Floyd Mayweather, Robert Guerrero Close to a Deal, According to Source

Floyd Mayweather may be on the verge of signing a deal to fight fast-rising lightweight champion Robert Guerrero according to Raymond Markarian of SweetScience.com. Markarian, citing a source close to the negotiations, states that an announcement could be made as early as next week.

Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) has had a number of starts and stops in his career due to personal and promotional reasons, as well as a handful of subpar performances. For instance, in 2009, Guerrero seemed to be getting outworked by Daud Yordan before a clash of heads in the second round generated a no-contest.

Since then, Guerrero has been highly impressive, most recently in clear decision victories over Vicente Escobedo and Michael Katsidis.

Guerrero, a Gilroy, Calif. native, is Mexican-American and would likely be a draw on Cinco de Mayo at the MGM Grand.

Despite Guerrero's stellar form in recent fights, reactions to the potential fight have so far been negative, according to ESPN's Dan Rafael. Mayweather's other potential foes, Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao, both have much larger followings.

Recent reports (here and here, as well as at B/R) have revealed that Pacquiao wants to make a May 5th showdown with Mayweather a reality.

"I am meeting with my promoter, Bob Arum, on Tuesday, and I will insist that the fight with Mayweather be given the preference than the four others in the list I will fight next," Pacquiao stated.

While the Mayweather-Guerrero fight seems imminent, it is not yet official. If Pacquiao plays hardball with Arum and takes a stand, as he suggests, boxing's super fight may yet be possible. We should know more after Tuesday.

Stay tuned.