Words by Gary Andrew Poole

Floyd Mayweather Jr. stood in the middle of the ring on Saturday.  He was on top of the pugilistic world after beating Miguel Cotto for the superwelterweight title but he looked very small, hoping for adulation.   As is the tradition at the end of his fights, the crowd booed him—many people watch him fight hoping he will lose–but it only lasted for a moment. He had given such a great performance that the crowd didn’t really have their hearts in it.  Mayweather is a brilliant fighter and he is undefeated in forty three tries, but even after a great win against Cotto, the name Manny Pacquiao, inevitably, entered the conversation.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are two men who can’t seem to do anything without being questioned about each other. Could Pacquiao become Mayweather’s 44th opponent?  Could the Filipino put an end to the winning streak?

On Saturday in Las Vegas, Mayweather—who walked to the ring with Justin Bieber– won his bout, but the fight turned out to be closer than most people thought it would be, and for the first time since he fought Oscar De La Hoya five years ago, he showed some minor vulnerabilities—instead of using his beautiful footwork to move backwards and laterally to avoid punches, he spent time on the ropes, taking shots from Cotto.  The Puerto Rican star fought strategically, mixing up his punches, smartly cutting off the ring, and even giving Mayweather a bloody nose with a couple of stiff jabs.  But Mayweather was able to earn a unanimous decision because he is still a better boxer than anyone else, with the possible exception of Pacquiao.  Mayweather threw 687 punches, 181 more than Cotto, Mayweather  connected on 26 percent of them, and neutralized  Cotto’s signature left hook.

After Mayweather took the microphone and the MGM crowd grew quiet, he talked about Pacquiao.  Would he fight him? “I wanted to fight Pacquiao this fight but I couldn’t make it happen.”   The same questions, the same answers, a frustrating rite in modern boxing.  It can’t go on forever.  Both men are still the best, but they are also getting older. Every punch they receive now slows them.  Pacquiao looked just a little bit slower in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, and despite his unanimous decision win on Saturday, Mayweather didn’t look quite as quick as he once did.  He has to go toe-to-toe more now, and he endured 75 power punches:  he never wobbled but Cotto was landing some, and the trauma adds up. Mayweather will be starting a 90 day jail sentence on June 1, which won’t help his boxing life.   He talked of Pacquiao, who fights in June, and wanting to fight him because the fans wanted it and everyone cheered him because everyone wants it.  But it looked no closer.  And everyone knew that too.