Full Fight Day Schedule for Mayweather-Cotto

This weekend’s boxing mega-event, Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto, airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT. But before the opening bell rings on HBO PPV, InsideHBOBoxing.com has a full day’s worth of fight news and events to get you fired up for the big bout:

- Catch up on all the action of Fight Week, all day long -

InsideHBOBoxing.com has reported every angle of Mayweather-Cotto straight from the ground in Vegas.

- Watch the full run of ‘Mayweather-Cotto 24/7’ -

The full episodes are playing now on HBO.com and YouTube.

- Show up early for the untelevised undercards LIVE on HBO.com -

At 4 pm ET / 7 pm PT, live streaming of the initial bouts of the evening will be available free.

- Kick off your night with ‘Fight Day Now’ -

At 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT, catch HBO’s prefight show right before the televised matches begin.

- Join the Twitter conversation right here -

When the PPV broadcast starts at 9 pm ET / 6 pm PT, stay online for live updates, round-by-round scoring and more.

Mayweather-Cotto: Emanuel Steward’s "Keys To The Fight"

By Kieran Mulvaney

Hall-of-Fame trainer and HBO boxing analyst Emanuel Steward is no stranger to big fights. He’s been in the corner of, among others, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis – and, for two fights, Miguel Cotto. So we asked him to turn his encyclopedic knowledge and first-hand experience toward analyzing this Saturday’s matchup between Cotto and Floyd Mayweather, and ticking off the keys to either man securing victory.

Floyd Mayweather

1. Keep it slow. And fast.

Floyd can make his body move at one speed, and punch at a different speed. It’s very difficult for fighters to adjust to that. Because usually you move at a certain rhythm and you punch at the same rhythm. He doesn’t do that. He has a very smooth, systematic way of moving and he punches at a different speed. That’s something very few fighters master. So I expect him to try and force Miguel to fight at a slower pace, a pace at which Floyd is comfortable and still able to throw fast punches.

2. It’s technical

I think Floyd’s going to come out and try to make it a technical fight. In recent fights he has become a much more physical fighter than we have given him credit for. With Mosley and these guys he’s walking them down, blocking punches, not backing away. I expect him to jab, come forward, be patient and place his punches very well.

3. It’s all in the head

Floyd has an unbelievable ability to keep calm and think in all conditions. Ray Leonard had that ability, and Muhammad Ali. I think the best way to illustrate that is when there was all that trouble in the fight with Zab Judah. When everybody was in the ring going crazy, he just walked to the corner and watched everybody, very relaxed. That’s a big factor he has going for him: the ability to think under all conditions.

He has an ego, but I think it helps. He has a total obsession with never losing a fight. I think that works to his advantage, because apart from anything else, he always makes sure he is in excellent condition.

Miguel Cotto

1. Stand tall

He has to maintain his height to a certain degree, not get excessively low, the way he was when he was fighting Manny Pacquiao, for example. When I was training him, I pointed it out. I said “Look at these pictures here. Pacquiao looks about seven inches taller than you are, because you’re fighting too low. You’re giving your height away. And your legs are spread too far apart, which means you can’t get in and out as fast as you should.”

2. Back him up

He has to back Floyd up, but back him up with a good, authoritative jab and maintain his balance when he does it, not with his legs too far apart. A hard, authoritative jab to back Floyd up and then hard left hooks. And when Floyd moves away, Miguel’s got to keep pressure on him again. It’s very important for Miguel to take Floyd out of his comfort zone. Very important. That’s the key, key thing in his fight. Make Floyd feel uncomfortable by constantly putting pressure on him.

3. Hit him with his best shot

Miguel still has one of the best punches there’s ever been in boxing – specifically, his left hook. And what’s amazing, very few people ever realized it, but he is almost 100 percent a left hook fighter. He almost never does damage with his right hand. For him to win, he needs to come out and apply intelligent pressure. He needs to fight behind a very hard jab, a jab where he will be forcing Mayweather to lose power a little bit, by moving him back so his weight will be on his right foot. And Mayweather will be in his defensive mode, where he rolls his left hand around his body, to move him into that position with hard left jabs and then to unleash vicious left hooks when Floyd is all twisted up.

Marquez Won’t Be Satisfied To Survive

By Eric Raskin

Photo Credit: Will Hart“Obsession” is a word that has a negative connotation attached to it. It conjures up images of stalking, of Glenn Close boiling bunny rabbits.

But there are also good obsessions. Juan Manuel Marquez has been obsessed for the past three years with fighting Manny Pacquiao a third time, and now that he has the fight, he’s obsessed with officially defeating the man he feels he’s already defeated twice. It’s this unyielding desire to prevail that (a) gives Marquez a better chance of winning than any of Pacquiao’s other recent opponents and (b) all but guarantees a fan-friendly fight.

HBO analyst Emanuel Steward, who will be providing color commentary on Saturday night, called this Marquez’s “dream fight,” a bout he’s been intently focused on for the last three years. He added that when fighters land their dream fights, “they usually take advantage of them.”

If the first two fights are any indication, Marquez will not concede defeat until Pacquiao knocks him unconscious.

“Marquez is so tough,” marveled former fighter Micky Ward, who knows a thing or two about toughness. “He fights better when he’s hurt, and that’s a great trait, you know? I thought [Arturo] Gatti was the closest thing in boxing to Jason [Voorhees, from the Friday The 13th movies]. Then I saw Marquez get up three times against Pacquiao.”

Though Marquez is a sure-shot first-ballot Hall of Famer, he still believes he has a lot to prove. When he fought Pacquiao the first time, in 2004, he had yet to achieve the sort of stardom that his Mexican compatriots Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales had. When he fought Pacquiao the second time, in ’08, he had an upset loss to little-known Chris John to erase from boxing fans’ minds. Coming into Saturday’s third crack at Pac, Marquez is out to redeem himself for a one-sided defeat to Floyd Mayweather.

That’s part of why Steward is predicting another all-out war.

“These guys can’t be boring, because they’re both guys who want to get instant revenge right away for every punch, they both want to have the final say-so,” Steward said. “And remember, Manny got wobbled in those first two fights too. It’s drama anytime these two guys fight. I just can’t see this being a bad fight. There’s a lot of pride involved.”

Pacquiao was asked this week whether it’s a mistake to bring emotion into a fight, as it seems Marquez will. “I think sometimes it’s a mistake,” Pacquiao said. “But sometimes it’s good for a fighter to do that.”

Whether it’s good for him or not, Marquez will fight with some degree of emotion this weekend. He was obsessed with getting a third shot at Pacquiao. And he’s obsessed with finally getting credit for a win over him.

That’s great news for fans of offense-oriented action, regardless of whether it helps or hurts Marquez’s chances of springing the upset.

Emanuel Steward’s Keys To The Fight

By Eric Raskin

Photo Credit: Will HartHall of Fame trainer and manager Emanuel Steward, who will provide analysis of Pacquiao-Marquez III as part of the HBO Pay-Per-View broadcast team on Saturday night, breaks down his three keys to victory for each fighter:

Manny Pacquiao

1. Maintain balance when he punches: With his style of moving in and punching aggressively, Pacquiao risks leaving himself out of position and off balance when he gets done punching. Marquez is a great counterpuncher. Manny has to know that punches are coming back, so he can’t leave himself off balance and exposed after he finishes up his combinations.

2. Punch with full power: Pacquiao has probably about eight pounds of natural weight in his favor. Since the last time he fought Marquez, in 2008, he’s grown into a much bigger fighter. He has to take advantage of that and punch with full power. Remember those three knockdowns in the first round of the first fight? That’s what allowed him to come away with a draw. And Pacquiao’s power edge is going to be very important again in this fight. He cannot just be throwing a volume of punches. He must punch with authority.

3. Utilize his excellent footwork: Marquez is not especially gifted in terms of footwork. Pacquiao is. He has to get in and out and change directions, and really use his foot speed to make it a long night for Marquez.

Juan Manuel Marquez

1. Stay calm and patient: Some fighters have one dream fight that they spend years thinking about. For example, for Floyd Mayweather, that dream fight was against Oscar De La Hoya. This is the dream fight for Marquez. He told me since 2008 that he wanted a third fight with Pacquiao, but he thought he would never get it. Now it’s here. So the key is for him not to get too excited. He has to fight in a patient manner; otherwise he could open himself up for disaster.

2. Use defense to get Pacquiao off balance: We’ve established that Pacquiao wants to maintain his balance. It follows that Marquez wants to take that balance away from him. Sometimes Pacquiao rushes in recklessly, and most of the guys he fights are just blocking the punches, so he gets away with it. But if Marquez just takes a little step back when Manny comes in, he can make him lose his balance and then he can counterpunch when Manny gets out of position. Marquez proved in the first two fights that he’s capable of doing this.

3. Be prepared for Pacquiao’s left hand: Marquez was better prepared for the left hand in the second fight as compared to the first, and he needs to prepare like that again this time. That straight left hand was the punch that knocked Marquez down three times in the first fight. Marquez knows that, of course—you don’t forget something like that. He just can’t lose focus and take his eye off Pacquiao’s left hand. As we all know, Pacquiao can change the direction of a fight with one punch.

The Mayweather-Ortiz Fight Week Flurry

By Eric Raskin

Photo: Will HartAs a wild week of commotion, promotion and emotion gives way to Saturday’s Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz showdown, let’s take a look through what everyone’s been buzzing about—from the HBO.com insiders to the fight fans following along:

Mayweather and Ortiz didn’t arrive at this mega-event by accident. They each scored significant wins on the road to “Star Power,” and now find themselves jockeying for position in the upper reaches of the talent-loaded welterweight division. With his sublime skills, Mayweather is the consensus favorite in the fight. But not everyone sees it that way. HBO expert analyst Emanuel Steward broke down the strategic intricacies of the fight and gives Ortiz an excellent chance, and not surprisingly, Ortiz’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya feels the same way—and has the first-hand experience fighting Mayweather to validate his viewpoints.

But there are countless different ways to analyze a fight beyond just what the industry insiders have to say. You can explore the finer points of the matchup. You can crunch the CompuBox numbers. You can even try to figure out who won the verbal joust at the final press conference.

And when it’s all said and done, you make your predictions. The experts had their say, and unanimously went with the chalk and tabbed Mayweather to win. The fans were a little more divided. On Twitter, @rcollick and @crucifixio picked Mayweather via varying margins, but @odogg33 went with the underdog Ortiz. Meanwhile, on the comment boards on the HBO Inside Boxing blog, Elvin T. took the Ortiz side as well, predicting “Floyd is gonna be looking up at the lights thinking, WTF happened?” But commenter Ish A. envisions a knockout win for Mayweather, claiming “Victor Ortiz is nervous, has no defense, and come Saturday will receive a boxing lesson of a lifetime!”

In addition to the 12 rounds (or less) of Mayweather vs. Ortiz, there’s plenty of before and after to consider. Prior to the main event, we’ll see an intriguing undercard, featuring a plethora of popular Mexican and Mexican-American fighters—many of whom, like Mayweather, come from boxing families. And after the main event is over, attention will inevitably turn to what’s next. No matter the outcome, Manny Pacquiao’s name will be on fight fans’ minds. Two HBO.com contributors explored this in detail on different corners of the web, with Chris Mannix tackling the Pacquiao factor on SI.com and Kieran Mulvaney experiencing Floyd’s many personalities on ESPN.com.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The opening bell of Mayweather vs. Ortiz is almost here, and there’s nothing more thrilling than that moment when fight week gives way to the fight itself.