Mayweather vs. Cotto: What Junito Must Do to Challenge Money

The odds of Miguel Cotto handing Floyd Mayweather Jr. the first defeat of his professional boxing career lie somewhere in that nebulous vortex between slim and none.

Still, there's a chance that Junito pulls off the "Upset of the Century," even if its on par with Lloyd Christmas and Mary Swanson ending up together.

The key for Cotto is to be deceptive in the ring. He's not going to beat Money May by chasing after his head or trying to force the action. Rather, Cotto will have to use whatever measure of quickness and sleight of hand that he has at his disposal to dupe Mayweather into making his defensive moves too soon. Such would presumably leave Floyd out of position and open to attack.

Even then, Junito would have to be careful not to press for too much right away. Cotto can only take what Mayweather gives him, lest he open himself up for devastation from Floyd's quick hands.

And while Mayweather's fists may not be quite as fast as the ones that Manny Pacquiao used to dominate Cotto, they're certainly formidable in their own right. Just ask Victor Ortiz, who took one to his noggin when he wasn't paying close enough attention back in September.

If Cotto can somehow coax Mayweather into "overpunching"—be it by using his legs around the ring or slipping and dodging—and focus on body shots first and foremost, he just might be able to shock the world.

With all of that being said, it's still difficult to imagine anything other than a Mayweather win coming from this fight. Junito may be bigger and stronger now that he's moved up to Welterweight, but he's certainly not any faster. As it stands, Cotto is too easy to hit and too one-dimenstional in his tactics to muster much of a challenge against a defensive maestro like Mayweather.

As such, expect Cotto's hopes for victory against Mayweather to go the way of Lloyd's relationship with Mary.

Which is to say, not particularly far.

Or, at most, no further than Aspen. 

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