Floyd Mayweather's Next Fight: Potential Opponents for Next Bout

Forty-seven down, two to go.

Now that he’s officially rid himself of the 2014 scourge known as Marcos Maidana—thanks to a unanimous decision in their pay-per-view rematch on Saturday night in Las Vegas, pound-for-pound kingpin Floyd Mayweather Jr. can once again seek new quarry with which to presumably finish his career next year.

Mayweather said early in fight week that he’d fight twice more in 2015 and then retire with what he expects to be a 49-0 record. He stepped slightly off that mark in a subsequent press conference on Wednesday, but until he makes it official that he’s sticking around, we’ll assume it’s two and out.

Which, of course, makes the jockeying for one of those two spots a pretty intense endeavor.

Love him or despise him, it’s hard to argue Mayweather’s position as the pre-eminent PPV driver in the sport, which makes it stand to reason that any number of fighters in the corridor between 140 and 160 pounds would like to get a spot on the “Money” dance card before the music stops for good.

With every beaten pretender comes conjecture on who’ll be next, and that doesn’t change this time around. So here’s the handful likely to be discussed as the next obstacle between “Money” and 49-0.

Got an opinion of your own? Feel free to register your views in the comments section.

4. Manny Pacquiao

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

These days, this one boils down to whom you care to believe.

If it’s head Top Rank honcho Bob Arum, then the ultimate showdown between the two top fighters of the generation is all over but the specifics, now that he claims networks have met and the way is being potentially cleared for two matches between “PacMan” and “Money” in 2015.

Or, you can listen to Mayweather himself, who said during fight week that Arum’s claim was “not true.”

Then, after the fight, Mayweather propped the door open, saying "If the Manny Pacquiao fight presents itself, let's make it happen," to Showtime's Jim Gray.

Just because it’s been impossible for several years to say one fighter’s name without at least mentioning the other, we’ll include it here for discussion purposes. But if you’re holding your breath on it, don’t.

3. Golden Boy Stable Raid (Keith Thurman/Danny Garcia)

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

If this were a betting window at a horse race, you could consider this a wager on “the field.”

If Mayweather opts not to pursue some of the other more accomplished candidates on this list, he could always go the “young lion” route and raid the stable of Golden Boy Promotions and/or adviser Al Haymon for a streaking phenom to change things up.

The option of a unification with Shawn Porter went out the window when the American lost his IBF title to British invader Kell Brook last month, so that leaves guys like Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia as the leaders of the collective “maybe just about ready for prime time” pack.

Thurman is the No. 1 contender for the WBA belt that Mayweather defended against Maidana on Saturday, and he’s developed enough of a following to get people talking about a Mayweather fight. As for Garcia, he’s reigned at 140 pounds since 2012 and was an early leader in the clubhouse for a Mayweather date after beating Lucas Matthysse on Floyd’s Canelo Alvarez undercard.

“Keith Thurman, in my opinion,” Showtime’s Al Bernstein said at Friday’s weigh-in, “is the real future of the welterweight division.”

Both would be viable choices and would perhaps re-invigorate a fan base that’s long been accustomed to less-than-compelling Mayweather performances, too.

2. The Rematch, Part 2 (Miguel Cotto/Canelo Alvarez)

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Since taking a rematch was Mayweather’s summer theme this year, why not next year, too?

The theory here is, while it may not be the fight he takes in May, that the winner of the oft-discussed middleweight title showdown between old foes Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez—which, ironically, could take place on the same weekend as Mayweather’s next fight—would be an ideal swan song.

A chance to get to 49-0. A chance at a middleweight title belt to add to the collection. A chance to earn it against a foe he’s already beaten, albeit one that’s obviously recovered from that defeat to establish some level of 160-pound supremacy of his own. Mix it up and it reeks of guaranteed “Money.”

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza had Canelo-Mayweather II on his mind a while back. “In the long run, I think we may see a rematch if circumstances warrant,” he told CBSSports.com in March. “Stylistically, it may make sense to put them in the ring again, if there's a chance the result could change.”

1. Amir Khan

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Englishman Amir Khan was the apparent winner of a fan poll to select Mayweather’s next opponent immediately after Alvarez, but “Money” overruled and chose “Chino” instead. Khan then had a chance to get his crack at this weekend’s date ahead of a Maidana rematch, but demurred because his training schedule would have conflicted with the Muslim observance of Ramadan.

There are no such obstacles standing in the way of a meeting come springtime.

Khan is a recognizable name with a legitimate fan base. He’s competed on the world championship level at 140 pounds, including a defeat of Maidana in their own Las Vegas meeting in 2010. And aside from two meetings with big punchers where his resistance was proven balky, Khan’s never met a fighter whose skill set has been dramatically superior to his own.

Mayweather’s never been confused with a one-shot KO artist, so it’s more likely that a match between him and Khan would come down to speed and technique—two areas where Khan might not be his equal, but is certainly worthy of inclusion in the same conversation.

Maybe it’ll be back in Las Vegas, or perhaps across the pond in London, where a dizzying amount of hype would be sure to follow.