Mayweather and Cotto both dwarfing Pacquiao's prospect with Bradley

Granville Ampong

Long Beach Boxing Examiner

Mayweather vs Cotto for the WBA
Super World light middleweight title at
the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas
on May 5, 2012; Photo credit: Dr. Ed
de la Vega

Boxing Perspectives - These are two highly skilled boxers, each with the potential to bring surprise upon each other. No issues of imbalanced electrolytes nor should there be an issue of muscle-wasting. Miguel Cotto, the reigning WBA Super World light middleweight titlist from Puerto Rico who weighed in 154 pounds on the scale Friday, believes he is the stronger man than the son of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Likewise, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who weighed in 151 pounds on the same scale at such moment and looked perfectly solid, would just be as ready to rock the night in his kingly form and bearing as the most intelligent fighter on earth today and whose record remains unblemished and, in fact, seen as the most effective and cleanest counter-puncher we have in boxing, as of this writing.


HOT: Exclusive behind the scene interview with Bradley

Tonight, the MGM Grand Arena of Las Vegas would not be the same again since the fight between Oscar de la Hoya and Mayweather which produces the biggest pay-per-view numbers in the history of boxing. Mayweather-Cotto fight should be bigger and could potentially dwarf even more the prospect of Pacquiao's attempt to prove his worth with his upcoming fight against the much less favored 5-1, undefeated light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley. Pay-per-View numbers of these two matches will likely give the much-clearer punch as to the purse-split percentages between Pacquiao and Mayweather.

Drained and muscle-wasted, Oscar de la Hoya who once fought Pacquiao, believes Top Rank Promoter Robert Arum  is blocking off a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.  He believes Arum, a great promoter, finds it too risky, both his ego and Pacquiao's image relative to Top Rank Promotions, to make Pacquiao-Mayweather transpiring.

"Arum's promotion would be hurt badly if Pacquiao loses to Mayweather," says De la Hoya. "I just think Mayweather will expose both Pacquiao and Arum."

"That's why he (Arum) chooses the less threatening opponent for Pacquiao, and without disrespect, that is Timothy Bradley. Bradley does not have the power to knock Pacquiao out nor does he have the skill to match Pacquiao's speed and power."

In other words, De la Hoya implies Bradley has really nothing to bargain to boost Pacquiao's surety to keep his race now at A-level nor does Pacquiao have the chance to improve his bargaining power during negotiation,  only if both fighters truly intends to fight.

Meanwhile, what is intriguing, to some,  is that Bradley, one without any issue of muscle-wasting and imbalanced electrolytes, could just deliver the same element of surprise that Cotto could bring against Mayweather.

Unlike Bradley, Mayweather becomes more receptive as his circle of willis and nerve-endings both could heighten his own perceived stimulation up to surging to a higher level if ever Cotto tries at will to mount heavy pressure. Bad thing is, Mayweather can be so devastating when he is tested to the limit. His instinct would be awaken. In fact, his rapid response system works best when he senses that a near-code-blue episode presses the heat of exchanges if he continues to make mistakes once more, just as what happened to Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton. He can surge quickly to a higher level just as when he almost fell into the hands of Sugar Shane Mosley in the encounter in 2010. And he can be too graceful as well and would  just employ less damaging punches, only if one is just bent to engage in a pure boxing match.

Cotto-Mayweather fight may have just sent warning to Pacquiao. Boxing fans now think that Pacquiao's deserving last fights should be a ramatch with Cotto at 154 pounds and, another,  such most compelling and fresher one, against Mayweather before they both hang up their respective gloves.