Floyd Mayweather Jr. hints why he’s fighting Miguel Cotto
LAS VEGAS -- The theory all along among those trying to read Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s mind was that he’d spotted some flaws in Miguel Cotto before deciding to fight him -- at 154 pounds, no less.
Mayweather (42-0, 26 knockouts) is an astute student of his craft whose choices of recent foes Shane Mosley and Victor Ortiz has revealed what the 35-year-old veteran with five weight-class world titles was thinking.
Mosley was getting too old. Ortiz was too undisciplined.
As for World Boxing Assn. super-welterweight champion Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs), Mayweather conceded Wednesday that he thinks the Puerto Rican is slow to react.
“[Antonio] Margarito fought him with loaded gloves [in 2008], but [Margarito’s] not super fast, so why was he getting hit with those shots?” Mayweather Jr. said at the final news conference before the pay-per-view bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“I get to the target quicker.”
Mayweather also said he thinks he can play mind games to influence Cotto, despite denials from the Cotto camp that the talkative Mayweather can penetrate the champion’s mind.
“They’re saying you can’t get to Miguel Cotto, but [he] could’ve said no to fighting [Manny Pacquiao] at 145 pounds and still got the fight, and he didn’t.... He was drained,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather was warm to the suggestion he’s taken on recent challengers who were considered tougher fighters as a way to alter his legacy as a fast, defensive fighter who runs from engagement.
“I’m going to take a couple steps [away from brawling] when I have to, but I don’t have to do all that running and moving if I don’t have to,” Mayweather said. “I can bang and box, and keep the guy at the end of my stick. I can get in there and engage. How it plays out is how it plays out. I’m here to fight.”
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