Floyd Mayweather: Grading His Performance in Last Night's Superfight

Floyd Mayweather was finally given the stiff test that would gauge his mettle through the roughest moments of his career. Miguel Cotto was that 154-lb test.

Though it wasn't easy, Mayweather (43-0, 26 KO) passed with flying colors. If graded, his effort against Cotto (37-3 30 KO) could be given an A.

Breaking down Mayweather's performance into various categories, including chin, conditioning and defense, offers a clearer picture of how he did.

Here is Mayweather's performance report card against Cotto.

Chin

Letter Grade: A 

Numerical Grade: 9.5/10

Though Floyd Mayweather looked like he felt every inch of Miguel Cotto's big fist, he rarely buckled under a highly-motivated attack.

He fought the naturally bigger man in the bigger man's weight class of 154 and still took his shots well.

Countering Ability

Letter Grade: B+ 

Numerical Grade: 8.5/10

Floyd Mayweather was able to let off some nice right-hand counters, including some head-snapping uppercuts and a series of right hands that seemed to stop Cotto from throwing during exchanges.

Mayweather also became progressively less inclined to want to take the chance to land some counter shots, as he felt Cotto's power as the fight wore on, most notably in Round 12.

Cotto was hurt in Round 12 on at least two occasions, and Mayweather refused to continue the attack, choosing to instead retreat and watch.

Offensive Aggression

Letter Grade: B

Numerical Grade: 8/10

Floyd Mayweather looked nearly perfect in this category during the opening rounds, where Mayweather was landing rare long combinations on Miguel Cotto.

Once Cotto began adjusting and landing his own left jab a bit more consistently than expected, Mayweather could only trade in spots and couldn't keep a highly-motivated Cotto at bay for long.

Accuracy

Letter Grade: B

Numerical Grade: 8

Accuracy mixed with speed is what pays Mayweather's bills by putting wins in the W column and staving off any losses, but Cotto pressure heavily decreased Mayweather's accuracy.

Mayweather bullied Cotto with a string of right hooks, but Cotto returned the favor with left jabs and hooks to the body.

Mayweather's sloppier than usual return fire resulted in just 26 percent landed in total punches. That's a far cry from the Mayweather that lands over 35 to 40 percent.

Heart

Grade: A+

Numerical Grade: 10/10

Miguel Cotto used his physical frame to bully Floyd Mayweather whenever he could.

He'd get him against ropes, into corners and pound away, sometimes to great success. It takes a fighter with a lot of heart to not panic while being drilled against and still fight back intelligently.

Mayweather fought through the hard times, even flurrying while getting rocked. In the final round, Mayweather had even reversed the tide and rocked Cotto.

Defensive Prowess

Letter Grade: A-

Numerical Grade: 9/10

Floyd Mayweather watches his opponent carefully to try to time them perfectly. That allows Mayweather to block with his shoulder and elbow as well as weave punches.

Against Cotto, he was able to successfully do so more than not, but there was a lot less success in this fight than in past matches.

Physical Conditioning

Letter Grade: A

Numerical Grade: 9.5/10

Floyd Mayweather was in top physical condition. Miguel Cotto faded down the stretch, but Mayweather was still primed and ready to pounce.

Though Mayweather didn't take full advantage of a twice wobbled Cotto in the 12th and final round, that seemed to be more out of caution than a case of not being physically able to.

Overall Performance

Letter Grade: A

Numerical Grade: 9/10

This performance proved Mayweather had a great chin and a lot of heart, but it also may be a sign that Mayweather has finally slowed down at age 35.

Roy Jones, Jr., Pernell Whitaker and Sugar Ray Leonard were all considered a shell of their former selves by age 35.

Though Mayweather has preserved himself far better than they, he isn't immune to the ills of Mother Nature and Father Time.

Everything has its ending. Mayweather is still competitive, and Miguel Cotto, a top-level fighter, brought out the absolute best in Mayweather.

After this fight, there's nothing left for Mayweather to do except fight Manny Pacquiao.

Judging off this performance, Mayweather will have some scares, but he definitely has a great chance to win should he face Pacquiao.