Mayweather vs. Cotto Weigh In: How Weight Will Play Factor in Fight

The highly-anticipated weigh in for the fight between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Miguel "Junito" Cotto took place on Friday, and it certainly didn't disappoint. The two combatants weren't shy about exchanging words, but the main things to take away from the event are the weights themselves.

Mayweather moved up in weight for only the second time in his career and came in at a solid 151 pounds. for the super-welterweight bout, while Cotto weighed the limit of 154 pounds. You wouldn't think that a three-pound difference would matter in the least, but in a sport as precise as boxing, it means more than it would seem to on the surface.

The real question is whether the move up will affect Mayweather's speed and whether he'll be able to deal with Cotto's punching power. Mayweather has had the same style for so long, though, that I believe he'll be just fine.

There is no doubt that he'll have to be aware of Cotto's power, as he hasn't fought many comparable boxers in that regard, but he can handle it.

If anything, I expect the weight to work in Mayweather's favor. He said after the weigh in that Cotto looked "dried out" which was in reference to Cotto perhaps sweating weight off to get under the 154-pound limit.

Provided Mayweather utilizes his quick feet and counter-punching ability, Cotto simply doesn't have the reflexes necessary to keep up with him, and there aren't many fighters who do.

Cotto is certainly the more powerful fighter, and it will be interesting to see if he uses the extra weight to his advantage. The odds of Cotto being able to outlast Mayweather and beat him on the scorecards are pretty low, so his best chance figures to be him unloading the tank in the early stages of the fight in hopes of scoring some knockdowns or a knockout.

The only issue with that, though, is that the 42-0 Mayweather has never been knocked out and he has never been legitimately knocked down, either. Mayweather's speed and defensive capabilities make him extremely difficult to square up and hit with combinations, so no matter how you slice it, Cotto may be fighting a losing battle.

Cotto has the advantage physically since he's fighting at a comfortable weight while Mayweather is pretty much in uncharted territory, but I doubt Cotto will be able to use it to his advantage. As long as the move up doesn't hurt Mayweather's movement, I simply don't see Cotto being able to impose his will despite the weight advantage.

Mayweather seems to have taken the move up quite well, as he looked to be in excellent condition at the weigh in, but if Cotto had to dehydrate himself to make weight as Mayweather suggested, then that could really take a toll on him.

One way or another, the weight will most definitely have some sort of impact on this fight. My prediction, along with so many others, is Mayweather will keep his quickness and will use it to nickel-and-dime Cotto en route to a breezy decision victory.