By James Slater: It’s still far, far, far from a done deal yet, but strong rumours suggest Floyd Mayweather Junior could face Miguel Cotto on May 5th. The far more intriguing Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight looks to be dead in the water (again), and it looks like Pac-Man – unwilling to budge on his 50-50 purse split proposal with Mayweather – has persuaded Cotto to look Floyd’s way due to the Filipino superstar’s insistence that he fight no higher than 147-pounds.
Cotto, who had to boil down to 145 to fight Pacquiao in 2009, and is now a world champ up at 154, seems to have realised he cannot be competitive against Pac-Man as a welterweight. Against Mayweather, however, at a catch-weight of, say, 150-pounds, Cotto may feel as though he has a legit shot at taking “Money’s” O. Cotto’s people are currently in talks with Mayweather’s people, and Fightnews.com no less, have an article up asking if a fight between the two is near.
If we can’t see Mayweather-Pacquiao (until later this year – the new date being put forth now seems to be November, with an exotic local a possibility), Mayweather-Cotto isn’t a bad idea. Certainly far better than the notion of a weight-drained Cotto facing Pacquiao for a second time, Mayweather Vs. Cotto is a fight that will intrigue and interest many if it happens. We all remember back in the middle 2000s, when Mayweather and Cotto were in talks to fight. It never happened back then, so if the fight does go ahead on may 5th, there will be a sense of “better late than never.”
Cotto looked great last time out, in busting up and dominating arch-rival Antonio Margarito in a passionate rematch, and his sharpness and his sheer ring savvy would possibly give a 35-year-old Mayweather plenty to think about in the ring. No-one is saying Cotto will beat Floyd (no-one would pick Cotto to beat Pacquiao in a return either), but the fight, if it happens, will be competitive.
I’d be willing to bet Mayweather would not be able to stop Cotto. I’d also be willing to bet the Puerto Rican legend would win his share of rounds in the fight. A fascinating technical battle will unfold, in my opinion, if the two veteran stars clash. Maybe a Mayweather-Saul Alvarez match-up would have appealed to more fans, but Floyd has reportedly dismissed “Canelo” as an opponent. Robert Guerrero wanted the May 5th date, but he too has been brushed off by “Money.”
The biggest star seemingly available for Mayweather’s contracted date of May 5th at The MGM Grand in Las Vegas is Cotto. And though this particular match-up is no Mayweather-Pacquiao, it’s probably the second-best fight that could be made involving Money-May.
At least Mayweather will be facing a new test; which is far more appealing to the cash-paying fans than the idea of Pacquiao going over old ground. Besides, Pacquiao can now fight a young, hungry, 147-pound-tested challenger in the form of the unbeaten Tim Bradley, most likely in June. It might just be that we get two very good fights (Floyd Vs. Cotto, Manny Vs. Bradley) in place of one potentially great fight!