This Was A 6 Page Spread On The June Issue!
Click Here And Get It Now!"La Zorrita" Targets The Worlds Best

By: Dan Horgan
Photo By: HoganPhotos.com
Issue: June/Junio 2007

On a beautiful June night at the Copacabana Night Club in New York City, pound for pound stalwart and international superstar Manny Pacquiao graciously accepted his award as 2006’s Fighter of the Year, presented by the Boxing Writer’s Association of America.  Pacquiao, who twice blitzed Erik Morales and soundly defeated Oscar Larios in 2006, was riding high as fans and media alike swarmed him with congratulations and autograph requests.

As Pacquiao continues his career, the Filipino seems more and more unbeatable.  Since his 2005 loss to Morales, Pacquiao has stormed through four of the 130-pound division’s best, piling a perfect 5-0 record with four brutal knockouts.  His last victory -- an emphatic
thrashing of the previously undefeated Jorge Solis -- proved wrong any doubters that thought outside the ring distractions could end his reign at the top.

The night after Pacquiao received his prestigious award, another Pacquiao -- Manny’s brother Bobby (27-13-3) -- took on the most daunting challenge of his career: a 130-pound clash with Mexican upstart Humberto Soto (42-5-2).  The bout, which was on the undercard of Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah at Madison Square Garden, figured to be an explosive contest between two of the division’s most dynamic punchers.

The fight lived up to its billing.

Soto dominated the first three rounds, using his diverse, two-fisted attack to pound Pacquiao, and even floor him in the first round.  In the fourth round however, Pacquiao, after being cut and battered with body shots, nailed Soto with a right hand that greatly slowed the Mexican’s attack.  Nevertheless, Soto went on to dominate the rest of the competition, and blasted Pacquiao with two left hooks to the body in the seventh round that sent his foe to the ground for the referee’s ten count.

Soto, 27, has made it clear that he is willing to fight any of the top 130-pounders in the world, and his June 9 victory over Pacquiao was a resounding statement that he is indeed ready for the division’s elite.  Sitting ringside for Soto’s big win was Manny Pacquiao, who could very well find himself in the ring with Soto this fall.  If the fight does come off, Manny’s glorious stay as the sport’s king could come to a crashing halt.

Born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, Humberto Soto grew up in a boxing family.  Hugo Cazarez, his cousin, was a boxer, and his grandfather was the president of a local amateur boxing club.  It was his grandfather who got him into the sport.

“My grandpa always liked to watch boxing on TV, and I used to spend a lot of time with him,” said Soto.  “I started boxing when I was seven years old.  He took me to an amateur tournament in the neighborhood in Los Mochis, and I participated in the tournament.” Ironically, Soto was not supposed to fight in that event, “There was a kid missing, so I got up to the ring and fought. Since that day, I liked boxing.” Humberto piled up a 52-8 amateur record before turning pro at the age of 17 in 1997.  After a tempestuous start to his career, Soto finally settled in to win nine straight fights.  On July 13, 2002, he took on long time contender and former featherweight champion Kevin Kelley in a main event at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In what was supposed to be his coming out party, Soto lost a close, and somewhat controversial decision to the cagey veteran.  Although the loss was a setback in his career, Soto now looks back at the fight as a positive experience. “A lot of people felt that I won that fight, but the judges saw it another way,” said Soto.  “That is just boxing.  But though I lost officially, I won a lot of respect for my performance that night.  In fact, my confidence grew even more.”

With the new poise in tact, Soto went on a tear that has continued to this day.  Just four months after the Kelley loss, he fought twice in eight days, beating both Juan Ruiz (5-16-1) and Emidgio Gastelum (15-7-1) by knockout.  Over the next two and a half years, he defeated respectable foes Cesar Figueroa (24-2-2), Luis Fuente (24-3-1) and Wilson Alcorro (33-6-3) before taking on highly touted Rocky Juarez in August 2005 for the interim WBC featherweight title.

Juarez, who at the time had a perfect 23-0 record, was originally supposed to face In Jin Chi of Korea before Chi pulled out of the fight with an injury.  Soto, on just thirteen days notice, filled in for Chi and ended up fighting the battle of his life. For twelve rounds, Soto out worked Juarez behind a sharp jab and snappy right hand.  Juarez, who had complained that facing Soto was a letdown after Chi pulled out, couldn’t get off against his active foe, and averaged a scant 48 punches per round.  Soto lived up to his nickname of “Zorrita” -- meaning “like a fox” in Spanish -- as he never stopped moving around Juarez, and out punched his opponent with practically jabs alone.  Despite being deducted two points for hitting behind the head, Soto won a well-deserved unanimous decision and displayed to the world his enormous talent.

After the Juarez win, Soto defended his belt once against Oscar Leon (27-5) before moving up to 130 pounds.  More comfortable at his new
weight (Soto is a lanky 5’8), he went on to annihilate his next three challengers, including his latest destruction of Pacquiao.  Today, he
stands as the most feared fighter in this division, and has fans and experts believing he can beat the seemingly invincible Manny Pacquiao. “Soto is the real deal and might be the best junior lightweight in the world,” said ESPN.com’s Dan Rafeal.  “He is fast and powerful, and he throws short, accurate shots.”

The fight with Pacquiao, which is tentatively scheduled for October in Canada, is very likely to happen.  Top Rank handles both Soto and Pacquiao, and Pacquiao’s other potential foes -- Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero -- have not been discussed by promoter Bob Arum as in-depth as Soto has been.  If it were to materialize, fans would be treated to a fistic war of two of the game’s best.  Both Soto and Pacquiao are straight ahead fighters with tremendous power, and both are on impressive winning streaks.  Pacquiao hits as hard as any fighter in the world, and Soto has a virtuoso jab. Said Rafeal:  “…it looks as though [Manny] Pacquiao wants a chance to avenge his brother’s defeat, so we make Soto the favorite to get the fight.  That would be a tremendous action fight, and Soto deserves it.”

We’ll see just how unbeatable Manny Pacquiao really is.
Quotes from boxingconfidential.com and toprank.com were used in this
article.

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