Head to head: Mayweather vs. Cotto

HAND SPEED

Mayweather’s quick hands – which seem to operate at the speed of thought – remain his bread and butter. Cotto has very good timing and reflexes, which often creates the appearance of quick hands, but in reality he has just above-average speed.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 3.5

 

FOOTWORK

Mayweather doesn’t move about the ring as much as he did at lighter weights but his balance and foot placement remain near perfect and he’s peerless in his ability to pivot. Cotto has underrated coordination and lateral movement but his footwork isn’t as fluid as Mayweather’s.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.0

JAB

Cotto’s jab is a weapon when he remembers to use it, but Mayweather delivers boxing’s most basic punch with textbook perfection, and it’s an integral part of his offense and defense. Mayweather arguably has the most educated jab in boxing.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.5

 

POWER (LEAD HAND)

Mayweather has a lot of snap on his jab, but Cotto – a converted southpaw – has so much force on his jab that he dropped both Joshua Clottey and Alfonso Gomez with it. Both have formidable hooks, but Cotto’s is more compact and thrown with more leverage. Plus, he uses it more than Mayweather does.

Mayweather 4.0 / Cotto 5.0

 

POWER (TRAIL HAND)

Mayweather’s best punch is his straight right, which he can lead with but sets up beautifully with his jab. It’s not as heavy as Cotto’s right hand but his timing and technique is better, which adds to the impact of this punch.

Mayweather 4.5 / Cotto 4.5

HOOK

Mayweather’s hook is sneaky, well timed and accurate, but Cotto puts more of his body into this punch, counters well with it and always does damage when he lands it.

Mayweather 4.5 / Cotto 5.0

 

CROSS/UPPERCUT

Cotto has a very good right hand, which he often uses in combination with his hook, but he doesn’t catch his opponents at the end of the punch as well as Mayweather does. Mayweather’s uppercuts are tighter and his crosses are more accurate than Cotto’s.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.5

 

BODY PUNCHING

Mayweather used to go to the body often when he fought at 130 and 135 pounds, and did so expertly. Now he’s more of a basic one-two boxer. Cotto is one of the best body punchers of the last decade. He attacks with both hands and does considerable damage to opponents’ ribs, liver, kidneys, hips and arms.

Mayweather 3.0 / Cotto 5.0

INFIGHTING SKILLS

Mayweather controls fights from the outside, but he’s effective and comfortable battling it out in the trenches. Cotto is also at home when in close, and though he isn’t as good at defending himself during infighting as Mayweather is, he does more damage with his two-fisted body-head combinations.

Mayweather 4.5 / Cotto 4.5

 

ATHLETICISM

Cotto is a strong athlete with underrated finesse, but he’s not in Mayweather’s league when it comes to speed, reflexes, balance and hand-eye coordination.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.0

 

ENDURANCE

Both fighters are consummate professionals who always condition their bodies to go the 12-round distance. However, Mayweather has proven to have superior endurance. Cotto petered out in the late rounds of bouts against Lovemore Ndou, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Josh Clottey.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.0

 

ABILITY TO SLIP AND BLOCK PUNCHES

Fans can argue whether Mayweather is No. 1 pound for pound, but everyone agrees that he’s the best defensive boxer on the planet. Making opponents miss is his specialty. Nobody does it better, including Cotto, who has never been that difficult to hit.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 3.5

 

PHYSICAL CONDITION

Both veterans pride themselves on their fight camp preparation, but few active boxers work as hard as Mayweather, who paces himself better than Cotto during fights and has never appeared tired during one of his bouts.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.5

POISE AND ABILITY TO COPE WITH EXTERNAL PRESSURES

Mayweather is no stranger to controversy (most of which he creates). Some theorize that Mayweather, who will do a brief jail term after the Cotto bout, thrives on drama. Cotto has had public outbursts with uncle and former trainer Evangelista Cotto but is never pulled into drama by an opponent no matter how rude (Ricardo Mayorga) or how heated the rivalry (as it was for the Margarito rematch).

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 5.0

 

KILLER INSTINCT

Mayweather will not hesitate to take out an opponent who he knows is hurt (such as Phillip Ndou and Ricky Hatton) or not paying attention (Victor Ortiz) but he doesn’t go for the knockout. Cotto, the quintessential search-and-destroy fighter, is always trying to break his opponent down.

Mayweather 4.0 / Cotto 4.5

 

INTELLIGENCE AND STRATEGIC DEXTERITY

Despite his brute strength, Cotto is a patient, versatile boxer who employs strategy during most of his fights. However, Mayweather is the master when it comes to boxing IQ. His ring generalship and ability to adapt to any ring situation are second to none.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.0

 

CHIN AND RESILIENCE

Both fighters have been visibly rocked in past fights – Mayweather was wobbled by Corley and Mosley; Cotto was badly stunned against Corley, repeatedly hurt and floored by Ricardo Torres and buzzed by Judah – but both veterans dealt well with the adversity. Cotto was stopped late by Margarito and Pacquiao but it took a lot of punishment to wear him down.

Mayweather 4.5 / Cotto 4.0

 

EXPERIENCE

Mayweather has more fights (42 to 39), rounds (303 to 269) and years as a pro (15 to 11½) than Cotto.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.5

QUALITY OF OPPONENTS

Mayweather has faced 16 fighters who held major titles, including surefire future hall of famers Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya and Mosley. Cotto has faced 15 fighters who held major titles, including future hall of famers Pacquiao and Mosley. Common opponents include Mosley, Judah and Corley.

Mayweather 5.0 / Cotto 4.5

 

CORNER

Cotto’s latest trainer, Pedro Diaz, is a former Cuban amateur coach who holds a Ph.D. in sports science and once taught the subject at a university. Mayweather’s trainer, uncle Roger Mayweather, a former two-division titleholder, is graduate of the school of hard knocks. Both trainers seem to get the most out of their fighters.

Mayweather 4.5 / Cotto 4.5

 

Final score: Mayweather 93.5 / Cotto 87.5

So there you have it. Mayweather has a clear edge in overall points but not by an overwhelming margin. It should also be noted that Mayweather doesn’t have the edge in every category, which probably indicates that Cotto is a worthy opponent.

 

CONCLUSION

Cotto will surprise a lot of people with his boxing and counter-punching ability during this fight, especially in the early rounds. Mayweather may have to survive a scary moment or two but his class -- backed by superior speed, technique and ring generalship -- will tell over the second half of the bout. Mayweather will win a hard-earned unanimous decision.

 

 

Photos: Naoki Fukuda, Chris Cozzone/Fightwireimages, Chris Farina/Top Rank, Octavian Cantilli - Hoganphotos/Golden Boy Promotions, Naoki Fukuda, Naoki Fukuda