Mayweather Takes #2 Spot At 147 Over Cotto In Ring Ratings. Does He Deserve It?

Let’s take a quick look at what both men have accomplished at welterweight. Since entering the 147-pound division in December of 2006, Cotto has fought eight times against six RING-rated welterweight contenders -- including Carlos Quintana, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, and Joshua Clottey (all of whom are still rated). Cotto’s record against the RING-rated contenders is 5-1, the lone loss being his 11th-round TKO to Margarito last July that is now in question following the Mexican’s hand-wraps scandal from earlier this year. Since entering the 147-pound division in November of 2005, Mayweather has fought six times against two fighters who were rated by THE RING at welterweight, Judah and Carlos Baldomir (neither of whom are currently rated). Mayweather defeated Baldomir for the RING’s welterweight title and defended it once, against Ricky Hatton, THE RING’s 140-pound champ who was unrated at 147 pounds. Between Mayweather’s fights with Baldomir and Hatton, he took on and defeated Oscar De La Hoya at junior middleweight. While, the combination of winning the welterweight title, beating a legend for a 154-pound belt, and then knocking out a then-undefeated 140-pound champ fueled Mayweather’s case for being the sport’s pound-for-pound king, it did little to enhance his standing as the 147-pound champ. Leaving the ring for 21 months and returning to beat the lightweight champ shouldn’t be enough for him to unseat Cotto in THE RING’s No. 2 spot. It says here that crushing Quintana (who was undefeated at the time and went on to upset Williams), wearing down Judah to a late stoppage, outpointing Mosley, going to war with Margarito (who possibly had loaded gloves) for 10½ rounds and beating Clottey with one eye is more meaningful at 147 pounds than decisioning Judah, Baldomir, De La Hoya (then THE RING’s No. 5 junior middleweight) and stopping Hatton late. Again, it’s not that I don’t think that Mayweather is one of the best welterweights in the world; I just don’t believe he’s beaten enough quality 147 pounders to unseat Cotto. I would have put Mayweather at No. 3, which would have displaced Clottey, or better yet at No. 4, which would replace Margarito (who shouldn’t even be rated given his situation). I’m sure my opinion on Mayweather’s 147-pound ranking will be interpreted as more “May-hatin’” by his delusional hardcore following but I want to clarify that I’m not saying the former welterweight champ is not as good as Cotto, or even Mosley, the magazine’s No. 1-rated contender. He might be better than both. However, before I rank him above those two I want him to prove it by beating them in the ring or by taking on the number of RING-rated welterweight contenders they did in earning their placement. Is that unreasonable? - Doug Fischer