Mayweather vs Cotto: Best Boxer in the World Must Fight Pacquiao

The dialogue started almost immediately after the fight ended: If Floyd Mayweather is truly going to establish himself as the best boxer in the world, he needs to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Can't we all—Mayweather included—just have a moment to revel in the outcome of the most anticipated match of the year?

Cotto made the match far more competitive than expected. He made Mayweather work for it, which is more than many could say they thought he would. Mayweather won it in the 12th round, 116-112 (a disputed number, but that one comes from the Associated Press), in order to maintain his pristine 43-0 record.

If he fights Pacquiao, that record is in very much in jeopardy, as is his alleged dominance. You can only truly be dominant when you've beaten the top competition. For now, though, he's still undefeated and still the best of the best.

At the outset of Saturday's fight, as many expected, Cotto looked too slow to keep up with Mayweather. But that changed quickly, he forced Mayweather to get more aggressive and more accurate to ensure the victory.

And he did—further establishing himself as arguably the best boxer in the world. But that "arguably" caveat isn't going anywhere until he proves he can beat Pacquiao, too. There's no time for glory when the next most anticipated bout of the year looms somewhere on the other side of Mayweather's three-month jail sentence.

Both Pacquiao and Mayweather have made it seem like they're trying to make the fight happen, but neither of them will agree to the other's terms. Most of the hold-up is related to money and part of it is related to extreme drug-testing measures, requested by Mayweather. 

It's clear that neither of them wants to be the one to say no, so they're making the fight seem like an impossible task.

Mayweather fueled the dialogue post-fight on Saturday, telling the Miami Herald's Santos A. Perez, "This [Cotto] fight, I was looking to fight Manny Pacquiao. The fight didn't happen. Let's give the fans what they want to see—Mayweather-Pacquiao."

Eventually, the posturing needs to stop because there can't be two greatest boxers in the world forever. There must be a definitive answer, and the only way that can happen is with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

After Saturday's fight, Mayweather told Cotto, "You're a hell of a champion. You're the toughest guy I ever fought," according to the Orlando Sentinel. But Cotto is no Pacquiao, and Pacquiao is still a challenge Mayweather must prove he can conquer.

For Mayweather, even the toughest bout of his career is not enough.