By Edward Chaykovsky
WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26KOs) is feeling very confident about his ability to overcome Miguel Cotto (37-0, 30KOs), despite the weight limit of 154-pounds, on May 5th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather has set a goal of snatching away Cotto's WBA junior middleweight championship - which in turn would make Mayweather a two-time champ at 154. He previously held the WBC title at 154 by winning a twelve round decision over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.
"When we step into the ring it's one on one. The trainer can't fight for the fighters. At the age of 35, I am still going strong. I am still hungry and I still want to give the fans nothing but excitement. This is a strong champion from Puerto Rico. He's WBA champion at this particular time. My goal is to go out there and take the belt away from Miguel Cotto. To get to this level, it's obvious that he [Cotto] does a lot of things good. I have to bite down, go to camp and stay focused," Mayweather said.
Several points Mayweather brought up were related to Cotto's previous defeats. On one hand Mayweather disregards Cotto's losses, because he labels Antonio Margarito as a cheater and he says Manny Pacquiao cut corners by fighting the Puerto Rican star at a catch-weight of 145-pounds. On the other hand, because Cotto got knocked out twice, he believes those old ghosts may resurface during their fight in May.
"What's special about this fight is you have two strong champions that have been around the sport for a long time with a lot of experience. I have a little more experience than Miguel Cotto and I know what it takes when it's a fight of this magnitude. I feel like if a guy has hit the canvas before, it's in his mind that it can happen again. I feel like I have what it takes to win this fight. I feel that my hands are faster, I'm the better counter puncher. I've shown that I have a great chin. I don't have to go in the fight weighing 154. I'm a guy that's blessed with the ability to go up and down and beat the best fighters they have in the sport of boxing," Mayweather said.
