by Tom Eaton
THIRTEEN years ago, following another round of failed negotiations with Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather put his undefeated record on the line against the game Puerto Rican, Miguel Cotto, in a clash for the latter’s WBA super-welterweight world title.
Facing a front-footed, hard-hitting world champion in Cotto, 41-6 (33 KOs), the debate prior to the fight was as to how a former super-featherweight could negate the physical advantages of the champion in what was just his second fight at the weight.
However, Mayweather, 50-0 (27 KOs), made the surprising decision to plant his feet against Cotto and showed his versatility to fight on the inside, in the corner, and on the ropes, rather than outboxing his opponent on the outside as expected.
Backed up by the aggressive Cotto, the self-proclaimed ‘best ever’ seemed far more comfortable and willing to fight in close exchanges than anticipated. When Cotto, nicknamed ‘Junito’, cut off the ring, Mayweather opted to roll and throw punches up close rather than manoeuvre his way out of trouble when trapped.
Consequently, many of these rounds were closely fought, and Cotto had his moments of success, being one of the few fighters to have landed clean punches on Mayweather and one of even fewer to have caused the pound-for-pound great to bleed – busting the nose of the unbeaten challenger during the eighth round
Encouraged by the rare taste of his own blood, Mayweather stepped up a gear and showcased his skills in the final four rounds, with superior shot selection evident as he met Cotto in the middle of the ring, showing grit, guts, and guile to cement the win.
In fact, in the twelfth round, Cotto was left on unsteady legs, staggered by an eye-catching lead uppercut with a minute remaining.
Yet, rather than chasing the stoppage and attempting to match the efforts of Pacquiao, who had stopped Cotto three years earlier, Mayweather opted not to risk his win and was content to let the contest go to the judges – much to the disappointment of his fans.
he scorecards read as expected, with Mayweather securing a unanimous decision (118-110, 117-111 x2) that did not do justice to the efforts of the champion, whom Mayweather admitted was ‘the toughest guy he had fought’ during the post-fight interview.
