It's right about that time to start amping up the hard sell for Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Miguel Cotto on May 5, so here's the trailer for HBO's 24/7 series dedicated to the showdown in Vegas:
Apart from the fact that Mayweather's 24/7 stories are old news now, I think HBO's also going to have trouble topping the two-part Cotto-Margarito series from late last year, the last run of the show. That one was incredible. So incredible that apparently he now goes by just one name, the supervillain: Margarito. "Antonio" is out. Too human.
I think I'm more intrigued simply by the visual of Mayweather and Cotto in a ring together than I am this fight. Mayweather is arguably the ace star of his generation, is almost certainly the best fighter of his generation, and yet it constantly feels like something is missing. I don't think he's fought a bum schedule or anything like that, I just feel like, somehow, he still lacks that signature win. I know that's almost foolish if you really think about it -- I seriously do realize what I'm saying is kind of crazy considering this guy beat Oscar De La Hoya in the biggest PPV fight of all-time, beat Ricky Hatton in front of a mega-rowdy Vegas crowd, beat Zab Judah after a riot, beat the living crap out of memorable warriors Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti, etc.
It's just a feeling I always have. I could be 100% off-base with that, but that's OK. He needs that great opponent, though, is my belief. Part of it is he's just flat-out better than everyone and it's not his fault or anything. He has the natural ability and insane dedication to be that good. I'm just speaking entirely as a boxing fan. I wish he'd get truly tested, which in my view we've seen against just one guy, Jose Luis Castillo, and that wasn't some big "mega-fight" or anything.
Cotto probably isn't the guy to do it at this point, but I like to let my mind dream and wander and do all sorts of pointless crap, and he's been one of the biggest stars of this generation, too. This is, at the least, legitimate star vs legitimate star. The atmosphere should be great on May 5, even if the fight winds up going how most of us figure it will.