Should Mayweather be Fighting Cotto's Opponents

and Cotto be fighting Mayweathers? Since 2007 Miguel Cotto has fought Margarito, Mayorga, Pacquiao, Mayweather, Trout, and is set to fight Martinez. Mayweather fought an old lightweight Marquez, old Mosley, old Cotto, Alvarez (by far his best win since 2007), Ortiz, Guerrero, and is set to fight Maidana. If we flipped these opponents wouldn't they be about right?

 

Cotto's regularly fought the best competition he could find. He didn't get De La Hoya, but he got Shane Mosley back when the dude was still dangerous in 2007. Both fought Zab Judah around the same time. Prior to 2008 I think Mayweather had tougher opponents like Ricky Hatton, Castillo, and Corrales, whereas Cotto only had Malignaggi and Quintana, but in the last six to seven years Cotto's opposition has definitely been superior, even though his abilities are inferior to Mayweather's.

I found myself thinking that I'd rather see Cotto fight Maidana and Mayweather fight Martinez, which led me down this train of thought. One fighter is biting off more than he can chew and the other less. It seems weird that Cotto should be willing to fight at 160 when he's only 5'7" with 67" of reach while Mayweather won't chance it being 5'8" with 72" of reach. Sergio is bigger than either at 5'10" 73" reach. Cotto doesn't really have a chance against Martinez, whereas he still might be able to pull out a W against Maidana who's more his size 5'7" 69" reach, which makes him either gutsy or just cynical enough to take a paycheck for a beating.

 

There's a lot of funny business with the weights these days, which is why I like to look more at the height and reach measurements. People move around within the weights for various reasons.

People can be a little thicker or slimmer but one thing I do know: Cotto absolutely does not walk around in the 170s. Not unless he's completely gone to fat. He's been training to get his weight high for the Martinez fight and he mentioned recently that he'd been walking around at around 163, and that's probably from a lot of weight training and bulking up. I don't doubt that Mayweather can walk around in the 150s, but that's probably more to do with how disciplined he is and how fit he keeps himself year round. Other guys his size often bulk up to 160s in between fights, and that was about what he looked like when he fought Marquez. Of course, we'll never know for sure because Mayweather hasn't weighed in the night of the fight since he fought Oscar De La Hoya.

For your information, Paul Williams wouldn't be a heavyweight. Historically, his measurements are the same as the light-heavyweight champions. And you could tell that was where his career was going to end up just like Thomas Hearns did. He was already a top middleweight when he was paralyzed. I take it as a given he'd have gone up at least to super middleweight.

Lightweight Champions Measurements

Name height/reach
Manny Pacquiao 5'6.5"/67"

Roberto Duran 5'7"/66"
Ken Buchanan 5'7.5"/70"
Ismael Laguna 5'9"/68"
Mando Ramos 5'9"/71.5"
Carlos Teo Cruz 5'6.5"/68"
Carlos Ortiz 5'7"/70"
Ismael Laguna 5'9"/68"
Carlos Ortiz 5'7"/70"
Joe Brown 5'7.5"/68"
Wallace Bud Smith 5'6.5"/68"
Jimmy Carter 5'6"/68"
Paddy Demarco 5'6"/70"
Jimmy Carter 5'6"/68"
Lauro Salas 5′ 6″/67.5"
Jimmy Carter 5'6"/68"
Ike Williams 5'9"/68"
Juan Zurita 5'5"/66"
Beau Jack 5'6"/68.5"
Bob Montgomery 5'7.5"/71"
Beau Jack 5'6"/68.5"
Sammy Angott 5'7.5"/70"
Lew Jenkins 5'8"/68"
Lou Ambers 5'4.5"/70"
Henry Armstrong 5'5.5"/67"
Lou Ambers 5'4.5"/70"
Tony Canzoneri 5'4"/65"
Barney Ross 5'7"/67"
Tony Canzoneri 5'4"/65"
Al Singer 5'4.5"/?
Sammy Mandell 5'7"/67"
Rocky Kansas 5'2"/63"
Jimmy Goodrich 5'4"/65.5"
Benny Leonard 5'5"/69"
Freddie Welsh 5'7"/68.5"
Willie Ritchie 5'7.5"/67"
Ad Wolgast 5'4.5"/65.5"
Battling Nelson 5'7.5"/67.5"
Joe Gans 5'6.5"/71"

Welterweight Champions Measurements

Floyd Mayweather Jr. 5'8"/72"

Lloyd Honeyghan 5'8"/69"
Donald Curry 5'9.5"/72"
Ray Leonard 5'10"/74"
Jose Napoles 5'7.5"/72"
Billy Backus 5'7"/69"
Jose Napoles 5'7.5"/72"
Curtis Cokes 5'8"/73"
Emile Griffith 5'7.5"/72"
Luis Manuel Rodriguez 5′ 8″/74"
Emile Griffith 5'7.5"/72"
Benny Paret 5'7.5"/?
Emile Griffith 5'7.5"/72"
Benny Paret 5'7"/?
Don Jordan 5'9"/70"
Virgil Akins 5'9"/73"
Carmen Basilio 5'6.5"/?
Johnny Saxton 5'8"/?
Carmen Basilio 5'6.5"/?
Tony Demarco 5'5"/?
Johnny Saxton 5'8"/?
Kid Gavilan 5'10.5"/71"
Johnny Bratton 5'10"/?
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72.5"
Marty Servo 5'7"/?
Freddie Cochrane 5'7.5"/?
Fritzie Zivic 5'10"/71"
Henry Armstrong 5'5.5"/67"
Barney Ross 5'7"/67"
Jimmy McLarnin 5'6"/67"
Barney Ross 5'7"/67"
Jimmy McLarnin 5'6"/67"
Young Corbett III 5'7.5"/?
Jackie Fields 5'7.5"/69"
Joe Dundee 5'7"/?
Pete Latzo 5'7.5"/68"
Mickey Walker 5'7"/67"
Jack Britton 5'8"/70"
Ted Lewis 5'7.5"/69"
Jack Britton 5'8"/70"
Ted Lewis 5'7.5"/69"
Jack Britton 5'8"/70"
Mike Glover 5'9"/?
Matt Wells 5'4"/?

Middleweight Measurements
Sergio Martinez 5'10"/73"

Nino Benvenuti 5'11"/75"
Emile Griffith 5'7.5"/72"
Dick Tiger 5'8"/71"
Joey Giardello 5'10"
Dick Tiger 5'8"/71"
Paul Pender 5'10"/72"
Terry Downes 5'9"/69"
Paul Pender 5'10"/72"
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72"
Carmen Basilio 5'6.5"
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72"
Gene Fullmer 5'8"/69"
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72"
Bobo Olson 5'10.5"/70"
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72"
Randy Turpin 5'9.5"/74.5"
Ray Robinson 5'11"/72"
Jake Lamotta 5'8"/67"
Marcel Cerdan 5'8"
Tony Zale 5'7.5"/69"
Rocky Graziano 5'7"/68.5"
Tony Zale 5'7.5"/69"
Billy Soose 6'.5"/73"
Ken Overlin 5'9"/70"
Ceferino Garcia 5'6"/70"
Al Hostak 6'
Solly Krieger 5'8"/68"
Fred Apostoli 5'9.5"/70"
Freddie Steele 5'10"/72"
Eddie Babe Risko 5'10"/72.5"
Teddy Yarosz 5'10"/72.5"
Vince Dundee 5'8"/71"
Lou Brouillard 5'7"/72"
Marcel Thil 5'8"/68.5"
Gorilla Jones 5'9"/75"
Mickey Walker 5'7"/67"
Tiger Flowers 5'10"/76"
Harry Greb 5'8"/71"
Johnny Wilson 5'9"/72"
Mike O'Dowd 5'8"/70"
Al McCoy 5'8"
George Chip 5'8"
Frank Klaus 5'7.5"
Stanley Ketchel 5'9"