Mayweather vs. Cotto: What Cotto Must Do to Score Massive Upset

Miguel Cotto will enter his bout with Floyd Mayweather as a huge underdog despite having an impressive résumé of his own, including a victory over Antonio Margarito in December. That should give "Junito" plenty of motivation heading into the hyped fight.

Let's take a look at three things Cotto must accomplish in order to walk out of MGM Grand Garden Arena with the WBA light middleweight title belt still around his waist.

Be Aggressive

The biggest mistake opponents make against Mayweather is sitting back too much. While figure it will limit his unmatched counterattacking skills, in reality it plays right into his hands. That's why Cotto needs to assert himself as the aggressor.

Not only does that give him the best chance to pull off the upset, but also fits his skill set best. He's a power puncher who has recorded 30 of his 37 wins by knockout. If he doesn't come out on the attack from the opening bell, he's doing himself a disservice.

The approach will allow Cotto to control the pace. He needs to force Mayweather to play a lot of defense early. That way he won't have as much power to forge a comeback attempt later in the fight.

Conserve Energy

Once the fight reaches the middle rounds, it will be time for Cotto to stay conserving energy. Mayweather has gone the distance in five of his last seven fights, so the chance of an early knockout are slim. Cotto will need to have pop left late.

Of course, it's something that's easier said than done. If Mayweather senses that Cotto is backing off, he's going to turn up the heat. "Junito" can't stop forcing the issue altogether. He just needs to scale it back a little bit.

That should allow him to keep up with Mayweather when he inevitably starts picking up the pace late in the first. Against most boxers that's enough to score a victory, but Cotto should be prepared for it.

Ignore Intimidation Factor

Nobody has ever defeated Mayweather. He's gone up against stronger fighters, smarter fighters and plenty of the sport's biggest stars, and won every time. That's because beating him isn't only a physical battle, but a mental one as well.

His game plan has been perfected over 42 professional fights and no one has been able to solve it. That's a gigantic mental hurdle to jump before the bell even rings. Cotto must have confidence he can become the first person to solve the Mayweather riddle.

If he can do that, the task inside the ring will become a lot easier. He has enough talent to end Mayweather's unbeaten run, so it's simply a matter of getting the job done under the bright lights of Las Vegas.