Floyd Mayweather Returns in February Says Canelo, 3 Ways to Market the Fight

Mayweather back to the mitts with his trainer/uncle Roger.
Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather may return sooner than expected. WBC junior middleweight champ, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, told Boxing Scene that Mayweather wants to fight in February.

That contradicts the May 4 fight date that Canelo wishes to schedule. Mayweather will turn 36 years old on Feb. 24, and a tune-up fight may be necessary following his jail sentence.

While it may seem like a quick turnaround, Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said Mayweather's next fight announcement could come soon.

Mayweather also has a history of announcing bouts within three months of the date he'll actually fight.

He announced his September, 2011 fight against Victor Ortiz in June of that year, and did the same with Miguel Cotto and Shane Mosley.

If a fight announcement comes over the next week or two for a bout that happens at the end of February, Mayweather would be right on track to still sell millions of pay-per-views.

While Mayweather usually takes advantage of major Mexican holidays to sell his fights to one of boxing's biggest demographics, there are still other ways to promote it.

Here's three ways Mayweather may market a showdown in February.

Mayweather's Age

Mayweather, pictured here at age 35, will turn 36 in February. Prison may have only accelerated the aging process.
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Mayweather's age is a big topic in boxing. He's already old and only getting older. Expect the promotion of his next fight to place an emphasis on whether he can still box at an elite level.

Mayweather may even fight on Feb. 23, the Saturday before his birthday. Heck, he might fight at midnight so that he can say he fought on his birthday.

Most pay-per-view boxing events don't start until late into the night anyway, so a midnight start wouldn't be too outrageous.

HBO's popular documentary series, 24/7, can also be expected to cover this aspect extensively. We may even witness a ridiculous birthday celebration such as this one.

Valentine's Day

Mayweather's fiance, Shantel Jackson, has been ringside at most of Mayweather's most recent fights and has been a consistent presence on HBO's 24/7.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

If anyone who thinks Mayweather would fight in February without a special Valentine's Day episode of HBO 24/7, then they don't know the makers of the documentary series.

Mayweather's relationship with fiance Shantel Jackson has been discussed heavily in previous segments of the show, and that will no doubt intensify near Valentine's Day.

Mayweather's WBC welterweight championship and WBA junior middleweight championship may come with a mandatory fight with either Robert Guerrero or Austin Trout.

Guerrero's time off to help his wife battle cancer has been well documented, and if he fights Mayweather, expect their relationship to be heavily featured as well.

Trout's fiance has already been in front of the cameras for the TLC documentary series, Say Yes to the Dress. Having the cameras on her relationship with Trout will be nothing new.

Ridicule Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao training for his fourth fight with Marquez.
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Manny Pacquiao's next fight was already being planned for April 20, according to the LA Times, even before Pacquiao's fourth bout with Juan Manuel Marquez had taken place in December.

Mayweather and Pacquiao bouts religiously come with a four-part HBO 24/7 documentary series. Each new episode debuts on a weekly basis in the three weeks leading up to the fight.

With Mayweather fighting in February, he'll avoid a possible clash of TV dates with Pacquiao or Canelo, who Boxing Scene reports will fight on May 4.

Mayweather can also ridicule Pacquiao's performance against Marquez if the fight is once again close. He can also criticize the choice of opponent for his April 20 fight, depending on who it is.

By fighting in February, New Year's, Valentine's Day and even Super Bowl XLVII weekend in New Orleans (a predominantly black city) are his to help promote his next fight.

For all the latest boxing news and speculation, follow me on Twitter @justindavidtate.