By Geno McGahee

Miguel Cotto, 37-2, 30 KO’s, is closing in on the biggest opportunity of his boxing career. On May 5th, he steps into the ring in Las Vegas to take on the undefeated pound for pound best fighter in the game, Floyd Mayweather, JR., 42-0, 26 KO’s.

HBO has kicked in with their popular series “24/7” and have had the duo “Face Off,” as we head into this showdown. As usual, Floyd appears not to have a care in the world, approaching the training nonchalantly as Cotto trains fiercely…or at least that is how this program is being edited together. Floyd is a gym rat. He trains constantly and will be in great condition for his bout, but how he sees his opponent may dictate how the night will go.

Mayweather is not a big risk taker. He is a businessman and he looks at boxing as a business. It’s a great way to make money, but it doesn’t always satisfy the fans of the sport. The Cotto fight is a calculated risk and prior to his avenging win over Antonio Margarito, I would have given him little to no shot to pull off an upset. Things have changed and Miguel Cotto has changed, but has Floyd noticed?

Prior to his bout with Margarito, the first time, in 2008, Cotto was as confident as he’s ever been. He would walk through opponents, much like Julio Cesar Chavez used to do. He presented a pounding jab, great body work, and powerful hooks that usually left his opponents in mangled heaps on the floor. He was growing into the big shoes that Felix Trinidad had left behind, becoming the national hero for Puerto Rico, but everything changed when he stepped into the ring in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 26th, 2008.

Boxing is a sport with a shady past and a questionable present. Antonio Margarito’s secret to success was exposed shortly after his win over Cotto that night, but it is obvious that he used plaster of Paris on his hand wraps and beat his opponent with literal bricks over the course of 11 rounds. It was reminiscent of the Luis Resto – Billy Collins fight when Panama Lewis took out the padding and then used plaster of Paris on the hand wraps of Resto, insuring a victory for his big underdog fighter. Resto and Lewis were banned indefinitely and even tongue-lashed by Promoter Bob Arum…the same Bob Arum that fought to get his fighter, Margarito, licensed again…and he did.

The vicious and illegal beating of Cotto left big mental scars, evident in his performances on the comeback. Against Joshua Clottey, he knocked him down in the first round and then seemed confused, allowing it to get away from him, but pulled out a decision win, earning a shot at Manny Pacquiao. Against Pacquiao, he seemed like the Cotto of old, controlling the fight and holding his own for 3 rounds, but when the Filipino’s punches began landing, he froze and took a beating. I wonder if he saw Margarito’s fists coming his way that night.

Since that defeat, Cotto has put together three wins, all by knockout. He stopped Yuri Foreman to pick up the WBA title, knocked out Ricardo Mayorga and then stopped Antonio Margarito in the rematch. Despite the fact that Margarito landed with some regularity, he never did any real damage to Cotto, proving that the first time they had met was a criminal act worthy of not only a ban from the sport, but jail time.

The avenging win has given back to Cotto what he had lost. His interviews leading into this fight present a man that has rediscovered the sport and has exorcized a demon from his mind. Time and timing is on his side going into this showdown in Vegas. With his current mindset and new chapter in his life, he presents one hell of a challenge to Money Mayweather.

The task is still a very large one for Cotto. Floyd has earned his spot in the sport, rightfully ruling it above Manny Pacquiao and the others that lay claim to the distinction. Mayweather has easily beaten Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales, and proved he can overcome adversity and enforce his will on a prime Zab Judah. The Judah fight is actually a good reference here.

Zab Judah, at the time of the Mayweather fight, was coming off of a loss to Carlos Baldomir, and considered a heavy underdog going into the fight, but he had the look and the demeanor. He gave Floyd the most trouble out of anyone that he has ever faced because all of the stars were aligned that night. The loss to Baldomir helped Judah’s psyche immensely and he nearly pulled off an upset, becoming one of the few in the sport to put Floyd on the canvas. To the credit of Mayweather, he overcame the determined Judah and walked him down. This could very well be the situation on May 5th.

As the fight nears, the electricity builds and two of the best fighters of this generation square off under the bright lights of Las Vegas, with history on the line. I am not often excited about boxing pay per views anymore, but we have a winner here. Get ready for an interesting night of boxing.