It was supposed to be the toughest test Floyd Mayweather has faced since he fought Oscar De La Hoya back in 2007. This time around Mayweather would be taking on another fighter with a large Mexican fan base in Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a fighter who was much larger and stronger than maybe anyone Mayweather has ever fought. So most people expected Mayweather to start off the fight in his usual fashion, playing defense and dissecting the attack of his opponent until he had them figured out and started to pick them apart. That usually takes Mayweather about three rounds to do, but Mayweather didn't take anytime at all to figure Alvarez out.
Mayweather started off the fight very fast, pressing the action from the opening bell and he never slowed down from there. He was landing fast accurate punches and as always his straight right hand was his biggest weapon. Alvarez could never really mount an offensive attack and was forced to settle for potshots to the body, punches that didn't land often or with enough force behind them. At the end of the fight Mayweather looked as if he never even took a punch. When the scores were announced everyone in the arena and watching the PPV on tv were expecting Mayweather to win via unanimous decision but that didn't happen. Instead Mayweather won the fight by majority decision due to the horrible score turned in by infamous judge C.J. Ross who scored the fight a draw. Although the other two judges both scored the fight for Mayweather the scores were still questionable. Judge Dave Morretti scored it 116-112 and judge Craig Metcalfe had it 117-111 giving Alvarez 4 & 3 rounds respectively. Even though Mayweather did get the win it was a joke it wasn't by the way of unanimous decision considering Mayweather clearly won every single round.
So now here we are again in very familiar territory. Mayweather won easily and the fans and boxing word look to see who his next opponent may be. So far 45 have tried and now 45 have failed so who will get the chance to be number 46? One name getting a lot of buzz last night was Danny Garcia who won a unanimous decision over Lucas Matthysse in a hard fought bout. Garcia could very well end up fighting Mayweather when he gets back in the ring in 2014. After his dominant win last night Mayweather said he once again plans to fight in May and September just as he did in 2013. While Garcia would be a solid opponent and certainly would generate some buzz after the biggest win of his career it is two other fighters who probably have the best shot at taking on Mayweather. Those fighters are Amir Khan and Devon Alexander. And if either one of them wants to take on Mayweather they will have to get past the other first because it is almost certain that they will be fighting on December 7th.
After fighting Alvarez who many saw as a danger to Mayweather and who entered the ring 15 pounds heavier than Mayweather it might be smart for him to fight a boxer who would be more in his weight class. Both Khan and Alexander fight at 147 pounds which is a weight Mayweather is always very sharp at. These fighters would be good opponents for Mayweather because they are both highly skilled boxers who should make for a good fast paced fight. Alexander would not be Mayweather's first choice because he does not have a large fan base at this point so hyping the fight would prove difficult. Mayweather would not have that problem with Khan, who is a superstar in the U.K. and would bring a ton of international fans to the event, which is probably why he will be Mayweather's next opponent. Garcia is another fighter without a large fan base and would probably be the toughest opponent out of the three fighters which is why Mayweather probably won't fight him his next time in the ring. However it wouldn't be surprising at all if Mayweather was to fight Garcia in September for his second fight of 2014.
Whoever Mayweather fights next it is seeming more and more like it doesn't even matter. At this point there is a fighter in the world from 140-154 pounds that would have a legitimate chance of beating him. Some people will call for Mayweather to take on a middleweight but for Floyd to go anywhere near 160 pounds so late in his career with only a few fights left would be ridiculous. One intriguing name in the middleweight class is Sergio Martinez. He is still the number three ranked pound for pound fighter in the world and although he has been fighting at 160 pounds Martinez has always maintained he feels more comfortable at 154 pounds. Martinez has not looked sharp his last few times in the ring so Mayweather might decide the timing is perfect for a fight with him.
The last name on the list of possible Mayweather opponents is a familiar one, Manny Pacquiao. While that fight would be nowhere close to the mega fight it would have been only a few years ago it would still bring a lot of buzz to the boxing world. First Pacquiao would have to get past Brandon Rios who he fights in November in a fight that will be very dangerous for Pacquiao who is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. If Pacquiao were to get knocked out again his career may be over, but if he were to beat Rios the talks of a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would certainly start to generate some buzz again. At this point is seems that only age would have a chance at defeating Mayweather and he will most likely end his career unbeaten. But taking on some big name fighters on his way out will certainly help cement his legacy and quiet any talks of Mayweather ducking fighters.
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| Mayweather making use of his straight right hand |
So now here we are again in very familiar territory. Mayweather won easily and the fans and boxing word look to see who his next opponent may be. So far 45 have tried and now 45 have failed so who will get the chance to be number 46? One name getting a lot of buzz last night was Danny Garcia who won a unanimous decision over Lucas Matthysse in a hard fought bout. Garcia could very well end up fighting Mayweather when he gets back in the ring in 2014. After his dominant win last night Mayweather said he once again plans to fight in May and September just as he did in 2013. While Garcia would be a solid opponent and certainly would generate some buzz after the biggest win of his career it is two other fighters who probably have the best shot at taking on Mayweather. Those fighters are Amir Khan and Devon Alexander. And if either one of them wants to take on Mayweather they will have to get past the other first because it is almost certain that they will be fighting on December 7th.
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| Does Alexander have enough name recognition? |
After fighting Alvarez who many saw as a danger to Mayweather and who entered the ring 15 pounds heavier than Mayweather it might be smart for him to fight a boxer who would be more in his weight class. Both Khan and Alexander fight at 147 pounds which is a weight Mayweather is always very sharp at. These fighters would be good opponents for Mayweather because they are both highly skilled boxers who should make for a good fast paced fight. Alexander would not be Mayweather's first choice because he does not have a large fan base at this point so hyping the fight would prove difficult. Mayweather would not have that problem with Khan, who is a superstar in the U.K. and would bring a ton of international fans to the event, which is probably why he will be Mayweather's next opponent. Garcia is another fighter without a large fan base and would probably be the toughest opponent out of the three fighters which is why Mayweather probably won't fight him his next time in the ring. However it wouldn't be surprising at all if Mayweather was to fight Garcia in September for his second fight of 2014.
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| Khan has a ton of U.K. fans |
The last name on the list of possible Mayweather opponents is a familiar one, Manny Pacquiao. While that fight would be nowhere close to the mega fight it would have been only a few years ago it would still bring a lot of buzz to the boxing world. First Pacquiao would have to get past Brandon Rios who he fights in November in a fight that will be very dangerous for Pacquiao who is coming off a brutal knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. If Pacquiao were to get knocked out again his career may be over, but if he were to beat Rios the talks of a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would certainly start to generate some buzz again. At this point is seems that only age would have a chance at defeating Mayweather and he will most likely end his career unbeaten. But taking on some big name fighters on his way out will certainly help cement his legacy and quiet any talks of Mayweather ducking fighters.
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