R. Marsh Starks / Reuters

Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrates after beating Miguel Cotto on Saturday.

Most in boxing figure Pacquiao would be even tougher for Mayweather, which might be the reason he seems to want no part of him. Mayweather said before the fight he believes Pacquiao used steroids to bulk up and it would be dangerous to fight him, though he has offered no proof of his claims and is being sued by Pacquiao for defamation.

Afterward, Mayweather said the fight wouldn't be happening because Pacquiao is tied to promoter Bob Arum and he doesn't want to deal with Arum. He said he offered Pacquiao $40 million to fight - with $20 million wired to him within 24 hours of accepting - and was turned down. The fight could easily make each man much more than that, but Mayweather believes he is the true attraction and won't agree to split the proceeds 50-50 with Pacquiao.

Mayweather's more immediate future is a bigger worry for him than a Pacquiao fight. He's going to be spending much of the summer in a jail cell for his no contest plea to domestic abuse stemming from a fight with the mother of his children. It will be the first long jail stretch for Mayweather, who has a history of such charges over the years.

He didn't feel much like talking about it after the fight, preferring instead to highlight his contributions to charity and some vague plans to help hungry and homeless people. Still, he acknowledged that the impending move from his multimillion-dollar mansion to a spartan cell was weighing on him.

"The only thing it can do is make me stronger as a person," Mayweather said. "When it comes to June 1, I have to accept it like a man."

On this night he was certainly man enough, putting on a show that even his detractors had to admire. The knock on Mayweather has long been that, though he's a masterful boxer, he often fought too defensively to excite fight fans and was seldom worth the money they put out to watch him in their living rooms.

Against Cotto he fought, and fought hard. He beat a brawler, and he beat him at his own game.

Aside from the punishment that showed on his face, the night was a huge success for Mayweather and his many minions. Though he hinted at retirement, few in boxing doubt that he will be back in the ring, if only because the money is so big he can't afford not to be.

Who knows, if jail does indeed make him stronger, maybe he'll even be up to taking on Pacquiao.

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