Mayweather vs. Berto: Early Fight Predictions, PPV Schedule, Odds and Undercard

Floyd Mayweather Jr. wasn't concerned with optics when he decided to select his next opponent in his first fight since defeating Manny Pacquiao. Self-preservation seems to be the biggest motivator as Mayweather prepares to take on Andre Berto Saturday.

Showtime will be handling the pay-per-view broadcast, which is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times this could very well be Mayweather's last fight, which seems unlikely for two reasons.

Should Mayweather beat Berto, he'd need one more win to surpass Rocky Marciano's record of most wins (49) without a defeat. In addition, would Mayweather really turn down countless millions for a potential Pacquiao rematch?

At least fans will be treated to a solid undercard, which couldn't have been said about the Mayweather/Pacquiao pay-per-view. In fact, the two PPVs are almost inverses of one another.

Here's a look at the PPV card for Saturday:

Matchup	Weight Class	Odds
Roman Martinez vs. Orlando Salido	Super Featherweight	Martinez (100-2); Salido (7-4)
Badou Jack vs. George Groves	Super Middleweight	Jack (137-1); Groves (4-7)
Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Berto	Welterweight	Mayweather (1-100); Berto (16-1)

Of course, all eyes will be on Mayweather and whether he dispatches Berto as easily as expected.

Mayweather vs. Berto Prediction

On paper, this is a major mismatch. Mayweather is unbeaten in each of his 48 competitive fights, while all of Berto's three defeats have come in a six-match stretch. And one of those losses came to Robert Guerrero, who was thoroughly outclassed by a rusty Mayweather in May 2013.

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael was one of many who were critical of Mayweather's decision to once again overlook Amir Khan:

"

Unlike Berto, Khan has won five fights in a row, including three in a row against good opposition, including former titlist Collazo on the Mayweather-Maidana I undercard in a fight ostensibly to set him up for a shot at Mayweather. Then Khan looked even better in December as he routed former titlist Devon Alexander in a near shutout. In May, Khan outpointed former junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri in a fight that was again supposed to be a tuneup for a possible Mayweather shot. …

But Mayweather, who claims to be TBE (the best ever) instead opted for the path of least resistance against Berto -- and will have the audacity to ask the public, still smarting from the Pacquiao money grab, to pay $64.95 ($74.95 in HD!) on Showtime PPV after dangling the prospect of a free fight (on CBS).

"

It seems Mayweather has fallen back into old habits with regard to his perceived ducking of talented stars in his weight division. Now that he's crossed off the biggest accomplishment remaining on his career checklist—beating Pacquiao—he is first and foremost concerned with maintaining his perfect record.

And he should do exactly that on Sept. 12. This tweet from Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix highlights how the term "favorite" doesn't go far enough toward describing Mayweather's chances in this fight:

To his credit, Berto is doing everything he can to convince the skeptics that he'll give Mayweather a genuine challenge:

The problem is, all the hype in the world can't disguise the gulf in class between the two fighters. Mayweather is Berto's superior in almost every category with the exception of power. And even then, you wonder how much of Berto's power was lost when he had shoulder surgery in 2013.

You can see Mayweather getting tagged with a big blow or two in the first couple of rounds, but the fight will follow the same general blueprint from that point forward. After he looks uneasy early, Mayweather will find a groove around Round 4 and dominate until about Round 11, at which point the outcome is already decided.

Almost nothing leads you to believe Mayweather will deviate from the script whatsoever. He's first and foremost a defensive fighter, and he's not going to change his tactics this late into his career. If anything, Mayweather might be even more boring to watch than normal.

By picking Berto in the first place, Mayweather essentially told boxing fans that he cares little about putting on a good spectacle.

Should Berto actually win, it would be one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history. But don't bank on that happening.

Prediction: Mayweather by unanimous decision

Note: Fight odds are courtesy of Odds Shark.