Mayweather vs. Cotto: Why Pretty Boy Floyd Shouldn't Overlook Underrated Cotto

Floyd Mayweather heads into his bout against Miguel Cotto as a heavy favorite, which isn't a surprise considering his undefeated record. That's always a dangerous spot, however, because it's easy to overlook an opponent. "Pretty Boy" can't afford to do that on May 5.

Cotto will enter the fight with nothing to lose. Everybody expects him to get pummeled by Mayweather, so if that's exactly what happens, so be it. He can come out with his usual aggressiveness and hope to gain an advantage early.

The Puerto Rican sensation isn't a pushover, either. He has accumulated a 37-2 career record with his only losses coming against Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. In his last fight back in December, he got revenge against Margarito.

Of his 37 victories, 30 have come by knockout. He doesn't shy away from contact and has proven more than willing to take a couple heavy shots it if means he also gets the chance to wear his opponent down. His loss to "Pac-Man" came in the final round, so he can truly hang with anybody.

Mayweather employs a more defensive style, intended to frustrate fighters like Cotto who are always looking for a knockout. That said, Cotto is a 31-year-old veteran with plenty of experience under his belt. He knows what to expect next month.

He won't fall into the same traps so many boxers have during Mayweather's impressive unbeaten run. It won't stop him from attacking, but he's not going to overdo it in the early rounds. He knows his best chance will probably be going the distance, so conserving energy will be vital.

There's no doubt Mayweather has more talent and should win, but his margin for error isn't as large in some of his recent fights. He can't afford to sleepwalk through a couple rounds and expect to make a comeback.

If he leaves even a small opening, Cotto will capitalize. The underdog knows this fight presents him with an awesome opportunity to land more high-profile bouts moving forward. A victory would provide an untold boost to his career.

All these seemingly minor factors add up to a potentially great fight. If Mayweather doesn't bring his A-game, he'll be in for a true battle and Cotto will have an upset on his mind.