His wife and son were reported to have left ringside before it was over.

His father was reported to ask for a stoppage in the 11th round.

When referee Kenny Bayless finally did stop it in the 12th�”with Miguel Angel Cotto’s face looking a piece of chewed up and spit out bubble gum�”I hope and pray it marked the end of a legendary boxing career.

Cotto proved once again that he is a warrior in the true sense of the word.

Cotto proved he is Hall of Fame worthy, despite losing two of his last four fights.

And although those two loses have been the only two of his 34-2 (27 knockouts) career, they have been brutal�”and recent.

The first was to Mexico’s Antonio Margarito on July 26, 2008�”a fight that will forever be questioned after Margarito was caught using Plaster of Paris on his hand wraps before his next fight against Sugar Shane Mosely.

No doubts of impropriety, however, followed Saturday night’s fight�”and loss�”to Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.

Close in the beginning, Pacquiao picked up the speed of a freight train in the second half, leaving his Caguas, Puerto Rico-native counterpart no choice but to run�”which he did at times�”or take the brutal punishment�”which he did most of the time.

The punishment was so bad that the Nevada State Athletic Commission is reported to have ordered Cotto to skip the post-fight press conference in order to head directly to the hospital for a body scan. A publicist was left to convey his sentiments: "He wanted the media to know he fought the best fighter he ever fought."

Now, however, the punishment needs to stop. The ever-increasing site of blood and swelling on Cotto’s cranium should become a thing of the past.

The future, on the other hand, looks more than golden for Pacquiao, who fought Saturday’s fight more than 35 pounds heavier than when he first stepped into the professional ring as a 106-pounder. In the process, he became the first fighter in history to ever win seven titles in seven different weight classes.

The 30-year-old southpaw, however, still has at least one more mega-fight to add to his resume before he can even think about hanging his gloves up.

Enter Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., the undefeated, ever-boastful and brashy banger, who came out of retirement to beat Juan Manuel Marquez in a unanimous 12-round decision in September.

Prior to that, Mayweather was on a string of victories including Arturo Gatti, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.

While it took “Money” 10 rounds to beat Hatton at the end of 2007, Pacquiao conquered the fiery Brit in two rounds a little more than six months ago�”setting the stage for what could be the best prizefight since the mid-80s, when Sugar Ray Leonard battled the likes of Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.

Future Hall of Famer Mosley, though, has thrown his hat in the ring to test Mayweather, and has scheduled a late January bout with rising star Andre Berto to get ready for the chance. While that fight would be thrilling, a Pacquiao - Mayweather scuffle would be one for the ages�”and probably boxing’s best chance to once again regain the positive national attention it so desperately needs.

The only question now is; Will “Money” put his money where his mouth is?

(What do YOU think? E-mail “Ski” at editorial@nogalesinternational.com.)