Miguel Cotto is putting more than his WBO welterweight title on the line when he takes on Joshua Clottey in New York in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Should he lose he could miss out on a lucrative bout against boxing?s current ?golden boy?, Manny Pacquiao.
A fight against the ?Pacman? is on the cards because the Filipino has been unable to agree terms with the returning Floyd Mayweather.
The pair had been set to clash later this year, but are said to be miles apart in agreeing a purse split.
The fight is in jeopardy as Mayweather demands parity with Pacquaio, which is unlikely to happen given the pound-for-pound king?s current elevated status.
So, who?s the smart money on this weekend? The welterweight pair boast similar records, Cotto with only one defeat while Clottey has two. And both suffered defeats to Antonio Margarito, although Cotto cried foul in the wake of his defeat against the Mexican.
One man backing Cotto for the win is British welterweight Michael Jennings. And he?s speaking from experience. Jennings of course suffered a fifth round knock out at the hands of Cotto back in February.
Jennings described Cotto as one of the most precise boxers he?d ever fought.
He said: ‘That?s the thing about Cotto, in the fourth round he caught me with a left hook to the body, it was under the ribs. I went down, took the eight count; got back up. Then seconds later he caught me with pin point accuracy with another left hook in the exact same place.
‘You?d think from the first one that I would learn, and keep my hands down. I was doing that, but he was so accurate he was straight underneath the elbow, connecting to the ribs.
‘I think Cotto will win. He could stop Clottey from round nine onwards. If he doesn?t stop him, I still think he?ll beat him by unanimous decision.’
Cotto held an open work out in the Bronx last week. Those that attended said he looked relaxed and in tremendous shape.
And there?s the added bonus for Cotto that the second Sunday of every June is the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York.
A mass of Puerto Ricans are expected to turn out in force at Madison Square Garden to support their boy on the night. And get the celebrations started early.
But it would be wrong to look too far past Clottey. The Ghanaian poses a real threat and there are those that back him to cause an upset.
‘He?s coming into the fight with nothing to lose. He?s determined to put on a good show in front of a sell out crowd,’ said one insider close to the Clottey camp.
‘I think Joshua Clottey is crazy enough to win.’
Whatever the outcome on Saturday, this fight has captured the imagination of New York City. All eyes will be on Cotto, who needs to pull off a stylish win to stand any chance of facing Manny Pacquiao early next year.
