Pacquiao-Cotto Kicks Off at Stadium

As I walked onto the field at Yankee Stadium, I couldn't help but think that a mere 12 or so hours earlier, I was watching Derek Jeter from the comfort of my home, tie the immortal Lou Gehrig for the all-time Yankee hit record on this very field. As a big Yankee fan, it was pretty cool being on the field, today however was about the biggest fight of 2009 -- Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto.

The morning started off with me changing up bags for the assignment, reloading the car and dropping the kids at school before heading into the city. (Note to self: When changing bags last minute, double check EVERYTHING)

Painless drive to the Stadium, easy parking and then...HORROR! Apparently in repacking my bag, I neglected to put in my 2nd camera body and 70-200mm, which left me with a single Mark III and a 16-35mm lens...ouch...

Two hours before the doors for fans opened, and there were already some people waiting outside.





I then ran into my co-photog at HBO Will Hart (an incredible shooter, who has taught and continues to teach me a lot about the art of picture taking), we caught up a bit since it had been awhile since we've covered a fight. I also ran into legendary photographer Joe DiMaggio who as luck would have it, happened to have a Sigma 150-500 lens he wasn't using. Joe, aside from a great photog, is a genuine nice guy, who always has a great story, and is willing to share his knowledge at anytime. I've met him often while shooting fights, and it's always a pleasure to work around him. Now that my disaster was averted, it was time to get going.

Ahhh, the Stadium, it was pretty cool seeing a giant display for the fight, and past bouts of the fighters playing on the screen, helped add to the atmosphere and get the fans (largely pro-Cotto) ready.




The fighters then took the field so to speak, first to enter Manny Pacquiao, followed by Miguel Cotto.




The press conference was standard fare, HBO announced they would be doing another 24/7 for the fight, which if you haven't seen it, is always worth watching, it's just flat out well done. The only surprising thing from the presser was Cotto's talk, he was overly confident and tinge cocky which is a bit unlike him, almost guaranteeing he would beat the smaller Pacquiao, telling him he's not Oscar De La Hoya or Ricky Hatton. It was somewhat refreshing seeing Cotto with a chip on his shoulder. Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach on the other hand were having their usual good time.





Next up the customary face off poses...





and a nice photo-op on the field, although it was packed, so while I could change angles up and down, I couldn't move left or right.






Other Sights...

Couple of iPhone shots (yes iPhone), have I told anyone lately how much I love playing with the iPhone Camera!




Of course I had to get a shot of myself on the field, couldn't pass up that opportunity!



One of my favorites of the day was a throwaway as I was heading away from the field. Boxing aficionado/historian/journalist/jack-of-all-trades Bert Sugar was being interviewed after everything wrapped up, and he was on the big screen, captured a great expression of him when he saw himself up there...classic. You can also see his hat where he is being interviewed in the bottom right of the frame.



Quick Uses

Here's a couple of quick web uses that I found last night.




This fight is easily the biggest fight of the year, and is a do not miss sporting event. November 14th, Las Vegas, can't wait to see it myself.