On the coattails of Floyd Mayweather Jr?s decision to fight Miguel Cotto, the WBA super champion at 154 pounds, ?Money Team? didn?t play it as safe as they could have. Unless the two sides are keeping a catchweight under wraps, Mayweather will move up to 154 pounds for just the scoend time in his career. Regardless of the weight, Mayweather is the favorite by a wide margin but Cotto may present more of a problem for Floyd than any of his last three opponents (Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz). Mayweather holds a place in the sport that allows him to make certain demands. He could have demanded his opponent come down to 150 pounds, a demand which Cotto, a former champion in the 140 and 147 divisions, probably would have agreed to.
Many believe that Cotto is past his prime, but I think that Floyd could have chosen a softer touch. The Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao debate will go on as long as they don?t meet in the ring, however, Floyd has had one thing in his favor. He beat Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Shane Mosley before Pacquiao was able to. He dominated a blown-up Marquez before Pacquiao was able to squeak by the same fighter (although Marquez was aided against Pacquiao by being allowed to fight at a more reasonable weight).
The expected result is that Mayweather outclasses Cotto with his defensive wizardry and counter punching over twelve relatively uneventful rounds. Should that happen, the next round of comparisons ill begin. The Floyd ?haters? will come to the forefront, ?PacMan beat Cotto up, hurt, and stopped him, while Floyd couldn?t.? Will the fact that Floyd moved up in weight to challenge Cotto will be forgotten or be given appropirate consideration inthe analysis?
As of now, Floyd hasn?t followed Manny and that is an important part of the debate. On May 5th, it will no longer be a claim that Floyd or his supporters can make. A softer touch for Mayweather would have been WBC 154-pound title holder Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez. The undefeated Mexican has fought underneath Mayweather two years in a row. Despite being less competitive in the ring, the buildup to a Mayweather-Alvarez fight would be much more intriguing, similar to the wild frenzy leading up to Mayweather-Hatton. Alvarez already has a huge following and the fight week buzz in Vegas would be tremendous.
In my opinion, the ?Money Team? has chosen a less intriguing, but more dangerous opponent in Cotto. I do believe that boxing fans will get their money?s worth on May 5th, especially if an Alvarez-Mosley fight can be made as the chief supporting bout. Despite being a relatively small junior middleweight, Cotto has a style that could give Mayweather problems. Hatton was able to impose his will on Floyd early, so too should Cotto. The Puerto Rican champ will be best served to use his potent body attack early and often, it may be the only way to slow Floyd down if Cotto hopes to catch up to him late. Like always, it will probably just be a matter of time before Mayweather gets comfortable and takes over. At some point, he should be able counter and potshot Cotto at will, discouraging him on the way to a wide unanimous decision victory.
Turning our attention to Manny Pacquiao, it looks like he will be facing Timothy Bradley in June. This fight looks much better on paper than I figure it to actually be. Although he has the best claim to being the true world champion at 140 pounds, I don?t think ?Desert Storm? brings much more to the table than an undefeated record and some decent wins. Ok, maybe the best physique in boxing as well as the hardest head, but it still may be a short night if he gets to square off with Pacquiao. Bradley has fast hands, but very little power, and may be a little too small for the most explosive fighter in the welterweight division. In my opinion, Floyd is in the tougher fight but I expect both to be victorious. Assuming that Mayweather completes his short prison term, scheduled to begin on June 1st, without any complications, boxing fans can look forward to what will probably be more failed negotiations. One can only hope that Top Rank?s Bob Arum, Pacquiao and his advisor Michael Koncz, along with Golden Boy?s Richard Schaeffer, Mayweather and his advisors Leonard Ellerbe and Al Haymon will be locked in the same room, not to be let out until they can officially announce Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, ?The World Congratulates!?
