Heroes & Villains

The moment has finally arrived. Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs), the man considered as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, takes on Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs) tonight at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas for the WBO championship belt. Both fighters agreed to fight at a catch-weight of 145 pounds. During Friday's weigh-in, Pacquiao tipped the scale at 144 pounds while Cotto was at 145.

Here is the tale of the tape:
-- Age: Pacquiao 30, Cotto 29
-- Height: Pacquiao 5-6 1/2, Cotto 5-8
-- Reach: Pacquiao 67", Cotto 69"
-- Chest normal: Pacquiao 38", Cotto 39"
-- Chest expanded: Pacquiao 41", Cotto 41"
-- Waist: Pacquiao 28", Cotto 32"
-- Thigh: Pacquiao 20", Cotto 22 1/2"
-- Calf: Pacquiao 15", Cotto 12"
-- Neck: Pacquiao 16", Cotto 16"
-- Fist: Pacquiao 10", Cotto 11"

The preliminary bouts will start at 6 p.m. PST. The live round-by-round scoring with highlights will begin at approximately 8 p.m. PST. on this site: SportsFanLive.com/heroesvillains

-- 6:55 p.m. PST: Both fighters are in the arena. Cotto is sitting ringside, watching the prelims with his family. Pacquiao is in his dressing room with his entourage. More to come....

-- 8:15 p.m. PST: Last of the prelim bouts nearly over. Pacquiao-Cotto bout should start at approximately 9 p.m. PST.

-- 8:21 p.m PST: Magic Johnson, Derek Jeter and Mark Wahlberg in the house...

-- 8:24 p.m. PST: JC Chavez Jr. scores an unimpressive win over Rowland. Some boos in the crowd...Main event is about to start.

-- 8:28 p.m. PST: More faces in the crowd...Roberto Duran, Will Ferrell and P. Diddy. La Diva singing the Philippine nation anthem.

-- 8:31 p.m. PST: Ednita Nazario singing the Puerto Rican national anthem...
-- 8:33 p.m. PST: Ramiele now singing the Star Spangled Banner...

-- 8:37 p.m. PST: Pacquiao now entering the ring with his entourage to the sounds of "Thunder Struck" by AC/DC.
br/>-- 8:41 p.m. PST: Cotto entering the ring with his entourage to the sounds of "Stronger" by Kanye West.

-- 8:44 p.m. PST: Pacquiao looks relaxed, smiling to the cameras. Cotto looking real intense.

-- 8:46 p.m. PST: Michael Buffer doing his thing...Let's get ready to rumble!

ROUND 1 -- Cotto throwing jabs early. Cotto lands the first significant punch of the fight with a straight jab. Pacquiao a little tentative. Pacquiao misses with the left, Cotto counters. Round 1 goes to Cotto.

ROUND 2 -- Cotto's jabs are moving Pacquiao backwards. Pacquiao connects with a flurry of punches. Cotto lands a great left hook to the head but Pacquiao counters with a straight left to the side of the face. Crowd roars with each Pacquiao combination. Pacquiao scores a late flurry to take control of the round. Round 2 goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 3 -- Pacquiao's speed is beginning to bother Cotto. Pacquiao lands a short right punch that knocks down Cotto in the middle of the ring. Pacquiao is beginning to land his right hook. Pacquiao's footspeed and handspeed are starting to dictate the fight. Round 3 goes to Pacquiao (10-8).

ROUND 4 -- Pacquiao scores with a quick right jab and straight left to start the round. When Pacquiao is stationary, Cotto goes to the body. Both fighters exchanging some power shots in the middle of the ring. Pacquiao hits Cotto with a quick left uppercut to the head and knocks the Puerto Rican down for the second time in the fight. Round 4 goes to Pacquiao (10-8).

ROUND 5 -- Cotto's early attack has been tempered by Pacquiao's counter-punching. Pace has slowed down compared to the last round. Cotto gets Pacquiao on the ropes. Cotto connects with a right hand that stuns the Filipino fighter. Round 5 goes to Cotto.

ROUND 6 -- Pacquiao is clearly ahead on power punches landed. Cotto seems to have recovered from his two knock downs. Pacquiao's movement has stopped momentarily, fighting more flat-footed. Pacquiao lands two quick punches to the head that backs up Cotto against the ropes. Cotto lands a straight left to Pacquiao's jaw to get out of trouble. Pacquiao landing the heavier punches in this round. Crowd-pleasing flurry from both fighters at the end of the round. Round goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 7 -- Pacquiao lands a solid right hook that stuns Cotto. Pacquiao lands a heavy straight left that snaps Cotto's head. Pacquiao's speed is dictating this round. Cotto slips a jab to Pacquiao's chin. Pacquiao is landing the more significant blows in this round and Cotto's bigger body is not huge a factor. Round goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 8 -- Cotto seems to have forgotten his jab and Pacquiao's confidence is growing. Pacquiao's lighting-quick movement is the difference the fight. Cotto lands a quick jab that snaps Pacquiao's head. But Pacquiao backs up Cotto with his non-stop attack and Cotto can't seem to figure out how to counter Pacquiao's relentless attack. Pacquiao connects with two left hands near the end of the round that gets a rise from the crowd. Cotto has a small cut below his right eye. Round goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 9 -- Cotto showing a lot of courage despite getting blitz by Pacquiao's right-left combinations. Cotto scores with two quick glancing shots to the head. Pacquiao corners Cotto and delivers two solid shots to the head. Pacquiao continues to pepper Cotto with quick power shots, especially with the left hand. Pacquiao catches Cotto with a big left cross and the Puerto Rican backs into the ropes. Cotto is now bleeding on both eyes and his nose. Round 9 goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 10 -- Cotto's trunks are stained with blood. Cotto is backpedaling to avoid engaging in the middle of the ring with Pacquiao, who is clearly in control of this fight. Some boos in the crowd as Cotto is reluctant to exchange blows with Pacquiao. Round goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 11 -- Cotto starts the round by throwing his left jab, something he should have been doing throughout the fight. A chant of "Manny, Manny" screams from the pro-Pacquiao crowd. Pacquiao corners Cotto, but he backs the Filipino fighter with a solid left jab. Pacquiao trying to press Cotto into a slugfest. Some more boos in the crowd as Cotto continues to back up. Round goes to Pacquiao.

ROUND 12 -- Pacquiao pushes Cotto into the ropes with a devastating straight left. Referee steps in to stop the fight 55 seconds into the round. PACQUIAO WINS BY TKO.

Pacquiao claimed his seventh world championship belt and reestablished his position as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cotto suffers his second defeat as a professional.