Floyd Mayweather Shouldn't Even Consider Postponing Retirement

The best fighter on the planet can do whatever he wants to do. He just shouldn’t consider postponing his retirement to remain in the spotlight.

Floyd Mayweather signed a six-fight contract with Showtime/CBS that would presumably culminate in his eventual retirement. As quoted by Dan Rafael of ESPN, Money initially felt he wanted to take his wins (and $200 million) and ride off into the sunset:

“In 30 months, my career is over. I want to rack up my six victories and hopefully do commentating and keep the sport of boxing alive. That's what I'm focused on.”

Mayweather already notched his first of those victories with a demolition of Robert Guerrero in May. But as quoted by Rafael, he may already be looking beyond his next five fights and the conclusion of his current contract:

“After my five more fights, guess what? I think after (getting to) 49-0, we may stay in this sport a little longer. This Sept. 14, it's just another walk in the park.”

September 14, of course, is the date of Mayweather’s superfight with undefeated phenom Saul “Canelo” Alvarez—the same fighter boxing fans have been begging to see Money fight since the announcement of his contract with Showtime/CBS.

While Mayweather isn’t worried about protecting his legacy, he also needs to understand the importance of his upcoming bout. Boxing hasn’t exactly provided fans with the marquee fights they want to see, but Mayweather vs. Alvarez should be everything they are hoping for.

Where will Mayweather go from there, though? Assuming the pound-for-pound kingpin can line up at least a couple quality opponents in his final four fights, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to believe the well will be close to dry by the time his contract is up. In all reality, he’s going to have a hard time finding a better opponent than Alvarez prior to his previously mentioned retirement.

The fact of the matter is this: Mayweather has no real reason to continue his career past 2015. There simply isn’t enough top talent to make it worth the risk.

Sure, Mayweather could stick around for another fight or two after his contract expires but to what end? The best possible scenario is a couple more opportunities to bank a big payday and reach the 50-win mark. At worst, Mayweather could tarnish his record with a loss as he continues going toe-to-toe with Father Time.

Mayweather’s remarks don’t necessarily mean he’s seriously considering postponing his retirement, but that thought shouldn’t even cross his mind at this point. He’s already done a tremendous amount for the sport and still has at least five more fights to add onto that legacy. There’s simply no reason to keep looking ahead.