Scott has been a vocal advocate that Florida universities focus on turning out STEM degrees, as part of Scott’s effort to create jobs.

USF President Judy Genshaft sent Scott an email on Wednesday thanking Scott for the opportunity to brainstorm about some potential challenges Scott could issue to Perry related to STEM.

“We focused on challenges that could yield relatively quick results in producing new products, jobs, innovations and/or graduates in STEM fields,” Genshaft wrote.

One of the potential prizes includes: having the losing Governor host and pay for a steak cookout with his state’s beef on the other school’s campus, for the winning school’s students to enjoy.

Based on the emails KnightNews.com obtained, the challenges are still in a draft phase and it doesn’t appear any formal challenges have been issued. Genshaft copied Scott’s Chief of Staff, Steve MacNamara, who forwarded the ideas on to other people to further discuss.

It’s unclear if any other universities besides USF are giving Scott ideas for potential challenges. KnightNews.com will work to find out if UCF is also being considered for potential competitions and challenges with Texas. Check back to KnightNews.com to see if any of the ideas become official challenges.

Below are the draft ideas Genshaft submitted to Scott:

Ideas for a University of South Florida vs. University of Texas STEM Challenge

1)   USF Bulls vs. UT Longhorns New STEM Business Challenge

Challenge Summary: Students at USF and UT would compete to start a new STEM business or launch a new STEM product.  Individual or groups of students at each school would be expected to develop a new business or product idea in the STEM field.  Each school would locally choose its best three ideas and those students would be expected to present their new company or product idea to a panel of Fortune 500 and/or Venture Capitalists chosen by Governor Scott and Governor Perry.  The panel would determine the winner based on its likelihood of being commercialized and creating jobs.  All viable contest entries would be expected to be patented and put into production or launched as new companies.

Possible Prize/Bet: In the spirit of promoting the “Bulls vs. Longhorns” and promoting Florida and Texas agriculture, the losing Governor would host and pay for a steak cookout with their state’s beef on the other school’s campus for the winning school’s students to enjoy.

2)   Promoting STEM-M Challenge (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine)

Challenge Summary: To promote the ever-increasing need to marry STEM with healthcare/medicine, USF and UT undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields would compete to develop an innovation or idea that would solve a healthcare problem.  A panel of medical experts equally divided among the two universities would judge the quality of the idea based on impact, practicality and cost, and then the top five entries would present and compete in person.  The presentation/competition would occur in Texas or Florida based on whichever school had the most students enter the competition.

Possible Prize/Bet: The contest winner would get to meet both Governors and the losing Governor would spend a day wearing the shirt of the winning school.  That photograph would be sent to the winning school to display with their other trophies.
 
3)   Increasing the STEM Workforce Challenge

Challenge Summary: USF and UT would compete to develop a method to deliver STEM courses and degree programs for people not currently enrolled in the university, such as people already in the workforce without bachelor’s degrees or people who already have bachelor’s degrees but in non-STEM fields.  The contest would be to develop easy and affordable ways of presenting the material, including online and/or evenings with the goal of increasing enrollment and degree production in STEM fields.  The winner would be determined based on how many new people are enrolled in those courses over a set period of time.

Possible Prize/Bet:  The winning university would have a group of representative faculty and students treated to a dinner at the other state’s Governor’s Mansion.

See the full email from Genshaft to Scott by clicking next page, below.

KnightNews.com covered the wrongful death lawsuit the parents of the UCF football player — who died during a workout — brought against UCF’s private athletic association during last summer’s trial.

Even though UCF chose to privatize its athletics corporation as a direct support organization, which allows UCF to keep secret certain information that open records law would otherwise require UCF to disclose, UCF has insisted the private athletics corporation should be treated as a public state agency when it comes to a $200,000 cap on lawsuits public agencies enjoy. A reason UCF gave was because President John Hitt has control over the private corporation.

The judge disagreed UCF’s private athletics corporation should be immune to the full payment. That decision is one that UCF plans to appeal. See an interview with UCF spokesman Grant Heston we shot right after the verdict came down last year, where he discusses other issues planned for the appeal:

After a disappointing year, in which the Knights went 5-7, endured NCAA allegations and saw several players get into legal and academic trouble, the football program will have a lot to look forward to next season.

With the program’s entrance into the Big East just a year away, the Knights roster received a significant boost after Coach George O’Leary announced he’s reinstating four key offensive players, including quarterback Jeff Godfrey, wide receiver J.J. Worton, offensive tackle Chris Martin and cornerback Jordan Ozerities, who are all expected to participate in summer classes and team workouts that start Monday.

Godfrey and Worton were the two biggest question marks entering the 2012 season. Godfrey, who has been the Knights starting quarterback for the majority of the last two years, was suspended for the spring semester for violating university policy and was rumored to be transferring to FAU.

However, Godfrey changed his mind and decided to return to the Knights pending Coach O’Leary’s approval. O’Leary said he was open to the speedy junior’s return at the team’s annual Spring game, but Godfrey had to get his academics in order. He will still need to fulfill some academic obligations, but is expected to return to the program as a wide receiver.

Worton’s return may be even more noteworthy considering he was suspended on St. Patrick’s Day after getting arrested at local bar Knight Library for charges of resisting arrest, battery and resisting an officer with violence. The St. Patty’s Day incident left an uncertain future for Worton, who led the team in receiving yards in his freshman season.

Martin and Ozerities were suspended from spring practice for undisclosed violations of team policy, but O’Leary has now said they are back in good standing.

The reinstatement of Godfrey and Worton gives the Knights roster significant depth and makes them a dangerously potent offense heading into next season. Worton is an up-and-coming player for the Knights with his deep-threat capabilities.

The 6’2″ redshirt sophomore posted 531 receiving yards and four touchdowns last season and was expected to be the Knights top receiver again before his run-in with law enforcement. So, his return is a major relief for the Knights, as he will help create a dynamic offense with returning leaders, such as runningback Latavius Murray and QB Blake Bortles.

Godfrey’s decision to reunite with UCF is a big positive as well, and it will be interesting to see how he pans out at the receiver position.

Godfrey seemed like he’d be nowhere near Orlando after his father and his mentor, Luther Campbell, publicly bashed Coach O’Leary for limiting the quarterback. Godfrey lost most of his playing time at the end of the season in favor of Bortles after struggling to repeat his success from 2010.

“I told him, ‘The only thing I’m disappointed with is you could have stood up and told the truth. You know that stuff wasn’t the truth — what Luke was saying, what your dad was saying. There wasn’t two game plans and everything else,” O’Leary said in a statement from the Orlando Sentinel. “You started every practice, and you started every game. And you knew Blake was coming in at some time whether you were doing well or you were doing bad.”

It was often questioned if O’Leary tailored the playbook to favor Bortles’ strengths, in turn minimizing Godfrey’s effectiveness, which is why he struggled throughout the year. Regardless, the Knights struggled with both quarterbacks and finished 5-7.

Godfrey is a natural athlete and was scouted that way from some high-profile schools, but UCF was the one program willing to give him a shot under center.

That athleticism will give him the opportunity to be a playmaker, combined with his speed, quickness and IQ on the field. O’Leary is hoping Godfrey has matured since his offseason debacle and wants him to apologize to the team.

“I told him, ‘You have teammates that are disappointed in you,’ ” O’Leary said in a statement from the Sentinel. “It’s not going to be easy coming back in. He’ll have to address the team. I told him, ‘You sort of left them.’ … But he seems to be a little more mature and understands life’s not that easy. You have to work.”

UCF will have a very potent offense with the core of last year’s team returning and now with the announcement of Worton and Godfrey’s reinstatement.

With Bortles, Missouri-transfer Tyler Gabbert and potentially Godfrey all in the mix for quarterback, Knight fans are in for an exciting season.

While there’s still plenty of excitement in Orlando regarding the move, which will happen in 2013, the Big East seems to be experiencing a little turbulence.

Commissioner John Marinatto resigned Sunday after a rocky year for the conference, which saw quite a few high profile programs bolt for other conferences, including Pittsburgh, TCU, West Virginia and Syracuse.

Marinatto spent three years as the Big East’s commissioner before he was reportedly asked to step down from the position by league presidents.

Despite the shake up of the Big East, UCF leaders are still looking forward to the move.

“It’s a great conference, a great platform,” UCF Athletic Director Todd Stansbury said to the Orlando Sentinel. “… We just need the fans to keep supporting all our teams and enjoy it.”

There have also been rumors that Boise State may back out of its commitment to the Big East because they haven’t officially informed the Mountain West of its departure.

Regardless, the move is beneficial for the Knights. There is still a huge boost in national media exposure, the elusive automatic qualifying tag, television contracts and better competition.

Now, the Big East will search for a new commissioner, in hopes of getting more lucrative television contracts, which may have also been part of the reason the Big East wanted to go a different direction with Marinatto.

“I wouldn’t read too much into that,” Stansbury said to the Sentinel regarding Marinatto’s departure. “Conference commissioners do change and it really doesn’t really change a lot as far as what’s going on in a conference. I think John did a great job navigating through some fairly treacherous waters. … We wish him a lot of luck.”

With the Big East restocking the league with UCF, Houston, SMU, Boise State and San Diego State, Knight Nation shouldn’t be worried. The conference still has its AQ status, still boasts arguably the best college basketball conference in the nation and provides a large increase in exposure for UCF.

The Knights enter their final season as a member of C-USA starting this fall.

E-mail us at athletics@knightnews.com or follow us on Twitter … Allen Levin can be followed @TheNBAllen 

But, for 40-year-old “Sugar” Shane Mosley, there is one factor that drives him to take on 21-year-old Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and that’s lifting up a championship belt once again.

“The motivation to be in this fight is to claim the world title, to win the gold again,” Mosley said after lots of skepticism on why he is squaring off with someone essentially half his age at this point in his career.

Mosley, a six-time, three division champion, will take the canvas with Alvarez for the quickly rising Mexican’s WBC Super Welterweight World Championship Saturday night in the undercard bout to the Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto super fight.

While Mosley has already captured numerous titles and secured his spot in boxing history as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters, he wants to regain gold and add to his legacy.

“It adds to the legacy, but also sets myself up with some more big fights in the future,” Mosley said.

And if Mosley didn’t have enough motivation from potentially being a champion again, he can use his recent failures as a fuel for his 154-pound May 5 Pay-Per-View bout.

After starting his career 38-0, Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) has dropped three of his last six contests, and came to a draw in one of those, and hasn’t had a victory in over three years. His last win came in early 2009, when he earned a knockout over Antonio Margarito in the ninth round to secure his sixth world title.

Since then, Mosley has suffered losses to Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, as well as fought to a draw against Sergio Mora.

Despite his recent slip ups, Mosley still feels he has what it takes to be crowned a champion again and has no plans of hanging up his gloves yet.

“I never thought of hanging it up because I knew that I wasn’t 100 percent. If I was 100 percent, and I wasn’t really where I was supposed to be, then it’d be time to give it up,” Mosley said. “But I know I wasn’t ready (then). I wasn’t at my best. Now, I’m ready.”

Mosley Finally Healthy

Mosley claims a large part of the reason he came up short in fights against Mayweather and Pacquiao is due to not being fully healthy.

He said in those fights he entered training camp not at 100 percent and that transitioned over into those bouts as he fought through pain.

“My training has changed because I’m not going into the fight hurt or going into my training camp hurt. I’m actually going in training 100 percent, and that’s obviously a perk,” Mosley said.

Now, Mosley is at full strength and feels fresh as he heads into the eve of his big fight. Not only does being back at full strength benefit him in the fight, it also motivates him to do better.

“It’s motivating because I can get back in the ring with these guys. Like I said, going into training camp 100 percent is a lot better than going into it wounded and trying to fight,” Mosley said. “It motivates me to do better in the fight.”

Scouting Alvarez

Even with Mosley at 100 percent, he will still have his hands full with the young Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs), who has yet to lose a fight.

Canelo, who was given the nickname for his red hair as it translates to cinnamon in Spanish, has had rapid success after making his pro debut at just 15-years-old.

He made a name for himself after going 8-0 with four knockouts in 2008 and was recognized for his exciting style.

Alvarez is coming off victories over Alfonso Gomez and Kermit Cintron in 2011, a year where captivated his hometown of Mexico.

Canelo may have his biggest challenge to date against Mosley, who has a long career of beating some of the top names in the sport.

Tale Of The Tape- Shane Mosley

Hometown: Pomona, California

Record: 46-7-1, 39 KO’s

Age: 40

Weight: 154

Height: 5’9″

Reach: 71″

Tale Of The Tape- Canelo Alvarez

Hometown: Juanacatlan, Mexico

Record: 39-0-1, 29 KO’s

Age: 21

Weight: 154 lbs.

Height: 5’9″

Reach: 71″

Prediction

Alvarez is a tough, strong competitor who likes to keep things at his pace. Mosley will likely move around a lot and evade punches and not try to trade punches with this young gun.

While Alvarez is on the rise and remains unblemished, he still hasn’t fought someone of Mosley’s stature, regardless of his age.

Mosley is fully healthy now, confident and has a chip on his shoulder to prove he’s still one of the best fighters in the world. Remember, he absolutely annihilated Margarito in 2009 when he was fully healthy at the age of 38. So, if he’s fully healthy now, there’s no reason he can’t do much of the same against Canelo.

But, it’s Mosley’s experience in the ring that he thinks will give him the edge in this bout, despite the challenge of fighting someone half his age.

“No challenge at all for me. I feel great, I’m in great shape. I think it’s a benefit because I have the experience and the knowledge boxing to help me in the fight,” Mosley said.

Mosley knows that Alvarez is a solid competitor and acknowledges his ability to throw a variety of different head and body shots, but he is confident that his experience of the game will outweigh anything Alvarez throws at him.

“I’m not gonna give away my plan of attack (laughs), but I have all the tools to beat Canelo Alvarez. Canelo is a good, young fighter. He’s strong, he throws a variety of different punches; he throws a variety to the body and head, and he’s a good young fighter,” Mosley said.

“But, he’s not ready for me yet.”

The fight is set for 9 p.m. Saturday.

Linebacker Josh Linam signed with the San Diego Chargers, tight end Adam Nissley signed with the Atlanta Falcons and long snapper Charley Hughlett signed with the Dallas Cowboys, meaning four Knights from the 2011 roster will potentially be on NFL squads this upcoming season.

The 6’3″, 240-pound was a two-year starter for the Knights, getting 165 tackles. Linam had a solid senior season as the captain of the Knights defense.

Nissley was a four-year starter, but really emerged as a huge factor for the Knights last season as the team’s most experienced deep threat and had more catches after four games than he did his entire junior season.

Hughlett had several offers from NFL teams after being named to the All C-USA Second team his junior and senior seasons, and is widely considered as the most NFL-ready.

Hughlett, Linam and Nissley will have to prove themselves in training camp to secure a roster spot, but the trio all has the ability to notch a guaranteed professional contract.

It marks the seventh consecutive year that UCF has had at least one player taken in the NFL draft.

It has been nine games since the Knights were last shut out and it has only happened three other times this year.  Memphis pitcher Chase Joiner tossed a gem of a game, going the distance and only allowing five hits and two walks against the Knights.

The lone bright spot from the loss was UCF pitcher Brian Adkins, pitching a career night to match the outing of Joiner.  Adkins tossed a complete game as well, only allowing one run and eight hits.

“He threw a great game, I have to tip my hat to him,” Adkins said of Joiners outing. “There’s not a whole lot you can do, it was a great battle.”

The Adkins outing was pivotal considering the Knights bullpen was in need of some rest and if anything, they can write this game off as an investment to the end of the season.

“Brian Adkins threw a terrific game,” Coach Terry Rooney said. “Brian definitely picked up the pitching staff today, there’s no question, and we needed it.  He pitched his heart out and what a game, tough one-nothing loss, but what a game.”

The Tigers scored first in the top of the sixth inning, breaking a 0-0 tie through the first five. Adam McClain doubled to left-center and worked his way over to third on a deep lineout to right.  Derrick Thomas brought in the go ahead run on an RBI single to left field.

In the bottom of the eighth, Ronnie Richardson nearly tied it up when he hit a double off the top of the left field wall with one out.  Ryan Breen almost hit a two-run lead changer on the next at-bat but was traced down at the warning track.  D.J. Hicks grounded out to first to end the threat; it was the first time the Knights threatened since the first couple innings.

Alex Friedrich gave the Knights some hope in the bottom of the ninth with one out, after a fly ball to deep left was dropped when two Tigers converged on the ball allowing Friedrich to reach second.  Jomarcos Woods moved Friedrich to third on a groundout to first.  With two outs, a man on third and the game on the line, Jeramy Matos grounded out to third to the end the ballgame.

“We need to get better, we haven’t done anything yet, we haven’t.  It’s very apparent that we need to get better as a team because we’re not there yet,” Coach Rooney said after the disappointing weekend. However, the Knights will take the loss in stride, learn from it and prepare for a very tough Wednesday showdown at Stetson at 6:30 p.m.

The Knights were leading 4-1 to start the seventh inning and allowed five runs combined in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, to let the series clincher slip away.

“Clearly, we’re not playing as well late as we are early in the games,” Coach Terry Rooney said after the loss. “We just have to stay locked in every pitch. That’s what we talked about yesterday; we let those guys back in the game because we didn’t play every pitch. Well today, just look, a couple close plays and couple close balls, it doesn’t matter, we didn’t do it.”

Chris Matulis started for the Knights and pitched 6.2 innings of one-run ball before getting into a jam in the seventh and needing to be relieved by Garret Nuss.  Two of the runs allowed by Nuss were inherited from Matulis and therefore charged to his bill. UCF closer Joe Rogers was charged with his first loss of the season as Memphis pitcher Patrick Bailey earned the win.

“Chris Matulis did a great job, he did his job as a starting pitcher.  I thought he really battled and his command was pretty good,” Rooney said of his starter. “When you look at the bottom line, overall, what he did out there was a terrific job.”

Chris Taladay put the Knights on the board in the bottom of the second by relocating a 0-2 pitch over the wall and into the Knights bullpen for a solo homerun.  Alex Friedrich and Ryan Breen built on the inning with back-to-back singles and both runners were brought home on a JoMarcos Woods single up the middle.  The Knights scored an efficient three runs on four hits to take an early 3-0 lead.

Darnell Sweeney was on spot at shortstop with a couple ESPN-worthy putouts early in the game. Sweeney has been plagued by errors on similar acrobatic attempts but if he can trim down on the throwing errors, like Saturday night, he fields the position like a vacuum and does wonders for the pitching staff.

A walk and a single for Memphis put a Tiger at the corners with no outs in the top of the fourth.  Adam McClain scored from third on a fielder’s choice, but Matulis retired the next two batters to get out of the inning and keep the Knights in the drivers seat, leading 3-1.

Jeramy Matos responded for the Knights in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single that brought home Taladay, bringing the Knights back to a three-run lead.

The Tigers closed the gap in the top of seventh on a two-out rally, scoring two runs and bringing the game to a 4-3 contest.  Matulis gave up back-to-back singles, forcing Coach Rooney to call freshman reliever, Nuss, from the bullpen. Two more singles from the Tigers brought home the runs.

Sweeney hit an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to get one of the surrendered runs back, but the Knights were poised to do much more damage in the inning.  A D.J. Hicks walk following the single loaded the bases with only one out for Taladay, who hit a hard one bouncer up the middle that was snagged on a blink reaction from Memphis pitcher Sam Moll, who converted the (1-2-3) double play.

The Knights defense was staggered in the top of the eighth when a series of errors and passed balls allowed the Tigers to tie the game at five a piece.  A lead off walk followed by a single put a man at first and third.

Derrick Thomas scored from third for the Tigers on a passed ball.  After striking out the previous batter, UCF reliever Roman Madrid fielded a tough chopper up the middle, stared down and held the runner at second and then threw the ball intended for first into the dirt.  The runner on second scored on the error.

Joe Rogers took the mound for the Knights to start the ninth inning with the ballgame tied at five.  A questionable walk gave the Tigers the go-ahead man on base, and got the already rowdy fans to their feet.  The runner advanced to third on a passed ball and a groundout, and then scored on a Derrick Thomas single through the shortstop gap.

Rogers struck out the next batter to end the inning, but not before allowing the Tigers to take a 6-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth.

Travis Shreve, C-USA’s Hitter of the Week last week, took four straight balls to put the tying run on first and bring the winning run to the plate. Ronnie Richardson pushed a sacrifice bunt too close to the pitcher, who was able to get the leadoff out at second.  Sweeney popped up for the second out and D.J. Hicks struck out while trying to hit a ball into Bright House Networks Stadium.

“At the end of the day, Memphis played better fundamental baseball than us, they threw more strikes, they defended better and they won,” Coach Rooney said after the game. “It doesn’t matter what your talent level is, you have to play fundamentally sound baseball.  To Memphis’s credit, they played better.”

The Knights will play for the series tomorrow, Sunday the 29^th, at 1 p.m at Jay Bergman Field.

Robinson spent three years at UCF, anchoring the Knights secondary as one of the Knights most effective players in program history, before getting taken Friday night.

The 5’10″, 199-pound Robinson impressed scouts after he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.

Robinson was the first player taken from a Florida school in this year’s draft.

“It’s my way of life,” Cotto said at his pre-fight media workout last week in Orlando. “I prefer to be quiet, I prefer to be a calm guy and just do my thing.”

Cotto is relying on “his thing” to be successful as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career, a May 5th matchup with undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather in the Super Welterweight World Championship at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Cotto, a four-time, three-division World Champion, is training for the 154-pound main event bout with trainer Pedro Diaz in Orlando in what could be the highlight of the 31-year-old’s career or the surrendering of his WBA Super Welterweight title.

Cotto (37-2, 30 KO’s) knows what’s at stake as he takes the canvas with one of boxing’s most storied fighters, one who is risking his perfect record and reputation.

“I’m here for one purpose and that’s victory on May 5th,” Cotto said.

Background

Cotto is coming fresh from a hard-fought victory over Antonio Margarito last December, in which Cotto won by technical knockout in a 10-round thriller, the second defense of his current title.

The Puerto Rican-native got revenge against Margarito after suffering the first loss of his pro career to him back in 2008. With the win, he solidified his confidence as he heads into the 154-pound matchup against the heavily-favored Mayweather.

Cotto has held a world title every year since 2004, with 16 wins in 18 world championships bouts that he’s participated in.

Cotto, who possesses four titles in three different divisions, won his first world championship in 2004, beating Kelson Pinto for the WBO junior welterweight crown.

Since then, he’s defeated Shane Mosley by decision in 2007, Alfonso Gomez by knockout in 2008, and won the WBO welterweight title from Michael Jennings in 2009.

Then he ran into Manny Pacquiao in late 2009, where he would fall short of victory via 12th round TKO. The loss to Pacquiao was just the second loss of his pro career

Still, Cotto rebounded strong, winning his third and current division title in 2010 against Yuri Foreman. Cotto defended that belt for the first time vs. former champion Ricardo Mayorga, notching a 12th round TKO to retain it.

On the other side, Mayweather, at 42-0 with 26 KO’s, is returning to the ring after a highly controversial win against Victor Ortiz last September. Mayweather knocked out Ortiz after his competitor gave him an intentional head butt, which followed with Ortiz kissing Mayweather’s neck as an apology, before Mayweather took him down with two punches as Ortiz had his hands lying idly.

Despite the odd sequence of events, Money took the WBC Welterweight belt to maintain his unblemished record.

Mayweather, who is a seven-time, five-division world champion, has steamrolled through multiple weight classes in his career, but is entering the 154-pound division for the first time in five years.

“It will be a challenge for me to compete with him at this weight, but this is the type of test I thrive on and gives me the motivation to train even harder,” Mayweather said.

Tale Of The Tape- Miguel Cotto

Hometown: Caguas,Puerto Rico

Record: 37-2-0, 30 KO’s

Age: 31

Weight: 154

Height: 5’8″

Reach: 69″

Tale Of The Tape- Floyd Mayweather

Hometown:Las Vegas,Nevada

Record: 42-0-0, 26 KO’s

Age: 35

Weight: 154 lbs.

Height: 5’8″

Reach: 72″

Analysis

This will undoubtedly be the toughest matchup of Miguel Cotto’s career, especially after some of his weaknesses were displayed in his defeat to Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather presents an unprecedented combination of speed, power and instinct that will be a challenge for Cotto to handle even with his advantage in age and muscle.

On top of that, Mayweather’s defensive scheme will make it difficult for Cotto to overpower him with crosses and combinations. While Cotto recognizes Mayweather’s defensive abilities, Cotto remains confident.

“His defense is his best weapon. We are preparing ourselves, and everybody is going to see May 5th,” Cotto said. “We’re going to exploit everything we can on May 5th to get a victory.”

Cotto is known for his jab, a quick and powerful one, which he utilizes against opponent’s bodies. He will need to employ this, along with his edge in natural size, if he’s going to pull off the upset over Mayweather.

Despite Mayweather being the one that had to move up in weight class, he still has a big advantage in agility and defense, as well as a 5-inch reach advantage.

Even with Cotto’s potent offense and deadly jab, he doesn’t have very quick feet and his stamina is nowhere near the level of Mayweather.

Prediction

It’s likely that Mayweather will adapt to anything that Cotto throws at him, and will utilize his defensive skill set to wear Cotto down and ultimately outlast him.

Cotto has a puncher’s chance because of his heart, dedication and power, but I expect Money Mayweather to remain undefeated.

“I have no doubt in my mind that my title belt collection will increase once again, and Cotto’s reign as champion will come to an end on May 5,” Mayweather said.

Be sure to tune live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. on May 5.