Mayweather vs. Cotto: 10 Most Riveting 24/7 Boxing Programs of All-Time

Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto have produced a rather tame 24/7 for viewers. HBO's Emmy-award-winning program has entertained and educated fans for years as a precursor to a major boxing event.

Most importantly, HBO's 24/7 is what sells potential pay-per-view buyers on why they should spend $60-$70 from their pocket to see a professional fight.

So far, the program has worked. Of the five programs Mayweather has participated in, four of them have sold over a million PPV buys.

Stars such as Cotto, Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao have risen from decent star status to household names just off their presence on the program, which usually lasts for four episodes.

Among those four episodes, the magic of getting to know a fighter like never before is revealed in segments highlighted by the best narration in sports documentary history.

Here are the 10 most riveting 24/7 programs.

Honorable Mention: Pacquiao-Margarito

Pacquiao was always going to get flack for taking on Antonio Margarito following Margarito getting caught with plaster in his gloves.

The only way to move the fight forward was with one way, to make Margarito into a horrible villain and Pacquiao into an honorable hero.

Margarito's lack of remorse mixed with his denial he knew about the plaster played well against Pacquiao's call of B.S. concerning the plaster and forgiveness of its usage in the past.

10. Mayweather-Marquez

If only for the pee, Mayweather-Marquez deserves some recognition on this list.

Though Juan Manuel Marquez proved to not be as flamboyant as his opponent Floyd Mayweather or as funny as Mayweather's previous opponent Ricky Hatton, Marquez did steal the show in one scene.

The scene where Marquez  describes the nutrients he releases and plans to retain by drinking his own urine has become an all-time classic and one of the greatest moments in HBO 24/7 history.

9. Pacquiao-Hatton

Surprisingly, this 24/7 succeeded. Though Floyd Mayweather was not fighting, Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton put on a good show on camera.

Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was insightful, and Hatton's new trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr, was downright hilarious. Their chemistry brought the show some of its funniest moments.

8. Mayweather-Ortiz

Mayweather had returned again from a long stretch of inactivity, but now he was facing a fighter ten years younger and a hell of a lot stronger and seemingly hungrier.

Victor Ortiz was a 24-year-old breath of fresh air. He was the new kid on the block and he wasn't afraid of the neighborhood bully.

Throw in Mayweather's musings on Ortiz's idol De La Hoya being in drag and his highly uncomfortable-to-watch confrontation with his father and you have the makings of an entertaining 24/7.

7. Pacquiao-Marquez

The history between Pacquiao and Marquez made for an interesting show highlighted by the wise assessments of trainers Freddie Roach and Nacho Beristain.

This is one of the few times the fighters' trainers arguably stole the entire show from their fighters.

24/7 became less about two warriors readying for war in the ring and more about the generals overseeing their preparation for battle.

6. De La Hoya-Pacquiao

Something special could be seen brewing. An underdog at the time, lightweight champ Pacquiao was aiming to dethrone the PPV king Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya was the star, but Pacquiao was the true fascination. His humbleness and rise from an impoverished background were still fresh and easy for the series to tread without bore.

5. Mayweather-Hatton

Mayweather was still young and far less cynical in his approach to HBO's 24/7.

The real concerns and struggles of Mayweather as a fighter are uncovered through visits to physical therapists to treat hand problems while preparing for one of the toughest fights of his career.

Hatton would emerge from 24/7 as a new star full of life, humor and occasionally witty remarks.

4. Mayweather-Mosley

This is the 24/7 that explored the histories of both its characters as one history that is without a necessary battle inside the ring.

24/7 had only been about exploring individual backgrounds before this fight. This is the first time it was suggested that two fighters should have met a long time ago.

Mayweather and Mosley, now in their 30s, spewed venom back and forth as they aimed to give the fans the fight they denied them nearly a decade ago.

3. Pacquiao-Cotto

Pacquiao was riding high on a trajectory like no other. In steps Miguel Cotto, a welterweight that was full-size and in his prime.

24/7 did a wonderful job of showing how Cotto had to pick up the pieces of not only his career but his life following the first loss of his career to Margarito.

Pacquiao's small conflicts with trainer Freddie Roach resembled something more akin to a father/son relationship that gave the episode some of its most resonating moments.

2. Cotto-Margarito

Unlike 24/7 in the past, Cotto and Margarito were only given two episodes. That meant all the hate from these two fighters would be jam-packed into a concise package of entertainment.

From Cotto's assertions that Margarito must have used plaster in their first match to Margarito's defiant denial and promise to repeat his first brutal victory, this 24/7 provided a wealth of classic moments.

1. De La Hoya-Mayweather

De La Hoya-Mayweather had the most colorful cast of characters of any HBO 24/7.

From Freddie Roach training De La Hoya to De La Hoya sparring partner and former rival Shane Mosley, the fun characters were endless.

Even Mayweather's family seemed bigger, including more family to flesh out his background, more gym buddies and overall a bigger entourage.

This is also before Mayweather made big-time PPV money. Not yet corrupted by the love of money, Mayweather was still a kid on camera who didn't look for controversy but didn't mind it if it came.

De La Hoya-Mayweather was the first and therefore has all the innocence of not knowing what it is, a glorified hype machine for a fight no one particularly demanded.

After the record-breaking PPV numbers of the fight came in, the cat was out of the bag.

24/7 would, bit by bit, year by year, cease to become a documentary of how fighters prepare and instead document how fighters promote.