While this fight is a big disappointment to world sports fans because it?s not the Super Bowl event they have been clamoring to see for over two years now, there are still many intriguing aspects of this weekend?s Miguel Cotto-Floyd Mayweather fight.
It?s a surprise this fight is even happening, because in 2008 when it was prime time, and both were undefeated, Mayweather undeniably ducked it, using the hollow excuses about Cotto?s pay-per-view numbers and that Cotto is ?from Puerto Rico.? Also, when Larry Merchant confronted Floyd with the idea of facing Cotto live on the air in 2008, Floyd, clearly uncomfortable with that idea, babbled something about he would retire from boxing before boxing would retire him.
Suddenly, now in 2012, after Mayweather?s last fight with Victor Ortiz under-performed profit-margin-wise, the powers that be would not take a chance with matching Floyd with Guerrero, Morales or Malignaggi. Of course, they never wanted to match Floyd with Pacquiao either, despite feigning to the contrary. So Miguel Cotto, the popular and exciting Puerto Rican, became their choice. Though it was a surprise selection, as just weeks earlier, Floyd said on the record he didn?t ?want to fight Cotto.?
Mayweather never really wanted to fight Cotto when he was promoted by Bob Arum but as soon as Cotto departed Top Rank and signed with Golden Boy, he suddenly became an acceptable option. To the savvy ring observers out there, this fact which should arouse your curiosity. Would Floyd be fighting Cotto if Arum was involved? Not a chance. Though Arum would have no way of effecting Cotto?s effort levels. Cotto does not become a safer option now that he?s a Golden Boy employee, does he?
There are other curious aspects about this fight. Mayweather said on 24/7 that he is ?ready to die? in the ring against Cotto. But only last month during an interview with NBC?s Bob Costas, Mayweather confessed he would not fight Pacquiao because of health concerns and ?self preservation? and that he did not want to end up ?like (Muhammad) Ali.? And that he would not be forced into a high risk fights like Pacquiao, as Floyd wrongly and falsely claimed Ali was at the end of his career against Berbick, Holmes and Norton.
So, there are many puzzlingly contradictory components to the May 5 Cotto-Mayweather fight, which leave you wondering if it will really be an honest event competed at 100% intensity, without any so called ?silent agreements? of each fighter saying, ?Okay I won?t hurt you if you don?t hurt me.?
If Cotto and Mayweather, two of the most talented and exciting gladiators of this era do compete at full ferocity and throw all caution and regards for ?self preservation? to the wind, Mayweather vs. Cotto can be an incredible, spectacular, thrilling event. And a career-defining evening for both combatants.
Mayweather has excellent boxing skills though they are probably in decline now that he?s 35 and his recent competition has only posed minimal challenge. Remember, fighters do not improve when they only engage in contests they know they will win, they only get better by overcoming adversity and very dangerous threats.
Cotto is always an exciting performer and an underrated talent, who fights with enormous pride and desire to please his Puerto Rican supporters. His body punching is so vicious that one ringside photographer told me he never heard, in all his years in the business, a fighter cry in pain from Cotto?s or any fighter?s body shots like he heard Judah suffer during their famous Madison Square Garden clash.
If Cotto comes to fight a real, vicious fight, and throws his punches with conviction and venom, Mayweather will certainly have a big problem on his hands. I believe Cotto will be the most dangerous opponent Mayweather has ever encountered. If Floyd can decisively tame and dominate Cotto, he will deserve enormous plaudits.
A lot of fans and media believe Cotto is damaged goods from his brutal losses to Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao but I totally disagree with that assessment. Cotto looked as good as ever in his recent victories. His speaking and thought patterns do not indicate any hints of him being ?punch drunk.? Nor did Cotto look uncustomarily gun shy or hesitant against Foreman or Margarito. He looks as good as ever, though perhaps a tad bit slower handed.
Cotto is training as hard as ever, as we have seen in the 24/7s and clearly taking this fight very seriously. Curiously, according to the 24/7 content, Mayweather seems almost more interested in clowning and fooling around with his pals and team at the gym. It?s almost like Mayweather is taking this fight like it?s an audition for a reality TV show rather than the most difficult test of his life. Just a few weeks before the fight, one clip showed Floyd and Uncle Roger eating fast food hamburgers and french fries, hardly the fuel of a champion. What happened to Floyd?s motto of ?Hard Work! Dedication!?
Is Mayweather complacent and overconfident? Or does he know something that we don?t, and that his buddy 50 Cent can make another six-figure winning bet like he did before the Ortiz fight, because Floyd told him with certainty, Ortiz would not last the distance?
(Let?s hope Floyd shares more if his insider information with the public than just his buddy 50 Cent next time.)
As much as I would like to boycott Floyd vs. Cotto ? in hopes that the promotion will fail, which could lead to forcing Mayweather?s protectors to finally sacrifice Floyd to the most dangerous, high-risk fight of all, you know, of course, the all-time Super Bowl event in boxing history, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather, there are many angles about Cotto vs. Mayweather which have aroused my curiosity and suspicion and will lure me to tune in.
How will Floyd deal with Cotto?s relentless pressure and burning desire to win? If it gets too hot in the kitchen, will Floyd pull a ?No Mas? and opt out of the fight in order to maintain ?self preservation??
Will Floyd keep his promise to fight a more exciting, crowd-pleasing style and brawl it out with Cotto?
If Floyd is so wealthy, why would he tell Bob Costas, that he ?can?t afford? to give up the 50-50 split with Pacquiao? Is Floyd really broke and he needs to use ?No 50-50″ as his escape from Pacquiao, so he and his controllers can first amass millions more before sacrificing and risking everything for the huge Pacquiao jackpot?
If Floyd is so wealthy and concerned about ?self preservation? and ending up like Ali, why not just retire and get married and try to sell his reality show to some TV network?
If Mayweather is the #1 star in boxing like Richard Schaefer tries to tell us, why is the event not sold out, even with Canelo Alvarez on the undercard of the Cinco De Mayo promotion?
There are just so many questions surrounding this clash of former undefeated Welterweight titans that it?s hard for this ring observer to ignore. Mayweather vs. Cotto is like a puzzle with so many pieces all over the floor, hopefully everything will come together on Saturday night, with clarity and clearness, and then the stage will be perfectly set up to bring on the biggest event in boxing history, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.
After seeing the oddity of the Mayweather-Ortiz fight, and seeing Ortiz smiling and laughing happily just moments after losing the fight of his life, I have no idea what they have in store for us on Saturday night. So sorry, there will be no predictions this time!
