Mayweather vs. Cotto Results: Junito Ruins Solid Effort by Ditching Interview

Miguel Cotto had nothing of which to be ashamed.

He'd just lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr., a man who now stands undefeated after 43 professional fights. He'd battled with the seemingly invincible Money May throughout, even getting in solid shots and making the man who's arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world bleed his own blood. He'd lost the Junior Middleweight belt, but he'd won a hefty measure of respect, as much from the crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as from the boxing world that had spent the evening affixing its collective attention to the fight.

And yet, when Junito had the opportunity to address his adoring fans, to discuss a moral victory that so few have managed to muster while suffering defeat at Mayweather's hands, he was nowhere to be found.

No words with Larry Merchant. No discussion of the result. Not even a wave to the people who filled to stands to watch him fight.

Granted, Cotto's absence under such circumstances is certainly understandable. The wounds were too fresh, more emotionally than physically. The final tally was far too heartbreaking.

Perhaps he was embarrassed, thinking that he'd fought poorly in the biggest moment of his boxing career, that he dropped the ball when the lights were brightest.

Of course, anyone who watched the fight could tell you that was the furthest thing from the truth. He may not have been able to keep things particularly close for a full 12 rounds, but he did manage to snag a few and ensure an entertaining fight throughout.

Or, perhaps Junito was all too aware that he'd done his best and was instead embarrassed to discover that such an effort wasn't good enough. And not just not good enough, but not good enough to so much as mount a challenge to Mayweather's throne, to sway Money from his perch atop the sport.

Maybe he knew that was the lesser man in the ring and was too ashamed to let that show. He'd lured Floyd up to his weight class to fight at a weight that made him significantly heavier and, at least in theory, should've slowed him down. But he still came out with an all-too-short end. Not that he should've been ashamed, but what man can be faulted for being overcome with the worst of his emotions?

As such, it wasn't so much disappointing or unnerving as it was saddening to see Cotto, as classy and dignified a fighter as any, duck his responsibilities and escape the limelight as quickly as possible.

It was more bizarrely unsettling than anything to see a man who'd lost only twice before in his career—and only once with any post-hoc legitimacy—to escape the center of attention like a dog with its tail tucked tightly between its hind legs.

In a way, that's as much a testament to Mayweather's magnificence as it is to Cotto's fragility, if not more so. Only Mayweather could turn a mountain of a man in the boxing world like Cotto into little more than an insecure molehill.

That being said, Cotto's show of emotional disturbance isn't likely to have much of a shelf life in our collective sporting conscience. Soon enough, we'll think only of Mayweather's dominant win and later of his illustrious career, which will one day belong to the pantheon of pugilism.

As for Cotto? He'll be as remembered for his own merits as he'll be forgotten among the cacophony of competitors who came and went on the other end of Mayweather's gloves.

Whether he'd waited for a word with Larry Merchant or not.

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