By Dallan o’ Donnell: As the Mayweather- Pacquaio debacle carried on into another year of back and forth, turning blame on one another, one fighter went about his business silently knowing that if the mega fight collapsed once more he would be the fighter who reaped the benefits being number one on both Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweathers hit list.

That fighter is Miguel Cotto. After Pacquaio failed to agree to fight Floyd, Cotto jumped in to land the biggest fight in boxing against the sports richest and most talented fighter; Floyd Mayweather Jr. Cotto has previously fought against Pacquaio and was stopped in a fight that early on was nothing short of a classic, with both fighters landing hard shots.

The tell-tale sign however was Pacquaio’s relentless attack and blistering hand speed that Cotto just couldn’t handle. Cotto was just off the back of his first defeat and possibly the most brutal beating we have seen in recent years at the now tainted hands of Mexican Antonio Margarito. Pacquaio was fighting a gun- shy Miguel Cotto.

Now it is a different story however. Cotto returned to fight Antonio Margarito and completely annihilated the Mexican. Cotto didn’t have a problem to speak of throughout the bout and he reinstated himself as one of the sports most feared fighters.

Mayweather is fighting arguably the hottest fighter in the sport at the minute. Aside from Sergio Martinez, Cotto is the most avoided boxer because of his style and relentless come forward attitude. Cotto like many before him has declared he will be the first fighter to defeat Mayweather and perhaps he is the only Fighter we may actually heed to have said this.

Unlike Pacquaio, who fought Cotto at a catchweight which perhaps drained the Puerto Rican, Mayweather has agreed upon fighting at 154 pounds with no catchweight. Mayweather is in for a fight. Other writers have declared that Cotto is at 85% of what he once was, perhaps because of his beatings from Margarito and Pacquaio but as the writer went on to say he is still plenty tough enough for Mayweather.

Mayweather is on another level to every fighter. He is the most talented fighter of his generation and possibly ever. But on any given day Cotto could shock the world. He has it in him. Mayweather will have to be at his brutal best, perhaps even better than ever before to see off this latest challenge to his as yet unchallenged throne as King of boxing. Follow me on Twitter @dallan09.