Team Mayweather: "Cotto Not Important"

[Fox McCloud]

**** Team Mayweather, get ****ing real. If Cotto doesn't deserve it, two guys you have already beaten don't deserve it. Especially Ricky Hatton, his resume is not great. He beat an old Tszyu and an ancient Castillo. Oscar is old as **** too. Still good, but clearly not prime enough to warrant a rematch.

I just don't ****ing get it. I can't imagine that Floyd, who is undefeated, and has dominated almost every match would possibly be scared of Cotto, but it really is looking more and more like he is. I just don't ****ing understand why that would be though.

[pelonxsoldier28]

**** Team Mayweather, get ****ing real. If Cotto doesn't deserve it, two guys you have already beaten don't deserve it. Especially Ricky Hatton, his resume is not great. He beat an old Tszyu and an ancient Castillo. Oscar is old as **** too. Still good, but clearly not prime enough to warrant a rematch.

I just don't ****ing get it. I can't imagine that Floyd, who is undefeated, and has dominated almost every match would possibly be scared of Cotto, but it really is looking more and more like he is. I just don't ****ing understand why that would be though.

that's cause, imo, cotto can fight speed/defensive fighters and beat them, mayweather knows that and has ellerbe making up excuses for him. but like i said that's my opinion. only floyd really knows why he won't fight cotto. but i'm sure it's safe to say it's not what ellerbe is stating.

[Pullcounter]

R U getting Money from Floyd? No right? SO stop wearing about Floyd getting paychecks, and start being a fan and wear about the fight happening.

the fight will happen. I don't care what floyd makes but all I know is the fight won't happen unless Arum pays floyd what he wants. I can ignore that fact like you all I want but that's not what will make the fight happen any sooner. What will make the fight happen sooner is if floyd gets paid. So you need to talk about it and get Arum to pay up so we can see this fight asap.

[JoartCC]

**** Team Mayweather, get ****ing real. If Cotto doesn't deserve it, two guys you have already beaten don't deserve it. Especially Ricky Hatton, his resume is not great. He beat an old Tszyu and an ancient Castillo. Oscar is old as **** too. Still good, but clearly not prime enough to warrant a rematch.

I just don't ****ing get it. I can't imagine that Floyd, who is undefeated, and has dominated almost every match would possibly be scared of Cotto, but it really is looking more and more like he is. I just don't ****ing understand why that would be though.

It took you live a million years to understand Fake Floyd is a coward.

Good for you.

At least you have a brain.

[deevel79]

Scoop Malinowski BLASTS Floyd and Ellerbe for thier latest excuse.

Team Mayweather has floated several different excuses and reasons to duck Miguel Cotto in the past but this week, probably after extremely careful deliberation, they've come out and settled on one - that Cotto lacks enough star power to interest Floyd..

Leonard Ellerbe said to the New York Post: "I think Cotto is a good fighter who's definitely improving. His promotional company has done a good job in getting the right type of fights to increase his visibility. But he's still not there yet. The numbers don't lie. If nobody's watching him as evidenced by the ratings, what makes him important? I'm not saying he's a bad fighter. He's a good fighter. But he's obviously not on Floyd's level because nobody's watching."
"It took Floyd nine years to get on pay-per-view," Ellerbe said. "When Floyd steps into the ring, it's going to be about legacy and economics. He's in control of what's going on and if those two things aren't happening, Floyd's not going to be part of that."

If you remember, Team Mayweather has also used several other flimsy excuses to avoid Cotto: 1. We won't do business with Bob Arum again. 2. I'm not going to let boxing retire me, I will retire from boxing, when asked by Larry Merchant on HBO after the Hatton win if he will fight Cotto. 3. Floyd's bored with boxing. 4. Floyd's body is breaking down. 5. Cotto is a punching bag and he knows he can't beat Floyd. 6. Floyd may go to MMA or WWE.

So now Team Mayweather has made it clear yet again they are absolutely refusing to consider a Welterweight Superfight, one that everyone wants to see, because Cotto is, in their opinion, lacking star power, according to an HBO ratings statistic they came up with. Whatever the rating was, no one can deny the atmosphere at the Boardwalk Hall on April 12 was much more exciting than any Mayweather fights which weren't piggybacked on Gatti, Oscar or Hatton.

The problem most logical boxing fans will have with this Team Mayweather excuse is that at one time Floyd was himself in the same situation. Floyd's HBO ratings vs. Henry Bruseles must have been similar or worse but Floyd persevered and Arturo Gatti, being the true warrior he is, fought Mayweather in a match he was a massive long-shot. Team Gatti never once used any excuses such as "Floyd is unimportant to us" or "Floyd's ratings for the Bruseles fight were too low for us to fight him." Gatti accepted the fact it was the fight the boxing powers wanted to see and some fans wanted and he agreed to it. Gatti, as a superstar, respected the fact Floyd deserved an opportunity on the big stage and gave it to him, without using any EXCUSES.

Next it was Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar, the most popular figure in the sport, did not have to fight the far less popular but talented Mayweather who was practically booed out of the arena during his boring win against Carlos Baldomir. Oscar, a much bigger star than Floyd, did not use any excuses to duck Mayweather like citing Floyd's small (in comparison) pay-per-view numbers or the fact ticket-buyers began walking out of the Baldomir fight well before it was over. Oscar did what was right for boxing (and himself), gave the fans the fight they wanted to see, and gave a very big special favor for the career of Mayweather.

Ellerbe, speaking for Mayweather, is not showing anywhere remotely near the same respect or generosity towards Miguel Cotto. They are desperately grasping on to the straw excuse that 'Cotto lacks enough star power/importance for us to fight him.' Which is totally hypocritical to the generosity of Gatti and Oscar which helped Mayweather ascend to his current position in boxing.

Gatti did not seek to maximize payday rematches with Branco or Dorin as a way to duck Mayweather. De La Hoya did not seek to maximize lucrative rematches with Vargas or Mayorga so in order to duck Mayweather. They did the right thing for the sport and the fans, they fought the best and took their chances.

Why won't Mayweather fight the best and take his chances? It seems rather clear by now, with all the different excuses and reasons to duck Cotto, Mayweather fears something about Cotto and is unsure if he can defeat the Puerto Rican powerhouse. That's the final conclusion and it must be written and said. There's no time to sugarcoat it or sweep it under the rug anymore. Bob Arum is probably 100% right when he insists with firm certainty that Mayweather "is a PSYCHOLOGICAL COWARD."

Boxing fans should unite and make a collective statement when they try to sell us Floyd vs. Oscar II, a lousy rematch of a first fight which Glen Johnson called "garbage" and Bob Foster called "a bunch of junk." Because there is by far only one superfight in boxing right now and no matter what a self-serving yes man like Ellerbe (according to Jeff Mayweather) says, it's Miguel Cotto vs. Floyd Mayweather. A tantalizing showdown between the two best welterweights on the planet, humble gracious champion vs. the arrogant titleholder...the honorable and noble class act vs. the immature spoiled punk...the fearless warrior who will fight whoever they put in front of him vs. the handpicker who has selected every single opponent from day one...the relentless offensive firepower of Cotto vs. the aesthetic defensive boxing skills of Floyd...the soft-spoken gentleman vs. the loud-mouthed braggart.

Ellerbe can talk all he wants about how unimportant Miguel Cotto is. But it's a bluff. An empty, self-serving, self-surviving bluff. The real reason Mayweather won't fight Cotto is because there's a more than likely chance Floyd will be violently and abusively knocked out.

Because if Team Mayweather truly felt confident they could beat Cotto wouldn't they at least say something like, Yes we will fight Cotto once he beats Margarito or so-and-so? But Team Mayweather has never once said they will fight Cotto under any conditions, not even winner take all. Or a 90-10% split.

I believe Team Mayweather, despite all their different excuses and reasons, is actually patiently banking on one single option to avoid Cotto. They are hoping Cotto loses to Antonio Margarito or, say, Paul Williams.

Team Mayweather's latest excuse only affirms what most logical boxing fans already know. Floyd Mayweather is afraid to step in a ring and fight a young, strong, intelligent, confident, proud, classy and honorable warrior like Miguel Cotto.

[Jorge Swaby]

Well I actually read all of this, and you made some very good points, well written and has alot of truth to it, I think Mayweather would beat Cotto anyways, I dont think Floyd is scared of Cotto, he just not a rookie in the sport and knows that fighting De La Hoya makes him more money and its a en esier fight, so he takes that option... wich has to be understood aswell from a bussiness prospective, see at this same stage of mayweather carrer alot of fighters keep fighting the top young gunners out there, and they usually get beat... and their value keeps going down, but mayweather has the option to fight twice against someone who is no risk to him for alot of money instead of fighting someone whith alot of risk for less moeny, and so hed rather stay safe and getting richer than being brave and prove the boxing fans wrong.

And also beating De La Hoya keeps him safe in the P4P list (even though people know he can beat already, and de la hoya is not in the p4p list)

While if Cotto beats Maragarito, he still wont surpase Mayweather.

So you can call Mayweather chioces that of a coward, but its something that any smart boxer or bussiness man would do

[tredh]

Myself included all these replies and posts is exactly what PBF wants. I think the fight will happen later than sooner but hey as long as the **** happens.

As for everybody's money comments nobody has the right to tell any man how much money he should be willing to accept for anything. To me that is like a person walking up to yall on yall's jobs and tell yall "I'm cutting your salary you will now only be paid $10,000 a year and if you don't accept it you are a coward and lazy." Yall see how that **** sounds.

YES AS A PBF FAN I WANT THE FIGHT TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW. I also am of the opinion that Cotto will lose and it won't be a great fight.

[C'MONMANG']

**** Team Mayweather, get ****ing real. If Cotto doesn't deserve it, two guys you have already beaten don't deserve it. Especially Ricky Hatton, his resume is not great. He beat an old Tszyu and an ancient Castillo. Oscar is old as **** too. Still good, but clearly not prime enough to warrant a rematch.

I just don't ****ing get it. I can't imagine that Floyd, who is undefeated, and has dominated almost every match would possibly be scared of Cotto, but it really is looking more and more like he is. I just don't ****ing understand why that would be though.

I remember the old days when I would say things like this and you thought I was just hating..

stay gold pony boy

[supermandathoe]

**** Team Mayweather, get ****ing real. If Cotto doesn't deserve it, two guys you have already beaten don't deserve it. Especially Ricky Hatton, his resume is not great. He beat an old Tszyu and an ancient Castillo. Oscar is old as **** too. Still good, but clearly not prime enough to warrant a rematch.

I just don't ****ing get it. I can't imagine that Floyd, who is undefeated, and has dominated almost every match would possibly be scared of Cotto, but it really is looking more and more like he is. I just don't ****ing understand why that would be though.

Something weird has happened. I think you were owned by commonmang too much because you can't even realize what is going on. It's a shame because you saw this clearly, but now you have become an ignoramus.

[Clegg]

I really hope that Steve Forbes wins.

Mayweather seems mentally weak. A few reasons why:

It's quite telling that he often seems to play the bad guy. Look at someone like Hatton. He goes and makes an effort to make people like him. His attitude in interviews, his public persona etc. are all geared towards making him seem like a genuine nice guy and increase his popularity. Mayweather, on the other hand, seems to do the opposite.

It's a defense mechanism. A bit like when a guy likes a girl, but knows that she would never want to be with him, so he pretends that he doesn't like her. Mayweather hasn't got the confidence to try and be popular and liked in the way that Hatton and de la Hoya are. He's scared that it won't work, so instead he 'rejects' people before they can reject him by constantly acting in a way that people will dislike. That way he can tell himself that their boos are what he was hoping for.

Mayweather tries to justify this by saying that you need to have a good guy and a bad guy. But de la Hoya is one of the most popular fighters ever, and millions of people love Tito, yet somehow these two popular, well-liked boxers managed to have a very successful fight that everyone wanted to see.

Look at the Baldomir fight: here was a guy that Mayweather could've stopped if he had actually tried, but instead he ended up TKOing most of the audience. A guy who really believed himself to be the greatest of all time wouldn't have what Mayweather did.

And don't get me started on the crying at the post-fight press conference...