Floyd Mayweather will be out to cement his stature as the best boxer in the world, perhaps of all-time, against Miguel Cotto this Sunday.
This promises to be an intriguing and engrossing fight, probably the fight of the year.
The 35-year-old American, unbeaten in his 42 professional fight career, against the 31-year-old Puerto Rican, who has 37 wins and two losses from his 39 bouts. Mayweather has height and reach on his side, but Cotto has four years age difference on ‘Money’.
But experience is everything in the fight game. Mayweather has it in loads. He has faced the best – barring Manny Pacquiao – and beaten them all. Victor Ortiz, Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Zab Judah, Sharmba Mitchell, Arturo Gatti and many others have been unable to stop Mayweather.
Headbutts, low blows to the groin and other antics have not been able to derail the man they call ‘Pretty Boy’.
Cotto has also defeated some damn good fighters – taking down Mosely and Judah, as well as Paul Malignaggi, Lovemore Ndou and many others.
And with a jail sentence looming for Mayweather, maybe now is the right time for Cotto to step up.
Cotto is a worthy challenger. His two losses have come from Pacquiao, with a TKO in the 12th round, which is nothing to be ashamed of, and against Antonio Margarito back in 2008.
The first Margarito fight saw Cotto lose by TKO in the 11th round, but that fight is somewhat clouded by the allegation that Margarito may have used illegal hand-wraps.
In any case, Cotto avenged the loss to Margarito last year with a 10th round TKO victory.
Recovering from the death of his father, and after sacking his trainer (his uncle Evangelista and then replacement Emmanuel Steward), Cotto has a new cornerman in Pedro Diaz. The wily Cuban may just have the tactical nous to unhinge Mayweather.
The hard-hitting Puerto Rican against the elusive, counter-punching American. Mayweather is the outright favourite, as you would expect from a man who has never lost a fight. But all great fighters can lose, as Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson showed.
Before heading inside for 90 days, Mayweather gets another chance to illustrate his greatness in Las Vegas this Sunday with the WBA super world light middleweight title, and more importantly his legacy, on the line.
Twitter: @johnnyddavidson.
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