By Vitali Shaposhnikov: As soon as the Mayweather Jr. vs. Cotto fight was officially announced, it was unbelievably tempting for me to jump on my computer and pound the keys on my keyboard until my frustrations, surprise, and peace was typed out in a form of a news article. Nevertheless, I decided to wait, as by the time I got the news, there were already dozens of pieces written on this very topic.
So, what happened? As many boxing fans have predicted, the Manny Pacquiao fight never materialized. During the very short period of time when their fight finally seemed plausible, pages after pages were written blaming both sides for any and all reasons imaginable. Now that this drama is behind us, again, for an unidentified reason, let’s focus on what reality has now delivered.
While team Pacquiao has yet to pick and announce an opponent, team Mayweather has already done so, and as we all know, Floyd’s opponent on May 5 will be Miguel Cotto (37-2-0). Sure it’s not Pacquiao, but Cotto is not the kind of fighter who is easy to write off in any fight.
I believe that this bout could turn out to be very entertaining, and on evenly matched for both fighters, until round six or so. Cotto is a great starter, with a tremendous heart and spirit. He comes to perform and give it all no matter what the resistance brings to the table. It is entirely possible, that the first few rounds of their clash will resemble the action of the first two rounds of Mayweather Jr. vs. Mosley bout. What I am trying to say, is that Mayweather Jr. should be cautious, and not try to display and impress with his brawling ability. Cotto packs a decent punch and is well skilled at chasing his target.
What I anticipate, is that at some point in the mid rounds, Cotto’s head will start to snap back more and more. Floyd will adjust, while Cotto will remain his aggressive self. With Mayweather’s overwhelming reflexes and incredible aptitude at picking his shots, Cotto will become a punching bag with nothing to offer.
It’s unlikely that we will see an explosive fight, since Mayweather Jr. cannot put on a display of aggressiveness like Pacquiao can, but I do believe that he will beat up Cotto just as much, if not to a higher extent.
Unfortunately, this fight means nothing in terms of historical value. There is only one fight left for either Mayweather Jr. or Pacquiao, and sadly for us, it’s each other.
I understand that people will wait to see this fight, and many will burn with anticipation and excitement, but for those who know boxing to a higher degree, the unavoidable result is clear.
With this, the situation for Pacquiao is not any better, with no exciting opponent left in sight, except for Marquez. Bradley and Peterson were thrown into the mix of possibilities, but alas, neither stand a chance nor provide the excitement that the boxing community has been waiting for.