Mayweather vs. Cotto Fight Time: Start Time for Must-See Clash

It may not be the fight that most boxing fans were hoping for on May 5, but when Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Miguel "Junito" Cotto do battle, all eyes of the boxing world will be on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mayweather is putting his perfect 42-0 record on the line, while Cotto is looking for a career-defining win that would launch him to new heights. Even if you don't have a rooting interest in this particular fight, the fact that Mayweather losing could kill the chances of a fight with Manny Pacquiao is intriguing in its own right.

All of the action takes place on Saturday night, and here is everything you need to know about when and where to catch it.

When: Saturday, May 5

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

Watch: HBO PPV

Projected Start Time: Undercard begins at 9 p.m. ET, making Mayweather vs. Cotto's tentative start time 11:15 p.m. ET, although that depends upon the length of the previous bouts.

Keys to Mayweather Win

Floyd Mayweather has beaten all comers over the course of his career, and he has done it with superior quickness, counter-punching and defensive ability. Even though he is 35 years old, which is an age when most boxers begin considering retirement, his skills have shown no signs of eroding. With that in mind, he needs to approach this particular fight like he has every other one.

Mayweather does have 26 knockouts to his credit, but he seems much more comfortable dissecting his opponent for all 12 rounds and winning decisively on the judges' scorecards. The vast majority of his knockouts were early in his career when he outclassed his opponents, but as he has gotten older, he has gotten savvier. If Mayweather sticks to his game plan, there's no way he should lose.

Keys to Cotto Win

Make no mistake about it: Miguel Cotto is a great fighter. That said, he is going to have to deviate from his usual style and take some chances if he hopes to beat Mayweather. In his two career losses, Cotto got tired late in the fight and was knocked out by Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao, respectively. With that in mind, he can't expect to last as long as Mayweather conditioning-wise.

Mayweather has never been knocked out, and he has never been legitimately knocked down either, so although going for the gusto may seem like a bad idea on the surface, it is Cotto's best chance. Even if he doesn't score the knockout, perhaps being ultra-aggressive can make Mayweather uncomfortable and force him into mistakes. Whatever the case, Cotto can't simply sit back in this fight.

Prediction

Mayweather obviously can't afford to take this fight lightly, but I don't anticipate him having much of an issue, nor do the oddsmakers and bettors as evidenced by his status as a -700 favorite. Mayweather simply doesn't get beat on the scorecards, so if he sticks to his guns and is content to beat Cotto on points, he should have an easy win.

Mayweather isn't out there trying to impress anybody; he's just trying to win fights. Because of that, he'll go all 12 rounds and will take this one by unanimous decision.