Floyd Mayweather Faces Obstacles in Lining Up a Compelling Final Fight

Floyd Mayweather, boxing's master of provocation and self-preservation in the ring, handily defeated Manny Pacquiao Saturday, moving to 48-0. He could be looking at just one more fight in his long and storied career, per The Guardian's Bryan Graham: "Mayweather said that he will fight again but that his next bout – in September, the last in a six-fight, 30-month contract with Showtime and CBS worth a potential $250m – will be his last."

There are numerous potential opponents in a very talented welterweight division, but not all of them would make for a momentous occasion. Assuming Mayweather is stepping into the ring one last time in or around September, his greatest final challenge may be lining up a fight intriguing enough for casual boxing fans to actually want to see his sweet-science sendoff.

John Locher/Associated Press

Obstacles abound in this regard, especially with the first names that have popped up in the wake of his victory over Pacquiao which, of course, included Pac-Man himself. That idea is no longer an option.

According to ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, Pacquiao will undergo surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff. Orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache stated "Pacquiao will be out of action between nine months and a year, assuming the surgery and rehabilitation go well."

A rematch with Pacquiao would have at least commandeered the market in the Philippines and perhaps rope-a-doped in a general public willing to believe that Pac-Man's shoulder injury was critical to his lackluster performance Saturday. Then again, considering the drab results of the megafight, Pacquiao might not even be the most interesting final opponent, regardless of his immense Q rating.

So let's say no Pacquiao; how about Amir Khan?  

Nigel Roddis/Getty Images

The British-Pakistani boxer with the fast and furious hands has claimed Mayweather's camp is interested in him as a potential final opponent, per the Daily Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies:

"

Khan, though, is not giving up hope of a Mayweather fight. “I’m in a position where I could face either but I want Mayweather,” said Khan, who claimed that Mayweather’s manager, Leonard Ellerbe, had approached him after the fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, asking him to “get it on.”

"

However, Khan is a practicing Muslim, and Ramadan runs from mid-June to mid-July this year. This would give him only a few weeks of full training for a September fight, and even then, that training would be diminished at first after coming off of a month of fasting.

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Miguel Cotto could be in the mix, but he's fighting Daniel Geale in early June, and Mayweather already vanquished him by unanimous decision in 2012. Behind-the-scenes factors might also be a problem, per SB Nation's Scott Christ:

"

The block here comes in the form of Cotto's new promoters at Roc Nation Sports, which is run in part by Jay Z. Jay Z and wife Beyoncé don't get along with Al Haymon, the power adviser behind Mayweather's career. Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, also doesn't get along with Haymon, but this is an older issue. While a Mayweather-Cotto rematch could be interesting, and would give Floyd a chance to win another lineal championship, it appears as though Mayweather has achieved as much record book padding as he cares to, and he's not a fighter who is interested in doing anything crazy like fight at too heavy of a weight and risk getting hurt.

"

Christ makes an interesting point about Mayweather perhaps being reluctant to move up in weight. Plus, this potential bout has the feeling of more of a retread for Mayweather than possible redemption for Cotto. There isn't much of a storyline to sell there.

If Khan, Pacquiao and Cotto are out for various reasons, the list of intriguing opponents is a short one. Names like Kell Brooks and Keith Thurman immediately come to mind, and Christ suggests the latter may even be the "leading candidate" at this point, based on availability and desire. Thurman might also be the best welterweight opponent of all in terms of actually testing Mayweather.

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Undefeated with 21 KOs in 25 bouts, Thurman's power could prove troublesome. It seems at this point if anyone is to mar Mayweather's perfect record, it would be a young, powerful puncher with the ability to land visibly punishing blows that mean more to judges than Mayweather's plentiful straight rights and jabs. 

Timothy Bradley's adaptability could prove challenging. His proficiency in phone-booth brawling might provide an interesting challenge for Mayweather (provided he can cut Money off and get him on the ropes), but he has to take on Jessie Vargas on June 27, and his ledger shows a draw with Diego Gabriel Chaves and a loss to Pacquiao over his last two bouts. He's not likely to get people excited.

Nor would undefeated Terence Crawford, an ascendant junior welterweight whom Mayweather could fight should he be willing to drop a division (or if Crawford moves up). The Guardian's Tim Starks feels that Crawford is just plain uninteresting:

"

If you can find a personality anywhere, let us know. He’s quiet to a fault and he doesn’t seem to have an interesting story outside the ring. His family and friends get more attention from the press, and, while it might be unfair, it usually takes some charisma for a fighter to make it at the top level as an attraction.

"

That being said, Crawford can be a delight to watch between the ropes.

In his last fight against Thomas Dulorme, Crawford analyzed his opponent for the first four rounds or so, cracked the code and then dismantled him with glaring precision en route to three knockdowns and a TKO win in the sixth. It was very impressive on a technical level, but without a personality to back things up, few casual fans will get riled up for a slow-burn fighter taking on Mayweather's beguiling defensive algorithm.

There are plenty of other names one could mention, from Canelo Alvarez to Lucas Matthysse to Gennady Golovkin (an incredibly fun idea, however remote the possibility). Another problem is that some of them might pose too much of a threat to Mayweather as he looks to join Rocky Marciano at 49-0. Mayweather essentially holds all of the cards and likely won't take a huge risk as he bows out of the sport.

One could argue that Mayweather, having filled in one of the most glaring holes in his boxing resume by fighting Pacquiao, might as well line up any random pugilist in September, artfully outpoint him and call it a career. 

But even with no real obligation other than to honor his Showtime contract, Mayweather likely won't squander one final big payday, and he certainly has enough pride to work hard on lining up a popular, challenging competitor for his last ride in the ring.