By Alex Mattis
This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather extended his perfect record to 43-0 with a decision victory over Miguel Cotto; winning the WBA (Super) Light Middleweight title. As with any Floyd Mayweather event, a plethora of hype and promotion lead into May 5th. The hype was lived up to as “Money” Mayweather and Cotto gave the world-wide audience a great fight.
Mayweather controlled the majority of the bout; displaying technical superiority to Cotto’s in-you-face style. While not a total blowout, Cotto was able to swing some momentum back his way during the later rounds of the bout. Cotto pinned Mayweather against the ropes and unloaded on several occasions; resulting the most visual damage Mayweather has received possibly ever. In the end, Mayweather turned in his most impressive, and hard fought, victory since the 2007 bout with Ricky Hatton. The judges in Vegas had it 118-110, 117-111, and 117-111, all in favor of Mayweather.
Even in defeat, Miguel Cotto showed why the boxing community has hailed him as a “future Hall of Famer” and why he’s been considered to be one of the best of the modern boxing era. Cotto demonstrated the determination and resilience that he has come to be known for. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough to match the unparalleled skill possessed by his opponent. Mayweather even praised Puerto Rican’s tenacity, telling Cotto “You are a hell of a champion — the toughest guy I fought.”
With his 90-day stint in jail coming on June 1, boxing probably isn’t a current top priority to Floyd Mayweather… but the win Saturday night solidified his spot as the best.
On the undercard of the Pay Per View, rising star Saul “Canelo” Alvarez won a decision over Shane Mosely. Despite the fact that Mosely appeared to be galaxies away from his former self, Alvarez seems to have adjustments to be made before stepping up to the next level of competition.
