he takes on Mario Barrios on July 19th in Las Vegas.
Former multi-weight world champion Pacquiao says he is motivated by wanting to make history against Barrios. However, he will have to roll back the years to overcome the 16-year age difference.
Facing tough challenges will not be a new experience for Pacquiao when he battles Barrios. However, the fight Pacquiao feels was his toughest may come as a surprise to some.
Manny Pacquiao names Miguel Cotto as his toughest ever opponent
Pacquiao has shared the ring with the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton, and Oscar De La Hoya, however, no fighter has been a tougher opponent than Miguel Cotto.
According to ‘Pac-Man’, his 2009 meeting with Cotto was the toughest fight of his life in their welterweight meeting.
Pacquiao was asked by Cigar Talk who the toughest fight of his career was. After taking a moment to think about his answer, the fighter from the Philippines said, “[The] Cotto fight.”
When asked for more context to his answer, Pacquiao said, “He’s strong. Heavy-handed.”
Manny Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto in their 2009 meeting
Despite Cotto being Pacquiao’s toughest-ever fight, it was a relatively one-sided performance from the boxing legend.
Dropping Cotto in rounds three and four, Pacquiao was far ahead on the judges’ scorecards going into the final round. Then, in the first minute of the final round, Pacquiao stopped Cotto.
The win would make ‘Pac-Man’ a welterweight champion, as Cotto was not able to defend his WBO title for the second time.
Cotto suffered the second loss of his career in the Las Vegas fight in November 2009. As for Pacquiao, he improved his record to 50-3-2.