Manny produces the performance of a generation
Brilliant. Unbelievable. Astonishing. I have never seen a display like that in my life!
I have been around and had first-hand experience of outstanding fighters like Herol Graham and Naseem Hamed; I have been fortunate enough to be at ringside when Sugar Ray Leonard has boxed - and not even in those days have I ever seen anything close to what Manny Pacquiao produced.
Pacquiao: once-in-a-generation fighter and performance
He did not just beat Miguel Cotto, he destroyed him physically and mentally. He didn't just break his heart, he broke his spirit. And he broke his corner's spirit, too.
As an ex-fighter sitting there watching that sort of performance, it really did light the fire in my belly again. And I don't like to use the word, but watching that I was jealous. I just kept thinking 'I wish I could do that' - he really was that good.
I don't think I have ever seen anything as good as that.
I was among those who thought that perhaps the wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar de la Hoya might have flattered Pacquiao, but not any more.
Schooled
Ok, I do think we saw the best of Cotto in 2004-05 and that loss to Antonio Margarito might have taken something away, but he is still a very good fighter, still a formidable opponent, still a hardcase. But he got schooled, simple as that. Pacquiao does not just beat you up, he terrorise you at will.
And we are talking about a fighter that is still improving. On Sunday morning he showed us that he has lost none of the speed, even though he was the biggest he's been, but he also showed us strength I wasn't sure he had.
To stand there, against a proper welterweight, and allow Cotto to get those shots off to the body and take them, was amazing. Not only did it show that Pacquiao could handle one of the best left hooks in the business, it showed that again, he and Freddie Roach had come up with the perfect plan.
They knew that inviting Cotto to open up and start throwing shots suited them. It gave the Puerto Rican the confidence to come forward and opened him up, which was just what they wanted. In the end, it was Pacquaio, the smaller man, walking him down. I've never seen anything like it.
As well as the speed and strength, he showed the discipline, craftsmanship and gamesmanship to take down the biggest man he has faced. There is no praise high enough for the performance Manny Pacquiao put in at the MGM Grand. It was a once-in-a-generation performance from a once-in-a-generation fighter.
It was so good that it has really got me wondering about the fight we all want to see - and a fight that simply has to happen now.
Rhythm
When Floyd Mayweather was out of action, I had a feeling that should they ever meet, Pacquiao might have the beating of him. Then Floyd came back and was so good against Juan Manuel Marquez that I changed my mind, I thought no-one could touch him.
Now I am not so sure - and I am a massive Floyd Mayweather fan, believe me. I love Floyd to bits but now I am not so sure even he could cope with the speed and strength of Pacquiao.
His best bet would be to make it a dull fight, try and smother Pacquiao's work, negate him. He knows standing there trying to out-box and out-work him won't work; he has to try and break up that rhythm because as we saw against Cotto, Pacquiao just moves up through the gears as the fight goes on.
At times, no-one can even touch Mayweather and he is happy to win ugly, play safe. I was happy to do the same myself and stunk many a show out to get the victory, but will that work when someone of Pacquiao's bravery and ferocity is hunting him down.
Floyd will get hit, we know that. Even he wouldn't be able to keep him off all night. And that brings it down to one simple question: who's got the biggest heart? Who's got the biggest pair of balls for a fight?
If Saturday night's performance full of speed, strength, brains, bravery and ferocity is anything to go by, it might not be Floyd Mayweather who ends up winning. And that is something I thought I would never say...
Pacquiao perfection
