Cotto Ready to Replace Mayweather
Everything about the hold-up regarding the possibility of a Pacquiao – Mayweather fight is disappointing given its prospects.
On the one hand you have Mayweather. Here’s a guy who's undefeated in 40 bouts against a range of superstars, and because of that statistic is going down as one of the best to ever lace them up. But yet something still lacks; for a fighter who’s allegedly proven everything in the ring, there's an alarming sense of still having to prove himself. That’s where Pacquiao should fit in.
For Pacquiao, who has been defeated, this is about continuing to carve his name into history books. The paradox with Pacquiao is that while he doesn’t have the record on paper that Mayweather has, he brings with him a sense of having accomplished just as much, if not more. In him the concept of ‘proving himself in the ring’ seemed to have become stale and inapplicable long ago.
In another day, the world would have already witnessed a Pacquiao and Mayweather fight, and the whole thing would already have been decided. But in today’s hyper-business forum, where money and self-interest are the only variables that speak, it’s becoming more and more unlikely that we’ll ever see this super fight.
In any case, Miguel Cotto has expressed an interest in taking Mayweather’s place if possible, vouching for a second chance against Pacquiao. A win against Pacquiao would dramatically advance Cotto in the eyes of many, as well as in official ratings.
“Who doesn’t want to fight Manny Pacquiao?” Cotto said recently. Pacquiao stopped him in the 12th round of a match last year, in which Cotto consistently looked the slower of the two and reaped most of the punishment. "It's simple, a fight with Manny Pacquiao brings a lot of money," he is quoted as saying.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who promotes both fighters, has apparently already considered the rematch, and is expected to make a formal announcement sometime next week. Much is still contingent on whether Mayweather will decide to accept the terms of a fight, or remain inactive for the rest of the year.
The match appeals to Pacquiao because Cotto currently holds the WBO super welterweight crown, a title he won after defeating Yuri Foreman. Pacquiao has an astonishing seven world titles in seven different weight classes, and winning another would add to the list and further cement Pacquiao’s legacy.
Cotto has said that he believes he still has another two years of fighting in him, and he is also coming off the momentum of a title win, which puts him in good standings. But Pacquiao has proven that he gains strength with age, and seems to have somehow discovered how to preserve a stride. And this despite the fact that he is two years older than Cotto.
Bob Arum is justified in scheduling a Pacquiao – Cotto rematch due to the large revenues it will bring in.
Pacquiao remains Arum’s top prospect at this point, and much of his business venture is staked on his continued success.
Arum has determined to give Mayweather until Friday night to either accept or reject the terms of a Pacquiao match. The two have had trouble cementing terms so far for a variety of reasons. Mayweather has said that he must make the greater purse, and that Pacquiao should be subjected to urine and blood tests up until the day of the fight. Presumably Mayweather’s harsh terms denote scepticism in Pacquiao’s ability to jump up between seven different weight classes.
The possibility of a Mayweather – Pacquiao bout would have far-reaching effects on each fighter, and a mutual feeling of anxiety could be impeding progress.
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