Mayweather stays perfect, earns unanimous decision over Cotto

As they embraced after 12 hard-fought rounds, Floyd Mayweather Jr. said to Miguel Cotto, "You're a hell of a champion. You're the toughest guy I ever fought."

Mayweather's record is still perfect (43-0) and he's the new WBA junior middleweight champion, but he had to earn every cent of the record $32 million he received Saturday night for beating Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden.

Cotto (37-3) went the distance, not backing down one bit and making Mayweather extend himself to win a 12-round unanimous decision before a sellout crowd of 16,200.

Judge Robert Hoyle had Mayweather winning 118-110 while Dave Moretti and Patricia Morse-Jarman both scored it 117-111 for Mayweather.

"I knew I was going to have to come into the ring and fight him and execute the game plan," Mayweather said. "Miguel Cotto is a future Hall of Famer. He came to fight and he made me work hard. But I dug down deep and fought him back."

Mayweather, a minus-650 betting favorite at the MGM Grand, cashed in on the biggest single payday for a fighter in boxing history, topping the $30 million Mike Tyson made for fighting Evander Holyfield in 1997.

Mayweather was in a battle from the opening bell as Cotto stalked him. Cotto did his best work when he was able to cut down the ring and back Mayweather onto the ropes.

However, it appeared that part of Mayweather's strategy was to let himself be pinned down, then use his superior counterpunching skills to hurt Cotto. Sometimes the ploy was effective, but Mayweather was at his best when he steered the fight to the middle of the ring, where he could use his quickness and hand speed.

Tactically, it was an interesting fight. Cotto smartly crowded Mayweather, trying to negate his opponent's speed and use his strength. But Mayweather, who fought at 151 pounds, the heaviest of his career, still appeared to have enough quickness to offset Cotto's plan.

"In a pay-per-view fight, you have to give the fans what they want, and that's excitement," Mayweather said. "We put on a good show for the fans."

The Punchstat numbers showed Mayweather was the busier and more effective puncher. He threw and landed more (687 thrown, 179 connected) than Cotto (506-105) and had better numbers on jabs landed (51 to 37) and power punches landed (128 to 75). He won the last four rounds on all three judges' cards as Cotto appeared to slow down following a strong eighth round in which Mayweather returned to his corner with a bloody nose and mouth.

Cotto was understandably upset with the result, and the fact he gave Mayweather one of the toughest fights of his career was apparently little solace.

"The judges said I lost the fight and I can't do anything about that," Cotto said. "I have to take my defeat. I trained my best and did my best, and I brought my best in the fight. (Mayweather) knows what kind of fighter Miguel Cotto is and so do the fans.

"I am happy with my fight and performance, and so is my family. I can't ask for anything else."

Naturally, Mayweather was asked after the win about facing Manny Pacquiao. And as always, he blamed Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum for stonewalling the fight and insisting that Pacquiao submit to Olympic-style random drug testing.

"I tried to make that fight," he said. "I want to fight Pacquiao. But he has to take the test."

However, that fight will have to wait until 2013 at the earliest. Mayweather has a June 1 date at the Clark County Detention Center where he is scheduled to serve 87 days for pleading guilty to domestic battery.

"In life, you go through ups and downs," he said. "Things happen. you just try to learn from them and then you move on."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.