Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto Face Off |
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| Written by Michael Woods | |||
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Wednesday, 04 April 2012 10:33
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Kellerman brought the 35 year-old Mayweather and the 31 year-old Cotto, two of the sport's top five draws, into a studio and had them sit across from each other, while he queried them about their take on the May 5 clash. Kellerman's first launch went to Cotto. "How do you beat Mayweather?" he asked. "We're going to figure it out in training camp," the Puerto Rican future Hall of Famer said, while Mayweather fixed his eyes on the 37-2 boxer, who last gloved up in December, when he stopped Antonio Margarito in NY. He will be the first man to beat Mayweather, he said. This made me think about talking to Cotto when the duo made it to to NY for their press tour. I asked him about the matchup, and he said something along the lines of that he would do the best he could. I pressed him: Will you do the best you can, or will you definitely beat Mayweather? "I guarantee a win," Cotto told me. I tend to put a lot of stock in how a fighter speaks before the bout; does he talk about doing the best he can, giving a great effort, which is what we hear quite often when a boxer is in over his head...or does he evince true confidence that he will have his hand raised? Remember when Juan Manuel Marquez underwhelmed with his conviction before he took on Mayweather in 2009? "It's going to be a very difficult fight," Marquez said. "It's a very hard fight, but mentally I'm preparing myself to win and I feel I can beat Mayweather." Many times before Shane Mosley fought Floyd Mayweather, he said stuff like, "It's going to be a great fight," and "Every fight has its own significance, but this would be a great win. It would definitely be a feather in my cap if I beat Floyd Mayweather." Not it "will be a great win" but "it would be." I seek true conviction in the voice and mannerisms of fighters leading up to a fight in which they are seen as underdogs, so during "Face Off" I was on the lookout for Cotto's level of belief in self. Mayweather said he didn't know how Cotto will fight him. "I don't know," the 42-0 sweet scientist said. "But he must know that I'm not like no other fighter. I can give it and I can take it." No shortage of belief in self there, eh? Mayweather said he considers Cotto unbeaten, because he thinks Antonio Margarito cheated against Cotto in their 2008 fight, and that Cotto was drained at a catchweight against Manny Pacquiao in 2009. Floyd disarmed Cotto a bit by pointing out his good taste in watches, as he was wearing a piece by Cartier. Cotto grinned, and Kellerman then brought up the "Money" persona. The boxer-entertainer said when he's out and about he likes to entertain the people, but at home, he acts like a normal person. Floyd then asked to check on the score of a game he bet, featuring "Ohio (State against Northwestern, in basketball, on Feb. 29) in the first half," for which he laid down $100,000, he said. (Ohio State led 39-29 at the half, by more than the four points Floyd gave the house, giving Floyd the W.) Cotto said Floyd can act however he wants to, and gamble if he wants to. Cotto said inexperience killed Victor Ortiz against Mayweather and that he thinks Floyd is still in his prime. Can he out-box the master craftsman, or will he need to rumble and brawl his way to a win? He will need to use all his skills to beat Floyd, he said, as Mayweather asked for a phone so he could check a game he bet on. "Gotta watch my money," he explained. (Not sure if this is pure persona, or an indication that Mayweather is a problem gambler, who is too focused on his bets.) He explained how the bet worked to Cotto, and said, "So (if I win) I walk away with $86,000 today," he said, as Cotto's eyes grew bit wider. "If he lived in Vegas, he'd do the same thing," Mayweather said. Is it dangerous to live in Vegas, the host asked. "No, not at all," Mayweather said. (I guess there are people who exist who end up ahead of the house when all is said and done, but the odds aren't in Floyd's favor...we shall see down the line if the gambling bug bites him, or he is master of that domain.) The Margarito subject came up, and Floyd asked Cotto point blank if he thinks Margarito used loaded gloves when they fought in 2008. "I don't know," Cotto said, but allowed that his face was busted up more than he might've expected. Floyd concurred. Mayweather said he thinks if he did what Margarito did, he would be banished forever from boxing. "Should he have been banned for life? Absolutely," Mayweather said. Cotto said the Mayweather fight, not his revenge tussle with Margarito, is the biggest fight of his career. He said he won't do anything different or special to prepare for Mayweather. Mayweather was asked why Cotto is the third biggest PPV star, behind him and Pacquiao. Why? Because he earned it the hard way, not by getting a catch-weight advantage. He said Pacquiao piggybacked on his popularity but said he wasn't bothered by Manny calling him a chicken, saying he is ducking him. "I'm OK with my legacy, with or without Pacquiao," he said. "Floyd Mayweather is happy with what he's done in the sport." Cotto said it doesn't bother him that people fixate on Mayweather-Pacquiao. Mayweather, asked if it is hard to work up anger towards Cotto, said, "He's a quiet killer." Asked for a prediction, he said, "Tune in. I can't say what's going to happen. May 5 you got the super welterweight champion versus the pay per view king. May 5th, blockbuster." Cotto in closing, said, "I'm going to be prepared enough for Floyd, and I'm going to work really hard." Not what I want to hear. My gut tells me that Cotto, a reasonable man who has never trafficked in illusion when I have talked to him, knows that Mayweather is on a different level than him, and deep down thinks that he cannot win on May 5. He's right. Nobody beats Floyd right now, not unless Mayweather goes up to 160. Then, we can talk... Radam G says: I too have called Money May "one of the greatest pure boxers to ever live," despite the fibs of Money May's nut-hugging, fibbing knuckleheads, groupies, fanfaronades, busters and faders, who are more cultists than anything. amayseng says: floyd does not get worn down, his conditioning is his gift. Real Talk says: Looking forward to this one. We got the P4P King vs. a top#5 P4P pugilist who have never been beaten without the cloud of suspicion or catch weight advantage. 2 of the best in the game about to bring the pain, but when it's done..one top dog will remain. You know the name, get that lame hate out ya brain, the Money May come to clean up the sport of stains an I'ma leave it right here. Sucka types stay in ya lane. Poof!!! deepwater says: youtube carlos ortiz vs flash elorde. tell me who would win, mayweather or ortiz deepwater says: carlos ortiz style would beat mayweathers philly crab style. watch for yourself. if cotto can tweak his style just a bit more we could have an upset. cotto has to carlos ortiz mayweather ali says: Triple O.G if u think Floyd is one of the greatest boxers then you should be agree with most of what me B-Sug Realtalk be saying about him right....another thing do you consider your self a Pac groupie? Radam G says: SCLA Ali, you can't throw Real Talk in with you cultist cats. He's his own man and spits righteous and his on way, not any bullsh*tology that is from Money May. Real Talk knows the difference from talky talk and walky walk. Real Talk is real talk. He does it his way, not sizing up with cult-like dimwitness. ali says: Triple O.G Floyd is not that entertaining as a talker to me.....I love Roy jones, James Toney, Ali, Naseem those are the guy I like listing to talk...I only care about what in does in the squared circle...Now I know your not saying B-Sug ain't his own man... You ain't that stupid to think that are u? Radam G says: B-Sug may be his own man, but he repeats after Lil' Floyd so often that it appears like he is a ventriloquist doll and Lil' Floyd has his hand up B-Sug's arse moving those brownsugar lips, or keyboard tappin' or sumptin!' brownsugar says: thats kind of funny coming from you RG,..really, made me crack a smile.....It's also ironic that you refer to Floyd on 85% of all your posts...one would think you're secretly working with his public-relations team... Anyone else might be tad irritated by your direct yet humorous attack (an attack that is easily deflected by a verbal shoulderoll)... but the Sugarman recognizes it for what it truly is...It's a cry for help...... it's a dynamic known by psycologists as "projection", the Sub-concsious projection your own personal denial of your own irrational and obsessive infatuation with Pacman by projecting your psychosis onto someone else...I believe secretly,...you loathe your personal admiration for Floyd.. but that's ok.. help is available if you are willing to accept the truth and join Floyd Annonymous...(meeting are available on tuesdays and thursdays).... LOL ali says: Triple O.G there is help out there for your disorder I can give u the the website and phone # if u want. Lol amayseng says: that was the most boring face off i have ever witnessed. ali says: Im with u amayseng that **** was boring but the fight will be alot better. Radam G says: SCLA Ali, quit being a dimwitted douche! OOPS! I musta' fo'got! All douches are dimwitted. Hehehe! Don't let me get started on your _____ and _____ and ethnic sticking-together mudholeness. You muthasuckas got so many codes, cliques and _____ that you cannot be honest. Right or wrong, you have to be down with the homies, or they will fudge you up. This is why you are so on the quick to become hostile and malignant. Radam G says: OOPS! BTW I have no secret admiration of Money May. My admiration of him is a BIG WIDE-OPEN BOOK! I luv me some "Lil Floyd!' No "Floyd Annonymous" for me. I also love how Money May blows his flute and all of his _______ ______ march forward STRAIGHT OFF THAT CLIFF of ____ _____ and ______. And Money May is gets on his brag how he can make weak-minded ______ react positive to him, no matter what he does. It is all good. I guess we all need something to believe in, especially when life is a bytch for most, then they die broke and poor. Radam G says: BTW! I'm a Money May 15 percenter of my nearly 2,000 posts. Math is not many people best subject. Holla! Radam G says: Hehehehehe! Hahaha! That is all in brothaly luv! Don't start nun [sic]! And it won't be nun [sic]! Holla! brownsugar says: RG it took you 2 days to respond. Reflexes gettin slow? Then you post a bible? Need to go back to training camp? Starting to look a little like a past his prime Roy Jones....no worries I won't knock you out.... I still remember the all time Triple OG when he was in his prime. 2nd to none. SouthPaul says: Cotto's confidence seems normal to me. He's not a chest thumber nor is he a rooster walking around with his chest stuck out ****-a-doodle-doo'ing. If he were ice cream he'd be vanilla when it came to these interviews. He might want to mix in a Red Bull but other than that he looks like he's ready to do give his best. SouthPaul says: I had to mispell CAWK or else I would've been censored. These boards have more rules and regulations than boxing. ali says: B-sug... Lmao!!!! Radam G says: WOW! Just keep lying and hope that it sticks like plane in the sky flying. Everybodee and dey momma can read the time that a person posted, and/or how long that it took him to post. And those people can count too. Radam G says:
I'm finish with that subject. Time to move on! ______ ________ are known to stay behind the times and continue to imagine syet and that they are God's superior beings -- creme de la creme! Fantasies! Hehehehe!
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"One of the greatest pure boxers who ever lived" will meet "one of the best fighters of this era" on May 5. That is how HBO's Max Kellerman described the showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto on the Tuesday night debut of his Face Off program.
Love the pic! In my opinion, Cotto has a chance only if he reverts back to that relentless style he used to bust up Zab. He definitely has the power to possibly wear down Floyd over the course of the fight if he can get to the body. Thats the only way I see Cotto presenting a challenge to Floyd.