Mayweather to fight Cotto May
5 in Las Vegas
February 1, 2012
LAS VEGAS - It's official. Boxing
superstar Floyd "Money" Mayweather will return to the ring, step up in
weight and challenge three-division World Champion Miguel Cotto for his
WBA Super Welterweight World title in what will be a gargantuan showdown
between two future Hall of Famers who bring excitement and fierce
competition every time they step into the ring. Mayweather vs. Cotto
will take place on Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las
Vegas, Nev. and will be televised live on pay-per-view.
Mayweather, a seven-time world champion in five weight classes, is
excited to be facing the heavier, much-tested Cotto, who is the pride of
Puerto Rico and has the experience, heart and determination to give
pound for pound king Mayweather the toughest fight of his career.
"Miguel Cotto is a world class fighter who can never be taken for
granted and continues to prove he is one of the best in boxing," said
Mayweather, whose only other fight at super welterweight came in a World
Boxing Council (WBC) world title win over Oscar de la Hoya in May 2007.
"It will be a challenge for me to compete with him at this weight, but
this is the type of test I thrive on and gives me the motivation to
train even harder. I have no doubt in my mind that my title belt
collection will increase once again and Cotto's reign as champion will
come to an end on May 5."
Cotto, coming off of the second defense of his title, a spectacular
tenth-round technical knockout win over Antonio Margarito in December
2011, is ready to face Mayweather and believes he is Mayweather's most
competitive career challenge to date.
"I am here to fight the biggest names in boxing," said Cotto who true to
his warrior spirit that has distinguished his entire career has accepted
this challenge to face the undefeated Mayweather. "I've never ducked
anyone or any challenge in front of me. I have accepted everything to
give the fans what they like...great and exciting fights. That is what
the sport of boxing is all about; making the fights that the fans want
and deserve to see. On May 5, stay tuned, because I will convincingly
beat Floyd Mayweather."
In addition to agreeing to the terms of the bout which will take place
on Cinco de Mayo, one of boxing's biggest weekends, both fighters have
agreed to Olympic-style drug testing for the fight.
"Floyd always asks us to find the best available competition for him to
fight and we have found that in Miguel Cotto," said Leonard Ellerbe,
CEO, Mayweather Promotions. "This is a very risky fight for Floyd as
Miguel is a solid 154-pound champion who has already proven to have
great boxing abilities and to be a very competent and strong puncher.
This is a big test for Floyd, but as always I believe, he is the
superior fighter with unmatched skills. This will make the difference
and lead to another Mayweather victory the night of May 5."
"What we have here are two champions of amazing caliber set to meet in
the ring on May 5 and give boxing and sports fan one of the most
compelling match-ups in the sport's history," said Richard Schaefer,
CEO, Golden Boy Promotions. "Floyd Mayweather has already achieved
worldwide recognition as one of the best fighters ever and Miguel Cotto
is one of the greatest fighters of this era. I commend both fighters for
agreeing to the fight each other on one of the biggest weekends for
boxing and also commend them for agreeing to participate in Olympic
style drug testing, a precedent set by Floyd, which continues to uphold
the integrity of the sport."
The undefeated Mayweather, (41-0, 25 KO's), a seven-time world champion
in five weight divisions, remains boxing's biggest attraction, wowing
crowds and generating record pay-per-view numbers each time he steps
into the ring. During his extraordinary career, he has amassed wins over
world champions such as Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti,
Zab Judah, Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane
Mosley. His last fight against then WBC Welterweight World Champion
Victor Ortiz on September 17, 2011 not only showed his boxing skills, as
he took the younger Ortiz to school in the first three rounds before
knocking him out in the fourth stanza. He is also no stranger to
appearing on the classic Mexican celebratory weekends such as Cinco de
Mayo and Mexican Independence Day as his fight with Cotto will mark the
fifth fight of his career to land on one of those weekends. Mayweather
returns to face Cotto in an attempt to capture his eighth world
championship.
Cotto (36-2, 29 KO's), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, has held a world title
every year since 2004 while winning 16 of the 18 world championship
bouts in which he has fought. Puerto Rico's most exciting fighter and
one of its greatest of all time, Cotto held the World Boxing
Organization (WBO) Junior Welterweight crown from 2004-2006,
successfully defending it six times before vacating it to capture the
WBA Welterweight title at the end of 2006, a title he held for nearly as
long. After losing the WBA title to Margarito in July 2008, Cotto won
his second welterweight belt in February 2009, knocking out Michael
Jennings in the fifth round to become the WBO Welterweight champion. He
lost the title in his second defense in November 2009, but captured the
WBA Super Welterweight title in June of 2010 at Yankee Stadium in New
York by stopping then-undefeated defending champion Yuri Foreman. Cotto
successfully defended that title by stopping Two-Division World Champion
Ricardo Mayorga in the 12th round in March of 2011 and, in his last
fight, finally avenged his loss to Margarito, once again retaining his
title and giving him true peace of mind.
Mayweather vs. Cotto, a 12-round fight for Cotto's WBA Super
Welterweight World title, is presented by Mayweather Promotions, Golden
Boy Promotions and Miguel Cotto Promotions. More information on
Mayweather vs. Cotto, including ticket prices, pay- per- view
information as well as press tour dates and cities, will be announced
shortly.
Published on WBAN. We cover women's boxing and men's boxing.
