Floyd Mayweather Next Fight: Examining Likelihood Money Fights After Retirement

We have a cultural obsession with round numbers. They're neat. They look good in headlines. They lend themselves to easily disseminated information. A .300 hitter in baseball is a badge of honor; hitting .299 is for the birds. A 50-point game in basketball leads SportsCenter; a 49-point game is another Tuesday.

Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather earned his 49th victory in as many professional fights, defeating Andre Berto via unanimous decision. Mayweather entered the bout as a prohibitive favorite; there were even some who decried his choice of Berto, saying it was a gimme ill-fitting of an all-time great's final fight.

"Indeed, my reaction was part of the collective groan the boxing world let out when serious rumours first started swirling about a possible Mayweather v Berto showdown," Lou Catalano wrote for the Guardian. "Now that the fight is officially going down, there’s no need to argue over the blatant fact that Berto isn’t remotely close to being in Mayweather’s league."

Now that the fight is over, we can see all the speculation was valid. Berto has now lost four of his last seven fights, some against former Mayweather foes and others against less-than-stellar competition. His two-fight winning streak coming into Saturday night was more of a mirage than sign of things to come; he was outclassed almost from the opening bell against Mayweather, who wasn't at his best but still more than good enough, as ESPN Stats & Info explained:

For now, Mayweather says this is his last fight. He's completed his six-bout contract with Showtime, vanquished Manny Pacquiao in the highest-grossing fight in history and seemingly taken down every viable competitor in the division.

"I've accomplished everything; there's nothing else to accomplish," said Mayweather on retirement, per Bryan Armen Graham of Guardian. "Money don't make me; I make money."

On one hand, it's easy to take him at face value. Mayweather is the richest active athlete on the planet; he's pulled in $300 million the last year alone. There is absolutely no financial reason for Mayweather to continue putting his body through hell once every six months.

There is also the publicity factor he needs to contend with. While Mayweather is the most famous fighter on the planet, able to draw a payday in the tens of millions by merely showing up, he's also the subject of multiple takedowns every time he steps foot in the ring.

Criticisms about his luxurious lifestyle ring hollow, but the (totally fair) drudging up of his domestic-violence history is different story. That Ronda Rousey, the second-most famous fighter on the planet, is calling him out on a consistent basis only exacerbates the situation.

Could Mayweather's retirement decision merely be a legacy-preserving move, meant to keep the domestic-violence comments largely in the background? Perhaps.

Then again, this is a boxer's retirement we're talking bout. The words more hollow than a politician's promise is a boxer's retirement. For every boxer who walked away at the top of his game, there are hundreds of greats who stayed one or two fights past their prime. Many were near bankruptcy and in need of a check, but more were drawn back to the ring because it's all they've ever known.

For Mayweather, the temptation will be far closer to the latter than the former. He's been in a boxing ring regularly since childhood. He will also face marketability problems if he tries having a media career, and becoming a background-level promoter like Oscar De La Hoya doesn't feel in character.

Plus, there's the prospect of getting to 50-0. Getting past Rocky Marciano on the all-time greats list—at least in his mind. Maybe even one more Pacquiao payday is in store, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the first bout.

As with every boxer, I'll believe Mayweather is actually retired when I see it.