Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Money's Victory Puts Extra Pressure on Pac-Man

Floyd Mayweather was able to overcome a tough test from Miguel Cotto on Saturday night. That puts a lot of pressure on fellow dominant force Manny Pacquiao to match it when he faces off with rising star Timothy Bradley next month.

Cotto was a heavy underdog heading into the marquee bout over the weekend, but held his own for all 12 rounds. Even though it's been a long time since Mayweather was pushed that hard, you never got the sense he was in serious danger of losing.

It was another example of Mayweather being in a completely different class from any potential challenger aside from Pacquiao. There isn't another boxer that has enough versatility to hand "Money" the first loss of his career.

Mayweather's performance sends a clear message to "Pac-Man." Since the super fight still hasn't happened, a constant dance has been going on for the past two years with both camps trying to get a leg up so it doesn't look like their fault.

The win gives Mayweather a minor advantage for now, but Pacquiao can eliminate it against Bradley. That's easier said than done, of course, especially when you consider the eight-division champion wasn't at his best against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight.

Bradley has a 28-0 career record that includes wins over Lamont Peterson and Joel Casamayor among others, but he's never gone up against anybody with nearly as much talent as Pacquiao. So nobody is quite sure what to expect.

One thing's for sure: Pacquiao can't afford to lose. Not only would that significantly damage the already low odds of a super fight finally getting off the ground, but it would also make the rhetoric out of the Mayweather camp insufferable.

The public relations battle has taken center stage since there's no fight to talk about, and any loss by either side will shift that in favor of the other boxer. So nobody will likely be cheering harder for Bradley than Mayweather and Co.

That said, there's a reason Pacquiao hasn't lost a fight since 2005. He understands how to deal with pressure and the last thing in the world he wants to do is give Mayweather more ammo. So expect an impressive display as he defends his WBO welterweight title.

It will take a lot more than pressure to knock "Pac-Man" off course.