Manny Pacquiao will win his highly anticipated November 14th bout against Miguel Cotto with a convincing unanimous decision, according to the official EA SPORTS simulation conducted using Fight Night Round 4. Now available for the Xbox 360 video game system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Fight Night Round 4 is the latest entry in the critically acclaimed boxing series from Electronic Arts.According to the simulation, Cotto’s defensive prowess and methodical approach to attacking Pacquiao’s body kept the opening rounds extremely close. As the fight approached the middle rounds, Manny countered Cotto’s strategy with his blinding speed, keeping out of range and forcing Cotto to keep moving forward. Forced out of his defensive strategy Cotto leaves himself open and Manny takes advantage by raining down quick combos while maintaining his range. The combos begin to take their toll on Cotto as the fight approaches Round 8, as he is bleeding and visibly slowing down. Cotto continues to attempt to pressure the body, but the damage he has taken throughout the fight slows him down so much that he can’t get close to Pacquiao. Manny, who seems as fresh as when he started the fight, sends Cotto to the mat with a weaving left hook at the end of the 10th. Despite beating the count, Cotto is never able to recover and loses the bout by unanimous decision.
The simulation was conducted using Fight Night Round 4’s all-new AI (Artificial Intelligence) system. Dubbed R.E.A.L (Record, Evaluate, Adapt, Learn) AI, the system re-creates each fighter’s ring strategies in the game based on their real life counterparts. Built with adaptive logic, the system triggers fighters to change their tactics based on their success, or failure, throughout the course of a bout.
The highest rated simulation fighting game of 2009 (source: metacritic.com), Fight Night Round 4 features unique boxer styles and an all new physics based engine that creates one-of-a-kind bouts between over 45 licensed boxers, including Cotto and Pacquiao.
Round by Round Scoring:
| Totals | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
| Miguel Cotto | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 109 |
| Manny Pacquiao | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 118 |