Originally posted by Dynamite Kid
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The only division that Floyd didn't fight the recognized champion was jrWW and that was because Kostya Tszyu had demanded a 60/40 split. Tszyu wouldn't budge so Mayweather had to move forward and fight Gatti while Tszyu wound up fighting the up and coming Hatton.
Mayweather moved up to WW and Hatton decided to chase the money. Mayweather wanted to beat the man who had beaten Kostya Tszyu. It was the closest he'd get as Tszyu retired right after his loss to Hatton.
That was the significance of that fight. That was the intrigue that it held at the time. Cotto didn't even have any big wins at 140lbs. Cotto's biggest win came over a close match with Mosley that many felt should have gone the other way.
Cotto, with one noteworthy win in his entire career, was in no position to demand anything. Remember, questions were being asked about Mosley's viability as a top contender at that point as he was coming off losses.
It wasn't until Mosley knocked Margarito out that he regained prominence in the sport. So while Cotto's win did raise his standing by finally giving him victory over a noteworthy name, Mosley was mostly name at that point as he was only fight guys like Vargas and Collazo at that point.
When you put things into perspective, **** makes a lot more sense.
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