Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. silenced more of his critics by beating Miguel Cotto on Saturday night, according to ESPN. Held in Las Vegas, the match boasted a star-studded audience that included Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber. Mayweather suffered a bloodied nose thanks to a determined Cotto, who nonetheless lost the 154-pound title fight.
ESPN reports:
Mayweather dominated late, rocking Cotto in the 12th round to pull out a win and remain unbeaten in 43 fights. Unlike most of his fights, though, Mayweather got his nose bloodied and engaged in some bruising exchanges he usually likes to avoid.
Two judges scored the fight 117-111 and the third had it 118-110. ESPN.com had it 116-112 for Mayweather. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 116-112 …
In the last round, Mayweather landed his best punch of the night, a left uppercut that seemed to hurt Cotto. He followed that with several flurries to the head to wrap up a decision that until the later rounds had been in doubt.
The decision was roundly booed by the crowd at the MGM Grand arena, which cheered wildly every time Cotto landed a punch.
"He's a tough competitor," Mayweather said. "He came to fight; he didn't just come to survive. I dug down and fought him back."
Read more at ESPN.
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