Floyd Mayweather Needs Manny Pacquiao Fight to Cement Boxing Legacy

If Floyd Mayweather wants to be taken seriously as one of history's greatest boxers, he'll ensure a fight with Manny Pacquiao happens before calling it a career.

Last Saturday night, Mayweather soundly defeated Marcos Maidana in their rematch at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Courtesy of The Cauldron's Andy Glockner, the CompuBox fight stats show "Money" earned his victory via unanimous decision with an efficient, albeit uneventful fight.

The 37-year-old improved his record to 47-0, adding another line to his resume as boxing's best active pound-for-pound competitor. He'll now look to bolster that mark to 49-0 before retiring, which he plans to do once his Showtime/CBS contract expires next year.

"My next fight is in May and my last fight is in September, so a year from now will be my last fight," Mayweather said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael.

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Now begin the games leading up to his next opponent's unveiling. While years of back-and-forth between Mayweather and Pacquiao have never led to any tangible results, they let the speculation linger by keeping the possibility open.

Rather than either making it happen or simply saying "Nope, not happening," Mayweather teased fans by telling Showtime's Jim Gray that it could occur, via CBSSports.com's Mike Singer.

"I got to go back and talk to my team. I'm not ducking or dodging no opponent. If the Manny Pacquiao fight presents itself, let's make it happen," he told Showtime's Jim Gray. "He's got a guy in front of him [Chris Algieri on Nov. 22]. Once he gets past that task, we'll see what the future holds."

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Two weeks ago, Pacquiao trainer Bob Arum added more fuel to the fire by stating to the Daily Mail's Jeff Powell that not one, but two fights are in the cards.

"A second fight in the autumn would provide a different cash split because the winner of the first would claim the higher percentage," Arum said. "As each of them believes he would win, that provides an extra incentive."

Mayweather denied those claims, labeling them as "all lies" to FightHype.com's Ben Thomspon. So the saga continues.

The likely scenario involves them maintaining this song and dance for a while longer until Mayweather selects another opponent for his May fight. Then it'll restart one more time after that bout, only for nothing to ever materialize.

But this time, with his career winding down, Mayweather should buckle down and make it happen.

Years from now, nobody will remember the times he fought Maidana or Saul Alvarez. His fights against Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto came later in their careers, leading critics to believe he cherry-picks his opponents in order to preserve his unblemished record.

Mayweather's ego pushes him to appear as if he's the best, but he's not interested in anyone who could possibly challenge that notion.

If he thinks he can defeat Pacquiao, and he probably would, why not shut everyone up and do it? By defeating the sport's other marquee draw, he'll at least establish himself as this generation's top boxer.

Both men are getting up there in age, but Mayweather is more equipped to deal with his decaying athleticism. He has won his last five bouts via decision, relying on his defensive prowess to avoid damage while carefully picking his spots.

The more aggressive performer has not fared as well into his 30s, losing two consecutive matches to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. While the loss to Bradley came swimming in controversy, Marquez knocked him out in the sixth round.

If the 35-year-old defeats Algieri in November, Pac-Man will have three consecutive wins to revive his credentials. That's enough to make the dream fight desirable again and just enough to make Mayweather look good by earning a legitimate victory.

Mayweather is only hurting himself if he doesn't step into the ring against Pacquiao. Any fight with his name attached will sadly net him more barrels of cash than Walter White could roll, but besting Pacquiao on his way out would enhance his in-ring standing the most.