We keep hearing how boxing fans want to see Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. The current pound-for-pound king against the undefeated former pound-for-pound king. I too want to see that fight too but a proposed match up between Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto has all the makings of a more exciting fight than Pacquiao-Mayweather. I can’t remember the last boring Pacquiao or Cotto fight that I have seen, while Mayweather sometimes has snoozers.
I wish that Cotto hadn’t received the cut above his eye against Joshua Clottey last weekend so we could see if he was truly back to the form he showed prior to losing to Antonio Margarito. The Cotto we saw Saturday night wouldn’t last more than 6-7 rounds against Pacquiao and the superior handspeed Pac Man brings. I have spoken to other fighters who are bigger and have sparred with Pacquiao and more than once I have heard the same comment, “I have never felt a punch like I have felt from Pacquiao. His right is almost as hard as his left and the way he loops his punches he generates a lot of power.”
I won’t argue that a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is bigger than Cotto but lets look into our crystal ball. Mayweather should be able to handle Juan Manuel Marquez in September or whenever the fight is rescheduled. I had Pacquiao-Cotto a pick ’em fight prior to Cotto fighting Clottey but I now edge Pacquiao, especially if the fight is in Las Vegas. If Mayweather beats the guy (Juan Manuel Marquez) who has given Pacquiao his most competitive fights in recent years and Pacquiao slays Cotto, (a top 5 pound-for-pound fighter) doesn’t that make a Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight that much bigger next spring? People that forgot how good Mayweather was will have a fight fresh in their mind. If Pacquiao adds Cotto to his list of victims, which includes Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, how much higher can he go? Only one place and that is to Mayweather.
While this is taking place Shane Mosley should fight Andre Berto. That would pit the other two top welterweights against each other. That would also leave the winner next in line for the Pacquiao-Mayweather winner. Who else can Pacquiao or Mayweather fight after they fight each other? Pacquiao only has Marquez or the theoretical Mosley-Berto winner to fight. Mayweather would only have the Mosley-Berto winner to fight. Don’t say Paul Williams. Pacquiao and Mayweather both would never fight him because he is so much bigger than any othe rwelterweight, let alone smaller guys like Pacquiao and Mayweather, who started their careers at much lower weights.
We are in an interesting time in the welterweight division. If Cotto loses to Pacquiao (no shame in that) he can still fight a rematch with Margarito to clear the loss. Don’t say that no one wants the fight either. The first one did 440,000 pay-per-view buys. Get Margarito a tune up and then put him back in the ring with Cotto, this time at the Garden in New York, and we can see if the first fight was legit or not.
No matter what happens in the welterweight division, we are almost guaranteed great fights. This weekend, we have the Klitschko vs Chagaev fight that I have a feeling will be more entertaining than most think and Victor Ortiz and Juan Manuel Lopez in fights against maybe not the best competition but they will help hold us over for these welterweight fights to come to fruition.
