MANILA, Philippines – HBO boxing commentator Harold Lederman said undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. deserves credit for agreeing to fight Miguel Cotto at the junior middleweight division (154-pounds), instead of welterweight (147-pounds).

Mayweather will make his ring return against Cotto on May 5, in a bout that will be for Cotto’s WBA junior middleweight title.

"I give Floyd all the credit in the world. He's saying 'We're going to fight for Miguel Cotto's 154-pound title,'" Lederman said in an Examiner interview.

"He can say, 'Well, if you want to fight me you have to come down to 147-pounds.' He's not doing that. He's being a gentleman about it, saying that he doesn't want to fight a Miguel Cotto that is drained," he added.

"I give Floyd all the credit in the world for doing that."

Cotto could have chosen to fight Filipino boxing icon Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in a rematch, but he did not want to fight the Filipino boxer at the welterweight limit.

Cotto instead chose to fight Mayweather, who was willing to move up in weight, instead of going down to the 147-pound division again.

"(Floyd) is showing that he's a great fighter and he's giving Cotto every single chance to win," Lederman said.

"I was thrilled to death to hear that Mayweather was not making crazy demands on Cotto's weight, which he could have done."

Pacquiao defeated Cotto when they fought in 2009 via a 12th round technical knockout. The fight was held at a 145-pound catchweight.

Lederman said he is already looking forward to the Cotto-Mayweather bout and expect May 5 to be "wild in Las Vegas."

"I think it's going to be a fabulous night of boxing, I really do," he added.

Lederman is also expecting Cotto to come out firing against Mayweather.

"This is the fight of his career. Without a doubt I think it’s going to be the most important fight of his career. It’s going to define his career," he said.

"Can you imagine if Miguel Cotto knocks out Floyd Mayweather in the first round? Anything can happen in boxing. He'd be an overnight, instant Hall-of-Famer, an instant legend."