Only a handful of fighters have shared the ring with both Floyd Mayweather Jr and Miguel Cotto. One of those men is Shane Mosley, who will feature on the undercard against young Mexican titleholder Canelo Alvarez. And he tells BoxingScene.com that Mayweather had better be ready for a fight when he faces Cotto on May 5:
"Cotto is no slouch as well. Cotto can fight as well, and Mayweather better take him very seriously. It's a great fight. Floyd has the better boxing skills, but Cotto is no slouch. If you take Cotto for granted, then something else can happen and he could be the victor of that fight. I think that matchup is a great matchup. I think it’s a great fight."
Mayweather (42-0, 26 KO) and Cotto (37-2, 30 KO) will fight at the 154-pound limit on May 5, for Cotto's WBA "super" title. It will be just the second time that Mayweather, who turns 35 on February 24, has fought beyond the welterweight division.
Mosley lost a very competitive, memorable fight to Cotto back in November 2007, and about three years later was blown out by Mayweather at the MGM Grand. He fought both men at their best, or at least very close to their best -- before they started any notable decline, at the least. I would say that the Cotto who fought Shane Mosley was truly as good as Miguel Cotto got.
But Shane probably knows better than to have any true concern over Mayweather not being prepared. If Floyd showed up not at 100% on May 5, it would be the first time he's done so. There are valid reasons to wonder if he might be distracted, with his jail surrender date coming in June, but it's tough to imagine Floyd not being focused on a fight. It's what he lives for. It's where he validates himself and can truly shrug off any critic or "hater."
He'll be ready for Miguel Cotto.