By John F. McKenna (McJack): When it comes to selling his fights undefeated superstar World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO’s) has demonstrated time after time that he is the best in the business. And with “Money” Mayweather’s upcoming fight with WBA light middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KO’s) just two weeks away expect him to go into overdrive in an effort to sell the fight.

Let’s be realistic, Miguel is a very good fighter, but he is nowhere near the level of Floyd Mayweather Jr. And in the final phase of preparation for the big fight between Mayweather and Cotto on May 5 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, expect the unexpected from Floyd. Many boxing fans are correct in thinking that Cotto has very little chance to become the fighter to erase the “0” from Mayweather’s record.

There is little doubt that “Money” is one of the most talented and gifted fighters of the last several decades. But in order for Mayweather to perpetuate his perceived greatness to the masses of boxing fans around the world, he goes through a process which removes with almost a certainty the possibility of him being defeated in the ring. In essence, it is most probable that Floyd will retire in a couple of years with his record unblemished.
It must be remembered that Mayweather in addition to being a great fighter is also a brilliant ring tactician. He analyzes and adjusts to circumstances in the ring in the midst of battle. Very few fighters have that capability. “Sugar” Ray Robinson comes to mind.
And even when a plan is laid out for a fighter, in most cases they do not stick to it. The great Joe Louis had many quotes, but my very favorite was when he said “Every fighter has a plan until he gets hit.” How true.

Mayweather is so paranoid about losing his “0” that he takes the analysis of possible future opponents to a level never seen before. If he deems a fighter too dangerous, he either doesn’t fight him, or he plays the waiting game. The “0” must be protected at all cost.

Once an opponent is selected Mayweather goes about either mentally destroying him, or in the case of Cotto, building him up to make it appears as though he has a real chance to defeat him. It works well and it works every time.

When the fight date gets closer, Floyd pulls out all the stops. When all else fails he will pull another rabbit out of the hat by invoking the name of boxing’s other super star, Manny Pacquiao. That was what “Pacquiao, your next!” was all about.

All Mayweather’s comments on his Twitter account or on You Tube have nothing to do with getting Pacquiao into the ring with him. “Step up Punk!” and referring to Manny as “Miss Pacquiao” served the purpose of Floyd keeping his name relevant and raising his profile.