What A Difference An 18 Months Makes

In the middle of 2008, Manny Pacquaio was a great super-featherweight whilst Miguel Cotto was a great welterweight. Back then, people weren't talking about a fight between the two because Cotto was too big. This weekend when they meet in the ring, Pacquaio is the favourite .

Of course, one went on to astonish the world by moving up in weight, stopping Oscar De La Hoya then poleaxing Ricky Hatton. The other took a terrible battering from Antonio Margarito and hasn't looked quite the same since.  

Pacquiao may be an exceptional little fighter, but to what extent were De La Hoya and Hatton defeated by the scales and Mr. Guinness respectively? And how likely is it that Margarito used illegally loaded gloves to beat Cotto? We'll find out more this weekend, but it might just be that the views of 18 months ago aren’t as out of date as most people seem to think.