Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face Miguel Cotto on May 5 at the
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face Miguel Cotto on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Manny Pacquiao, who defeated Cotto by TKO in a ferocious display of speed and power in 2009, will fight a yet-to-be-determined opponent on June 9 at the same venue. And once again, after another tiresome round of taunts and teases, they will not face each other. Not that they won’t exploit the situation. On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after the announcement of his fight, Mayweather tweeted: “I’m fighting Miguel Cotto on May 5th because Miss Pac Man is ducking me.”
A few weeks ago, news of negotiations for the unrealized megafight had given boxing fans a sense of hope. In late December Mayweather was sentenced to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges. The case stemmed from a September 2010 hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting incident between Mayweather and his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris. Mayweather, 34, was supposed to start his jail sentence in early January, but the judge agreed to postpone the sentence to June 1. The undefeated boxer was cleared to fight on May 5 — which is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican-American holiday and a popular boxing date. A Mayweather fight could bring millions of dollars to the city’s coffers through increased tourism and gambling. Fans wondered: would Mayweather finally fight Pacquiao?
Not long after his sentence was delayed, Mayweather took to Twitter and challenged Pacquiao, a Congressman and sometime game show host in the Philippines. “Manny Pacquiao I’m calling you out let’s fight May 5th and give the world what they want to see.” “My Jail Sentence was pushed back because the date was locked in. Step up Punk.”
Negotiations fell through, once again! PAAAALLLLEEAAAASE! We all know Mayweather is deathly afraid of Pacquiao!