Many fans and analysts alike expected Floyd Mayweather's fight against Robert Guerrero to be a tough battle for the undefeated veteran. How wrong they all were. Mayweather easily outpointed Guerrero to win by unanimous decision, in a fight that was never in question. It took Mayweather only 2 rounds to dissect Guerrero and pick him apart with a strong right hand. If it hadn't been for an injury to that hand later in the fight, Mayweather might have knocked Guerrero out. Now with Guerrero out of the way and Mayweather saying he has five fights left in his historic career, the question needs to be asked, who's next?
It may not matter who he fights next if Mayweather continues to look so good, but here are a few possibilities. The fight that the general public seems to want most would be Mayweather vs. Alvarez. That fight would draw huge PPV numbers and the stadium would be packed. It would be a massive draw in America and even more so in Alvarez's home country of Mexico. Alvarez has youth and power and might prove to be a tough foe, however one thing Alvarez doesn't posses is elite hand speed, which is a must have against Mayweather. The major problem with making this fight is that Alvarez fights at junior middleweight and wouldn't fight at welterweight. And at this late stage of his career Mayweather might feel stronger and more comfortable fighting in the welterweight division. If it happens it would be huge for the sport, just don't hold your breath. So if Alvarez probably doesn't happen, who else is in contention?
Another name being floated is Amir Khan. Khan hails from England where Mayweather has recently said he wishes to fight before his career ends. Also Khan has good name recognition and a massive fan base in England. His most recent fight came at a catch weight of 143 pounds, and after the fight Khan said he would move up to welterweight in hopes of landing a fight against Mayweather. But besides the raucous English fans, there really isn't much to garner interest. Khan has shown time and time again that he has one of the weakest chins in the sport, even getting dropped in his last fight and being dazed a few times. If Mayweather did fight Khan he would probably knock him out in the middle to late rounds. Maybe there is another superstar in waiting that could challenge Mayweather.
That man would be Adrien Broner who many consider to be the next Mayweather but with tremendous knockout power. Broner would be a perfect opponent to challenge the undefeated record of Mayweather. He is lightning quick, has great defense, and can punch with the best of them. But Broner has fought at lightweight and has never fought at welterweight, that is until he takes on Paulie Malignaggi in June. Will Broner's quickness and power stay with him at a heavier weight? If Broner looks good against Malignaggi then certainly the whispers of a fight against Mayweather would start, the only problem is that both men are great friends who have said they will never fight. For every possible Mayweather opponent there seems to be a problem with making it happen.
There are plenty of names out there who would love to earn a career payday by fighting Mayweather. Some of those names are Devon Alexander, Danny Garcia, Paulie Malignaggi, Lucas Mattyhsse, Zab Judah, and Lamont Peterson. None of those fighters are with Golden Boy rival Top Rank, so that doesn't pose a problem. At this point it's really up to Mayweather, who can hand pick whoever he wants to fight next. Let's just hope that whoever Mayweather chooses comes to win and not just collect a paycheck a la Guerrero.
It may not matter who he fights next if Mayweather continues to look so good, but here are a few possibilities. The fight that the general public seems to want most would be Mayweather vs. Alvarez. That fight would draw huge PPV numbers and the stadium would be packed. It would be a massive draw in America and even more so in Alvarez's home country of Mexico. Alvarez has youth and power and might prove to be a tough foe, however one thing Alvarez doesn't posses is elite hand speed, which is a must have against Mayweather. The major problem with making this fight is that Alvarez fights at junior middleweight and wouldn't fight at welterweight. And at this late stage of his career Mayweather might feel stronger and more comfortable fighting in the welterweight division. If it happens it would be huge for the sport, just don't hold your breath. So if Alvarez probably doesn't happen, who else is in contention?
Another name being floated is Amir Khan. Khan hails from England where Mayweather has recently said he wishes to fight before his career ends. Also Khan has good name recognition and a massive fan base in England. His most recent fight came at a catch weight of 143 pounds, and after the fight Khan said he would move up to welterweight in hopes of landing a fight against Mayweather. But besides the raucous English fans, there really isn't much to garner interest. Khan has shown time and time again that he has one of the weakest chins in the sport, even getting dropped in his last fight and being dazed a few times. If Mayweather did fight Khan he would probably knock him out in the middle to late rounds. Maybe there is another superstar in waiting that could challenge Mayweather.
That man would be Adrien Broner who many consider to be the next Mayweather but with tremendous knockout power. Broner would be a perfect opponent to challenge the undefeated record of Mayweather. He is lightning quick, has great defense, and can punch with the best of them. But Broner has fought at lightweight and has never fought at welterweight, that is until he takes on Paulie Malignaggi in June. Will Broner's quickness and power stay with him at a heavier weight? If Broner looks good against Malignaggi then certainly the whispers of a fight against Mayweather would start, the only problem is that both men are great friends who have said they will never fight. For every possible Mayweather opponent there seems to be a problem with making it happen.
There are plenty of names out there who would love to earn a career payday by fighting Mayweather. Some of those names are Devon Alexander, Danny Garcia, Paulie Malignaggi, Lucas Mattyhsse, Zab Judah, and Lamont Peterson. None of those fighters are with Golden Boy rival Top Rank, so that doesn't pose a problem. At this point it's really up to Mayweather, who can hand pick whoever he wants to fight next. Let's just hope that whoever Mayweather chooses comes to win and not just collect a paycheck a la Guerrero.
Comments
Post a Comment