Manny Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto via TKO in the 12th round and added the WBO Welterweight Title to his boxing titles. The Pacquiao-Cotto boxing match turned out to be an overwhelming, lopsided victory for the Filipino Pacquiao. Pacquiao knocked down Cotto in Rounds 3 and 4.

Miguel Cotto started out as seemingly the much stronger fighter, connecting with a jab at the start of the fight that sent the head of Manny Pacquiao back strongly. But after a dominant first round, Cotto faded as Pacquiao took over, relentlessly bombing the boxer from Puerto Rico with punches and connecting with a right that sent him down on the canvass in Round 3 and with a strong left in Round 4.

Pacquiao defeats Cotto via Round 12 TKO.

The Pacquio knockdown of Cotto on Round 4 wobbled the then-champion, giving him spaghetti legs as he dropped to the canvass. Ever since that moment, Cotto had played keep-away, running from Pacquiao, simply trying to survive the fight. Cotto’s reversal of strategy was very evident, as he changed from the bully early on to the keep-away boxer from the middle until the end. There were times when Pacquiao would simply stand in the middle of the ring, urging Cotto to engage with him.

The Pacquiao-Cotto boxing fight ended on Round 12 when Manny Pacquiao was releasing a furious flurry of punches to Cotto who could do nothing but try to run away. Referee Kenny Bayless called a halt to the match at this point, especially since Miguel Cotto had been running for the latter rounds of the fight, simply trying to survive and not lose with his back to the canvass.

With the win, Manny Pacquiao reached a milestone: 7 world titles in 7 different boxing weight divisions. Pacquiao broke the world record of 6 titles in 6 different boxing weight divisions previously held by Oscar Dela Hoya. Pacquiao’s win-loss record rose to 50-3-2 with 37 KOs while Cotto’s dropped to 34-2 with 27 KOs.

The Pacquiao-Cotto boxing fight was held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.