Mayweather was granted a one-fight license to face Cotto at the MGM Grand on May 5 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a unanimous vote. Mayweather told the commission the deal was in place to fight junior middleweight Cotto.
Thus ends weeks of speculation about a possible Mayweather fight with Manny Pacquiao before Mayweather begins serving an 87-day delayed jail sentence for domestic violence on June 1. Mayweather’s attorney successfully convinced Clark County Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa to defer Mayweather’s term from January to June to honor his existing deal with the MGM Grand to preserve the infusion of income into the Las Vegas economy, which is hurting due to a downturn in tourism.