Mayweather vs. Cotto: Smart Bets That Are Guaranteed to Line Your Pockets

In what promises to be one of the most hyped fights of the year, Floyd "Money" Mayweather will take on Miguel "Junito" Cotto on Saturday night from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will be for Cotto's WBA (Super) Light Middleweight Championship, but there will be a lot more riding on it than that.

There is no shortage of cash being thrown down on this particular bout, and with much of it seemingly being bet on Cotto as of late, it should be interesting. Even so, Mayweather is still a huge favorite, so that begs the question of whether it's better to put your hard-earned money down on Mayweather or to take a shot at a larger payout by going with the underdog.

Have no fear, though, because if you go along with the following advice, you are sure to have some extra spending money in your pocket come Sunday morning.

Floyd Mayweather to win (-700)

This bet certainly isn't for the faint-hearted, but if you're seriously about finishing Saturday night in the green, then you need to use part of your bankroll on Mayweather to win. Since you have to put down $700 just to win $100 in this spot, it may not seem like the most economical bet, but the general consensus is that a Cotto victory would be considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing over the past couple decades. 

Call me crazy, but I would be willing to invest $700 in one of the greatest boxers of all time in order to finish $100 to the good. Taking Mayweather to win is about as smart of a bet as you can possibly make. He is 42-0 as a professional and has never really even come close to losing a bout. Cotto has admittedly looked good lately, but he has been fed aging opponents. Mayweather may be four years older, but he is still very much on top of his game.

Over 11.5 rounds (-200)

There is no shortage of options when it comes to an over/under for the amount of rounds the fight will last, but since I firmly believe this one will go the distance, the smartest bet is over 11.5 rounds, meaning it must pass the halfway mark of the 12th and final round. While 26 of Mayweather's 42 career wins have come via knockout, he is much more calculating and strategic at this juncture, so I doubt he'll take too many chances.

Many of Mayweather's knockouts came early in his career when he simply outclassed fighters, and although he still tends to do that, he is now more methodical and relies on his defense and counter-punching. Five of his past seven fights have gone the distance and the only ones that didn't were his last bout against Victor Ortiz, where he surprised him after a break, and a 10th-round flattening of Ricky Hatton, who was clearly on his last legs.

Mayweather has no problem going to the scorecards and he'll do that on Saturday.

Floyd Mayweather win via decision (+200)

Well, if you're planning on utilizing the first two bets on this list, then you should obviously go with this one, too, since it's basically a combination of them. Mayweather is built to go the distance, and while he possesses deceptive punching power, he's at his best when he is nickel and diming opponents with quick combinations and frustrating them with his quick feet. Money loves to pick the opposition apart on the scorecards as it is usually his best route to victory.

Cotto has lost just twice during his career and they were both late knockouts against Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. That may make this particular bet seem a bit scary since he has worn down to the point of leaving himself vulnerable in the past, but I expect this fight to be different. The odds of Mayweather being knocked out are slim and none, so Cotto isn't likely to do anything wild in the fight.

With that in mind, I expect a fairly tame affair with Mayweather winning by unanimous decision.