As everyone in the boxing world waits to hear word about Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s next move, one thing, in my opinion
is clear: he is indeed considering a return to the ring some time in the near future. On the heels of Andre Berto's surprising defeat following rumblings that he was next in line to face Mayweather had he won, let's take a look at some of the other options and try to predict who, other than Manny Pacquiao of course, would make the most sense for Mayweather in 2011.
Obviously, the fight that everyone wants to see is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, but we're no closer to seeing that mega-fight take place than we were nearly two years ago, when the idea first came to fruition. Both Top Rank Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, who as far as I know is still representing Floyd Mayweather in negotiations, are in the midst of another cold war, and neither fighter, nor their advisors, seems willing to make the necessary concessions in order to give fans the fight they really want. Personally, I don't see the outcome changing during the 2011 calendar year. That being said, the only fighter left available at 147 that could make a fight with Mayweather appealing is Victor Ortiz.
Ortiz's exciting victory over Andre Berto on Saturday gave him the momentum he needed to get the opportunity for a big fight. He's fan-friendly fighting style makes him an interesting B-side opponent for Mayweather, plus the fact that he now holds Mayweather's old WBC welterweight title adds a minor storyline to the event. The downfall to Ortiz is that he doesn't have the following necessary to generate the big bucks of a welterweight showdown that Mayweather has grown accustomed to. Not to mention, even with his spectacular performance this past Saturday, it's still unclear if he's truly established himself as a star to watch. A lot of fans were turned off by his comments after his loss to Marcos Maidana in June of 2009, and I'm afraid it's going to take a lot more than one great performance in his first fight at welterweight to erase that memory from the minds of many. For that reason, I just don't see Ortiz as being the best option for Floyd at this point in time; at least not until he really establishes himself in the division with another win against a quality welterweight, like a Paul Williams, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, or the inevitable rematch with Berto. Mayweather will likely have to look to a division above or below 147 pounds in order to find his most marketable option for his next fight.
Naturally, the next best fight for fans after Pacquiao would be one with middleweight kingpin Sergio Martinez, who could easily come down to 154 pounds for the showdown. Martinez, in my opinion, would provide Mayweather with his toughest test and would satisfy the desire of hardcore boxing fans to see Mayweather take on a dangerous challenge. Making a fight with Martinez would be an easy negotiation, but question is, is the risk worth the reward for Mayweather, who has a few other options available that provide more, if not the same, amount money, but pose less of a threat than Martinez. Despite his last two impressive performances, Martinez has yet to really establish a decent following, so if a fight with Mayweather is to happen, he too would likely have to take another fight to help increase his awareness amongst the casual boxing fan. A high-profile pay-per-view showdown with the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., provided he gets past Sebastian Zbik, could do the trick, increasing both his own fan base as well as his ability to generate revenue, which at the end of the day is what Money Mayweather cares about the most.
Another option for Mayweather at 154 pounds is Miguel Cotto, who has a rabid fan base, a jr. middleweight title, and offers a much lower risk, but a higher payday. The one small problem with Cotto, however, is his promoter, Bob Arum. Considering that Arum is unable to make a fight between Mayweather and his biggest star, Manny Pacquiao, there's no reason to believe that he would be willing to do business with Mayweather and one of his other fighters. After all, could you imagine Arum letting Cotto take full random blood testing leading all the way up until the fight, but not Pacquiao? I don't forsee that ever happening.
While we're on the subject of big names at 154 pounds, I can't forget to mention Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the red-headed phenom from Mexico who does major numbers in Mexico and who already looks to be turning into a major star here in the United States. Although Alvarez is still a little green at this point of his career, Mayweather could make quite a bit of money from that fight. But would Golden Boy Promotions or the handlers of Alvarez actually be willing to throw him in against a pound-for-pound great like Mayweather at this early stage of his career. I can see this fight being huge in a couple of years, assuming Mayweather is even still fighting then, but we're not quite there yet.
Perhaps some better options for Mayweather exist at 140 pounds, like Timothy Bradley, who holds multiple titles in the jr. welterweight division. Like Mayweather, he's an undefeated fighter and his style could make for an entertaining fight. Unfortunately, like a lot of these other young rising stars, Bradley does not bring many fans to the table. Not to mention, he also has an uncanny ability of cutting fighters with his infamous headbutts, so I'm not sure if the reward is going to measure up to the risk if clashing heads over and over again. If Bradley wants this fight in the future, he'll need to look spectacular against Amir Khan this summer in order state his case.
The final option, and the one that I would choose if I were Mayweather, is WBA jr. welterweight champion Amir Khan, who has an exciting style and is already a major star in England. Khan's fights sell overseas and he brings a style to the table that would give Mayweather a challenge without the danger of fighting a much bigger man like Martinez. Keep in mind that Khan shares the same trainer as Pacquiao, Freddie Roach, so the buildup of the Mayweather Sr. vs. Roach storyline would make for great television. Considering that Khan is promoted by Golden Boy, negotiations should be quite painless, and no doubt, the international press would bill this as a mega-fight. In Mayweather's own terms, this fight would make good dollars (though not as much as a Pacquiao fight) and good sense.
Although none of us know Floyd's next move at the moment and many are even wondering if he'll ever fight again, personally, I think we have not seen the last of Money Mayweather. My prediction is that we'll see him sharing the ring with Amir Khan some time later this year, as he's the only viable candidate that brings the fan base and name recognition to satisfy the B-side of the equation for a mega-event.