Mayweather v Cotto in May
Floyd Mayweather has been granted a licence to fight Miguel Cotto before he goes to prison.
Mayweather will step up from his customary welterweight division and take on three-division champion Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 5.
The fight will be at light-middleweight (69.9 kg.)
"Miguel Cotto is a world-class fighter who can never be taken for granted and continues to prove he is one of the best," Mayweather, 34, said in a statement on Wednesday.
"It will be a challenge for me to compete with him at this weight, but this is the type of test I thrive on. It gives me the motivation to train even harder.
"I have no doubt that my title belt collection will increase once again and Cotto's reign as champion will come to an end on May 5," added the seven-time world champion in five weight classes.
The Nevada Athletic Commission agreed on Wednesday to issue a one-fight permit to Mayweather on condition that he fulfil requirements of a sentence in a domestic battery case.
He is due to report for a 90-day jail term on June 1.
Mayweather, regarded as the best defensive fighter of his generation, improved his professional record to 42-0 by claiming the WBC welterweight title from Victor Ortiz last September.
'NEVER DUCKED ANYONE'
Cotto, with a record of 37-2 (30 KOs), retained his WBA super-welterweight title with a 10th-round technical knockout win over Antonio Margarito in December.
"I am here to fight the biggest names in boxing," the Puerto Rican said on Wednesday. “I have never ducked anyone or any challenge in front of me.
"I have accepted everything to give the fans what they like ... great and exciting fights. That is what the sport is all about."
Mayweather pleaded guilty on December 21 to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges as part of a plea deal.
Prosecutors dropped felony and misdemeanour charges that could have landed him with a sentence of 34 years in prison.
PACQUIAO 'BLOWING SMOKE'
Mayweather has been trying for months to get Manny Pacquiao to agree to a megafight before June but the Filipino superstar will fight a still unnamed opponent in Las Vegas on June 9.
"I presented Pacquiao with the fight," Mayweather said on Wednesday. "He is blowing a lot of smoke. He doesn't really want to fight.
"I gave him a chance to step up to the plate. We're talking about a $10 million fighter that I tried to give $40 million to. We didn't even talk about the back end.
"He really didn't want to fight from the beginning. He got famous basically by piggybacking off my name.
"When you mention Floyd Mayweather, you mention an all-time great, an icon in the sport of boxing. When you mention Manny Pacquiao, they say, 'Oh, that's the guy who's trying to fight Floyd Mayweather.'
"When it's all said and done, all the guy did is just piggyback off my name."
Pacquiao, who has a record of 54-3, with two drawn and 32 knockouts, has won his past 15 fights over a span of nearly seven years.
Additional reporting: Sapa-AP.