Who Should Floyd Mayweather Fight Next After Beating Manny Pacquiao?
Last week, after years of not-so-patient waiting, we finally saw the two best boxers in the world step into the ring. After 36 minutes of "action," Floyd Mayweather Jr. emerged with his undefeated record intact, defeating Manny Pacquiao and definitively making it clear to all but the most ardent haters that he's this generation's best fighter.
This being boxing, it was a result not without some controversy. Pacquiao, it seems, injured his shoulder before the fight, carefully hiding it from regulators and fans until after the bout. And, though he claims not to want to use the bum appendage as an excuse, he does certainly want fans to know about it, telling the world over and over again just how limited he was in the bout.
Could he do better in a rematch?
There are rumblings we may just find out, per ESPN's Stephen A. Smith (via Sunni Upal of the MailOnline). But that potential fight won't come for a year or so, giving the Filipino star time to recover from Wednesday's surgery, which ESPN's Dan Rafael discussed, and repair his damaged psyche.
Until then, the world keeps turning, and the 38-year-old Mayweather has a contract with Showtime to fulfill. He intends to finish out that deal this September. After that, he's indicated, he'll walk away from it all—the fame, the money and the unyielding pressure of perfection.
"My last fight is in September, then it's time for me to hang it up," he said after defeating Pacquiao, according to SI.com.
That makes his next fight particularly compelling. Depending on what happens with Pacquiao, it just may be his last. Who will Mayweather step into the ring with? While nobody knows, we have a few ideas.
Have some thoughts of your own? Hit us up in the comments.
Amir Khan
1 of 5
The Case For
While most Mayweather fights see him outmaneuver fighters who suddenly look helpless and plodding, Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KO) has the speed and athleticism to truly test Floyd's aging reflexes. He's got all the tools to become a boxing star, including the native charisma many great fighters lack.
Already a big name in his native Britain, a solid performance, win or lose, helps establish a new global star for boxing.
The Case Against
It's tough to really sell Khan as being on Mayweather's level. While that's equally true of any other fighter in the world at this point, in Khan's case he's both lost three times and shown a propensity for being knocked silly. He will likely impress no one chasing Chris Algieri around the ring endlessly later this month on Spike TV.
Odds the Fight Will Happen (Predicted odds per SportsbookReview.com): 2-1
Khan has been mentioned for this spot over and over again, despite losing two high-profile fights consecutively in 2011 and 2012. That means Mayweather's camp must really like the idea of fighting him—and that means more than athletic suitability any day.
Keith Thurman
2 of 5
The Case For
There's a lot to like about Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KO). At 26, he's the welterweight division's most promising star, a boxer-puncher who uses a developing craft to put powerful hands on his foes.
Although it's his power that secures most of the headlines, it's his mental game that makes him such a compelling opponent for Floyd. Thurman is extremely poised for a young fighter, a trait that would surely be put to the test by a frustrating fighter like Mayweather.
The Case Against
While Thurman has shown a ton of promise in his short career, he doesn't have the kind of showcase wins you'd expect for a fighter stepping into the ring with the best fighter of a generation. It may just be a little bit early for Thurman to jump over all the good fighters in the division and skip immediately to a showdown with greatness.
Odds the Fight Will Happen (Predicted odds per SportsbookReview.com): 4-1
Mayweather's undefeated record wasn't built by taking a lot of unnecessary chances. His modus operandi is fighting boxers on the downward slide, not those still on an upward trajectory. If he's smart, Mayweather is leaving Thurman for the next generation of fighters to deal with.
Danny Garcia
3 of 5
The Case For
If you looked at this as an academic exercise, no potential Mayweather foe looks quite as good as Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KO) on paper. The Ring magazine, WBA and WBC junior welterweight champion, he's at the peak of his powers and the very best fighter in the world at the division right beneath Mayweather's.
Garcia, over and over again, has won fights he wasn't supposed to. He's earned the opportunity to test himself against the best. In 2015, that's Floyd Mayweather.
The Case Against
Sometimes looking at someone's record on paper is not enough. The truth is, Garcia has looked very ordinary since upsetting Lucas Matthysse on the undercard of Mayweather's fight against Canelo Alvarez in 2013.
First journeyman Mauricio Herrera gave him all he could handle in what was supposed to be a glorious Puerto Rican homecoming, and then Lamont Peterson arguably beat him in front of a huge audience on NBC earlier this year. In between he had a knockout win over an overmatched Rod Salka—a result that fooled absolutely nobody.
Odds the Fight Will Happen (Predicted odds per SportsbookReview.com): 8-1
It will be very difficult to convince fans Garcia belongs in the ring with Mayweather. A national audience saw Peterson box circles around him when he could be bothered to box at all. That doesn't bode well for a bout with the best.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Miguel Cotto
4 of 5
The Case For
Of all the potential opponents for Mayweather, Cotto (39-4, 32 KO) is the most established product, in and out of the ring. We know exactly what he brings to the table—a rare ferocity, a middleweight title and his own rather large fanbase.
It's that middleweight title that might carry the most weight with Mayweather. That would add yet another compelling line on a resume that is quickly matching all but the best in boxing history.
The Case Against
First, and perhaps foremost, we've seen this fight. Mayweather dispatched Cotto by a lopsided decision back in 2012 and has only fought two rematches in his entire career.
Cotto, too, will likely demand more than many of Floyd's other possible contenders. He knows he's a valuable commodity and will stand firm for a share of the pie. That doesn't always sit well with the man at the top of the pyramid.
Odds the Fight Will Happen (Predicted odds per SportsbookReview.com): 8-1
Mayweather has already been the lineal champion in four different weight classes. Taking home the top prize at 160 pounds would be a pretty big deal, a nice way to cap a legendary career.
If anything prompts him to pursue a fight with Cotto, it will be that. Does legacy matter more than money at this point? We may just find out.
Gennady Golovkin
5 of 5
The Case For
Mayweather fights, in some ways, are dreary affairs. Even if you love his impeccable craftsmanship in the ring, they rarely feel very compelling. The result, a Mayweather win, is a given almost from the first bell.
That, certainly, wouldn't be the case against rising middleweight star Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KO) of Kazakhstan. Could Mayweather survive his power? Would Golovkin be able to cut off the ring and contain the smaller man? It would be the most intriguing Mayweather fight, well, ever.
"Of course, it's my dream fight," Golovkin said recently, according to FightNews.com. "Obviously, Floyd, he is a great champion, and a little bit different style. Floyd, he's a smart guy. He does a lot of moving. For my style, a little bit different. ... I like real fight, like close fight. I want show."
The Case Against
As much as we all love Golovkin, he hasn't exactly beaten a who's who of middleweight greats. Boxing pundits see the potential there, but he isn't yet established as a pound-for-pound great.
Golovkin's place in boxing history is unclear. Risking a loss to a man who might go on and fall short against the likes of Canelo Alvarez and Peter Quillin would be an unusual departure for the risk-averse Floyd.
Odds the Fight Will Happen (Predicted odds per SportsbookReview.com): 16-1
Not only is this a very scary fight, it has the additional detriment of requiring another compromise between HBO and Showtime. Just months removed from the Pacquiao fight, this seems a battle no one is likely keen to fight again so soon.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
