Mayweather vs. Cotto: Why Boxing Fans Should Cheer Against 'Money'

Floyd Mayweather heads into his fight against Miguel Cotto as a heavy favorite and will likely emerge with his undefeated record still intact. That said, boxing fans who are still holding out hope that "Money" will eventually fight Manny Pacquiao should cheer for Cotto.

Mayweather takes a lot of pride in his 42-0 record. It includes victories over some of boxing's biggest names such as Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley. I believe the thought of losing his first fight has probably had at least a minor impact on negotiations with Pacquiao.

Both camps have done their fair share of posturing in recent years, so there's more than one person to blame for the lack of a superfight. It isn't farfetched to think the lines of communication would open up if Mayweather suffered his first loss, though.

It would be a clear sign to the 35-year-old Michigan native that his career won't last forever. The amount of time he has left to secure gigantic purses—there aren't any bigger than a fight with Pacquiao—is starting to run out.

A loss to Cotto wouldn't do anything to affect the hype leading up to a fight with "Pac-Man," but it would make things easier on him knowing he doesn't have an undefeated record to defend. It's amazing the difference a single result can have.

Cotto does have some power that will cause problems for Mayweather if the five-division champion isn't in his usual elite form on Saturday. He's a long shot for a reason, but it's not impossible for him to come out on top.

With each passing month it seems like a Mayweather battle with Pacquiao becomes less likely, but a loss could turn the tide back in the favor of the fans. It's the one fight everybody has been waiting for since it was fight mentioned a couple of years ago.

There would still be several hurdles to cross regardless of the result against Cotto, but a loss would at least remove one of them from the equation. And every step closer to the fight should make boxing fans, especially those who might have stopped watching in recent years, happy.

So when the bell rings on Saturday night your heart might say Mayweather, but your mind should say Cotto.

The window is closing on the megafight. A loss might open it back up for a while longer.