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The last time Floyd “Money” Mayweather stepped up to 154 lbs., he dropped the only card of his career, with judge Tom Kaczmarek scoring 115-113 for Oscar De La Hoya in their May 2007 encounter for the WBC light middleweight title. Oscar was, at the time, not to be found on any P4P list and was ranked fifth at 154 lbs. by Ring magazine. Currently, the same publication ranks Miguel Cotto, who will be the man in the other corner for Mayweather’s second foray up to light middleweight, as #1 in that division, and he is ranked #9 pound-for pound by Boxing.com
Mayweather was almost universally regarded as the world’s greatest boxer when his fight with De La Hoya was made, but Oscar had done little to recommend himself. Whilst he had looked spectacular against the always-willing Ricardo Mayorga almost a year earlier, in the three years prior to that he had lost a questionable decision to Shane Mosley, won a questionable decision against Felix Sturm, and been stopped by Bernard Hopkins. He was 2-2 and averaging a fight a year. In short, he was semi-retired.
Miguel Cotto, on the other hand, is an active champion and is 3-1 in his last four fights, all his wins coming by way of stoppage. His only loss came against the Ying to Mayweather’s Yang, his twisted mirror image, his only competitor for the pound-for-pound crown he wore for his fight with De La Hoya, the offensive machine to Mayweather’s defensive genius, Manny Pacquiao. In short—Cotto is not semi-retired.
The only card on which Mayweather has ever lost was at the weight where these two meet on Saturday night and with a certain kind of light illuminating a certain kind of paper, Cotto should be a tougher challenge for the ageing Mayweather than the ageing De La Hoya was for the younger Floyd. So what was it about Oscar that troubled Mayweather that night? And much more importantly, can Cotto recreate those woes?
The last time Floyd “Money” Mayweather stepped up to 154 lbs., he dropped the only card of his career, with judge Tom Kaczmarek scoring 115-113 for Oscar De La Hoya in their May 2007 encounter for the WBC light middleweight title. Oscar was, at the time, not to be found on any P4P list and was ranked fifth at 154 lbs. by Ring magazine. Currently, the same publication ranks Miguel Cotto, who will be the man in the other corner for Mayweather’s second foray up to light middleweight, as #1 in that division, and he is ranked #9 pound-for pound by Boxing.com
Mayweather was almost universally regarded as the world’s greatest boxer when his fight with De La Hoya was made, but Oscar had done little to recommend himself. Whilst he had looked spectacular against the always-willing Ricardo Mayorga almost a year earlier, in the three years prior to that he had lost a questionable decision to Shane Mosley, won a questionable decision against Felix Sturm, and been stopped by Bernard Hopkins. He was 2-2 and averaging a fight a year. In short, he was semi-retired.
Miguel Cotto, on the other hand, is an active champion and is 3-1 in his last four fights, all his wins coming by way of stoppage. His only loss came against the Ying to Mayweather’s Yang, his twisted mirror image, his only competitor for the pound-for-pound crown he wore for his fight with De La Hoya, the offensive machine to Mayweather’s defensive genius, Manny Pacquiao. In short—Cotto is not semi-retired.
The only card on which Mayweather has ever lost was at the weight where these two meet on Saturday night and with a certain kind of light illuminating a certain kind of paper, Cotto should be a tougher challenge for the ageing Mayweather than the ageing De La Hoya was for the younger Floyd. So what was it about Oscar that troubled Mayweather that night? And much more importantly, can Cotto recreate those woes?
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