Mayweather vs. Cotto: Boxing Can't Afford Another Money May Dud

No matter what happens, Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto will get their money after this fight.

However, while Mayweather will be aiming for a definitive win to maintain his perfect record and legacy as an elite fighter, he can afford a less-then-stellar fight.

Boxing can't.

Boxing can't afford another fight like the dud that Mayweather gave us when he fought Victor Ortiz, was headbutted and delivered a legal sucker-punch that resulted in a knockout.

He left the rest of us shaking our heads in disbelief over what transpired.

Sure, the post-fight Larry Merchant interview was amazing. However, for people who spent money on that fight, it was a huge disappointment.

How many more of those can the sport honestly afford?

Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are the torch-bearers for boxing, the two men that people get legitimately excited to watch. The heavyweight division has lost its appeal, the boring Klitschko brothers dominate the division with four clinical fists.

We need compelling fights from Mayweather and Pacquiao, just like the NBA would love to see LeBron James and Kevin Durant doing battle for the NBA title, or the NFL would love seeing elite quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Eli Manning go at it.

Obviously, we'd all love to see Mayweather versus Pacquiao, unlikely as that is.

If we can't get that, at the very least we all want to see compelling fights from the sport's best.

Another Victor Ortiz dud, and a few more fans may defect to the UFC.

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