source: Jim Watt | skysports.com

Don't think for a minute that this will be another straightforward move-up win for Manny Pacquiao.

I have always been a fan of Miguel Cotto ever since he turned pro; right from the off he had the air of a complete fighter.

Granted, he is a little bit mechanical and there are times when he could stop the other guy a lot quicker, but he is happy drilling away, just getting the job done. He is one helluva fighter, make no mistake about that.

But you have to talk about stages of a career in boxing. Yes, Cotto is 29 and younger than Pacquiao but I do wonder if he is happy with what he's achieved, whether he has lost that extra edge.

Pacquiao is on the crest of a wave, loving every minute of it and bursting at the seams. I just wonder whether that little something extra you need to be a really, really top fighter is missing from Cotto.

He has always been well-schooled and fights the way you would want to teach someone to fight, but that little injection of drama just isn't there.

I just don't think he's been the same since the loss to Antonio Margarito. Ok, there is a chance that Margarito was cheating and padding his hands and you can't blame him for not taking those punches, but the fact is he quit.

Cotto might well have won the fight had it been fair and square but he had to take that beating and the fact that he went down on one knee, worries me. It sounds harsh to say but had he been knocked out, I wouldn't be so concerned.

Confidence

Since then, he did what he had to do against Michael Jennings but really struggled against Joshua Clottey.

You have to give him tremendous credit for taking that fight because the Pacquiao deal was already signed and sealed and plenty of people would've opted for a lazy tune-up, but I do think the pre-Margarito Cotto would have dealt with Clottey far, far better.

He was cut early and had to deal with that, but I do think that little something might have gone from his game and this is a fight he will have wanted to go into with his confidence sky-high.

Pacquiao on the other hand, is on the crest of a wave. But you could argue his last two performances have flattered him because Oscar de la Hoya just messed up awfully with the weight and was a shell of a man and well, Ricky was just Ricky and came tearing out and really brought about his own demise.

The Filipino deserves to be the favourite here on form alone. I wouldn't put my house on it, but I am definitely leaning towards Pacquiao. Cotto will be bigger and stronger than either de la Hoya or Hatton, but the fact there is a 10st 5lbs agreement in place suits Pacquiao already.

Just dragging that extra couple of pounds off will inconvenience Cotto - and I saw him look half-dead at the weigh-in before his fight with Paulie Malignaggi not so long ago.

Superstar

Also, it is important to remember that both of these guys are promoted by Bob Arum. Right now Bob has two superstar fighters; come Sunday morning he will only have one. Now which of Pacquiao and Cotto do you think he is willing to sacrifice?

Maybe the dice are already loaded in Manny's favour, I don't know. I do know though this is one helluva match-up, a real trade fight and even if the odds are against him, one Cotto can easily win. I don't think you could even call it an upset if he did pull this off.

It has not got the same media attention as Pacquiao's fight with de la Hoya fight and for us over here, the Hatton fight. That is why haven't heard Freddie Roach telling us what to expect.

Normally Freddie predicts these huge fights so well, but maybe this time the spotlight hasn't been so sharp. If Freddie was ducking and diving in the press, making excuses, then I might worry they don't fancy this.

You know though, that he will have his man properly prepared. I know they have got Jose Luis Castillo in for sparring and although he is obviously not identical to Cotto, he does come forward and he does like to place his shots precisely, much like the Puerto Rican.

Invincible

Pacquiao will have to perform here too. Neither Hatton or de la Hoya came close to hitting him, but you have to say Cotto will land. People forget he is a left-hand orthodox fighter which means he jabs with his strongest hand, does 80 per cent of his work with that, and he also has a tremendous left hook to back it up.

If Cotto tags him, what will it do? We know Pacquiao has been hurt and decked - and beaten - before. He might be the man in form but he is by no means invincible.

He gets by on his speed, but if Cotto can get himself set and get those precise punches where he wants them, he can ask some serious questions.

He might though, be a little one-paced to pull this off. There is no shortage of imagination in the way he puts his punches together, but he did struggle with a quick fighter like Malignaggi - and we all know speed is what Pacquiao and Roach will be building their gameplan around.

I would expect the same formula we've seen from them of late, in out quickly, setting a fast pace, if only because it ain't broke so it don't need fixing. But, Cotto is not chinny, he can take a shot and although I have my doubts after the Margarito fight, I can't see Manny finishing this early.

I would lean towards a points win simply because he is at the very peak of his powers, the place in his career where every fighter wants to be. Cotto, as good as he is, might just lack that little extra you need to fire on all cylinders and be the very best in the business.

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