By now you've certainly heard that Miguel Cotto has landed the May 5 fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr, who was granted a one-fight license by the Nevada commission today.
The Puerto Rican star took to his Twitter for a short, sweet update on the fight:
@RealMiguelCotto
Miguel A. Cotto I'm back in the ring on May 5th and I will beat him
Favorite Retweet
That's Miguel Cotto for you, I guess. Always to the point. Doesn't mince words.
Reception to the fight has been mixed. It seems like a lot of boxing fans who follow consistently are fine with the fight, some even like it a lot. The general public reaction has been largely negative that I've seen. This is normal. It happens every time Floyd or Manny sign a fight. Everyone complains, then the numbers never really budge once fight night rolls around. But we'll see. There does have to be a wall sometime.
One thing I'm assuming has led to the general public not being excited at all is that they care about basically two guys and mostly care about one fight that isn't happening. I also don't believe that they were as informed about the status of the Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations (if you'll call them that) because they don't follow along every day. They get their boxing tidbits (their Manny and Floyd tidbits) from SportsCenter or Around the Horn or PTI or First and Ten, where the only time they really talk about boxing, it's about the fight that isn't happening.
So I'm getting the feeling a lot of people thought it was still possible that Mayweather vs Pacquiao would happen in May. Most of us here knew that ship sailed a couple weeks ago, for good. So this is no surprise to us. It may be a surprise to some.
As for Manny Pacquiao, nothing is set in stone yet, but he'll be facing Timothy Bradley next unless something dramatically changes soon.
0 recs | 34 comments
You nailed it.
It’s that people started seeing on Twitter and Google today that Floyd was going to announce his next fight today and just went “well, it better be Manny!”
And since the last thing they probably saw prior was Floyd saying he wanted to make the fight a few weeks ago on Twitter, they’re reacting to Manny/Floyd not happening.
Brent Brookhouse - February 1, 2012
Better Version of Cotto
He was too green back in 2007 & 2008. He is not at a catch weight, has better footwork and confidence from the wins under his belt. I look forward to it and have a feeling it will look like Mayweather & Baldomir.
honorablecbm - February 1, 2012 via iPhone app
Wait. You look forward to it because it will be like Mayweather and Baldomir?
Kory Kitchen - February 1, 2012
yes I do look forward to it
I said “I have a feeling” it will be like that fight, not that I want it to be. After a little time, I think it’s a better fight than an unchallenged Canelo. This version of Miguel is seasoned & has better movement. I hope Cotto makes it a fight, I just don’t see him handling Floyd the way he did Antonio.
honorablecbm - February 1, 2012 via iPhone app
I agree with you, and I look forward to it too. I just pray it is more competitive than the Baldomir fight.
Kory Kitchen - February 1, 2012
The experience he’s accumulated consists of Jennings (paper champion), Clottey (all-but-lost), Pacquiao, and the men he’s fought at 154, one of whom no one respected, two of whom were already damaged goods. Which is fine, because he was in no way green in 2007-08, as a two-weight champion who didn’t come by those titles easily.
I find it really hard to argue that, a division above his ideal weight, at age 31, Cotto is somehow in his prime now. But hey, Mayweather isn’t either. It’ll be a good enough fight, but I’d be stunned if it’s much more than that.
El Destruyo - February 1, 2012
tangent, but...
it bugs me when people criticize Cotto’s victory over Clottey because they seem to forget, or at least not acknowledge, that Cotto fought 9 rounds of that fight with an enormous frickin’ gash over his eye caused by a headbutt. the cut was disgusting. and with all of that, Cotto gutted it out against a then-solid Clottey.
Sentimental - February 1, 2012
more than "then-solid." If you go back and read the boxing talk prior to the fight, there was near unanimous praise for Clottey as an opponent.
Matt Miller - February 1, 2012
Pretty much. Only asterisk being that it wasn’t Floyd, since it was supposed to be Floyd, and Clottey was basically “best available.”
Scott Christ - February 1, 2012
Uh, no
1) Cotto’s prime was at 140. Perhaps his absolute peak was the Mosley fight. He might be a better tactician now, but he also cuts much more easily and is significantly slower. But in the timeframe you discuss, his only clear win of consequence was against a shot Margarito.
2) Even this version of Cotto is better than Baldomir ever was.
Brickhaus - February 1, 2012 via mobile
xFenixKnightx - February 1, 2012
idk the situation
and Floyd may very well be right but he’s the last person that can fcking talk about ducking fights.
Drizzzy - February 1, 2012
I dunno, all that ducking talk earlier came from TR and that was before people knew how much of an asshole Arum was. This was always about money and egos.
Clove_art - February 1, 2012
I am excited that it is happening, though Cotto is a huge underdog. Cotto is no bigger than Mayweather really, so I don’t think that the weight makes much difference.
I know that some will use Floyd going to 154 as means to say that he is ‘ducking’ Alvarez or Sergio Martinez. Realistically though, Cotto generates way more money than Martinez and Alvarez just isn’t ready. He just beat Cintron.
Eoin_not_ian - February 1, 2012
the casual boxing fan im guessing is where the negative reaction is coming from..correct me if i am wrong..the same fan that only knows two boxers..granted for boxing to thrive they need more of these or maybe need more of these to turn into regular fans..but do us the boxing community really need to care of what the casual boxing fan thinks if they are only going to follow two boxers especially when the world wide leader in sports has idiots debating boxing(espn) on 1st and ten and pti
Vicmatic1 - February 1, 2012
any word on how much cotto is getting for the fight?
jake_ash - February 1, 2012
I would bet that he is making more money than he has ever made under Bob Arum.
Waldo Rastel - February 1, 2012
Shut your mouth! How dare you say such blasphemy!
Apprentice - February 1, 2012
yeah, has to be his biggest payday. am interested in the figure though. if i had to guess it’d be around 7.5 million cause it’s hard to see mayweather giving up any more than that to anyone not named pacquiao.
cotto’s last fight was 5 million plus a share of ppv revenue. wonder how much that came out to…he’s done alright with top rank through the years…
jake_ash - February 1, 2012
It may be just a percentage split. Honestly, if Cotto got a 70-30 split, he would be killing that $5 million mark.
Waldo Rastel - February 1, 2012
totally, but has mayweather given any opponents a split lately? i thought he just gave them a flat fee to fight him and he takes the risks and reward$?
im curious if this cotto deal is similar, as he’s not fought anyone with as much leverage as cotto has/had in a while…
jake_ash - February 1, 2012
wasnt cotto guaranteed 7.5 for the pac fight at 65-35?
Vicmatic1 - February 1, 2012
Cotto made about $12 million for the Pacquiao fight.
Scott Christ - February 1, 2012
so under a 70-30 split that people are mentioning..will he make more than that..i mean we obviously do not know the numbers yet but the big hoopla is that miguel cotto will make more than he ever will fighting floyd even tho floyds last 3 opponents jmm was guaranted 3 million, mosley 5 million, and ortiz 2 million..just a question?
Vicmatic1 - February 1, 2012
Miguel Cotto carries a lot more weight than any of those guys. I’ve got no idea what Cotto’s purse here is — could be $7-8M, could be $10M.
Scott Christ - February 1, 2012
i figured it be closer to a 10 million guarantee but the talk on here by some people that cotto would be too expensive of an opponent
Vicmatic1 - February 1, 2012
It won't be a split
Mayweather wants to own all the upside, period.
Brickhaus - February 1, 2012 via mobile
Miguel will make a lot of money on this fight
And God bless him.
But he will in all likelihood be back knocking at TR’s door if he loses in order to get their matched with their other fighters.
Unless he wins of course. Then he will get the richest re-match payday he might never have imagined.
The question I have to ask is can he do any beeter than he did against Manny…and conversely what can Floyd do that Manny didn’t in decimating Cotto
pakinpower - February 1, 2012
Floyd just knows how to win and take minimal punishment, hence his lack of rematches. I don’t think Floyd will KO him, but I do believe he can make Cotto look bad for 12 rds. If Cotto decides to gamble late in the fight, he could get caught badly.
Clove_art - February 1, 2012
Cotto never gambles in the late rounds
He backpedals.
pakinpower - February 2, 2012
Manny can almost demolish anyone at catchweight
honorablecbm - February 1, 2012 via iPhone app
What in the world did that have to do with this post?
Kory Kitchen - February 1, 2012
ha, looks out of place
Just responding to Manny decimating Cotto (at 145)
honorablecbm - February 1, 2012 via iPhone app
Eh. As much as I love Cotto he doesn’t have anything on Floyd. 12 RD shutout decision. Manny-Bradley is interesting enough though.
lightmartyr - February 2, 2012
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