If Mayweather vs. Ortiz Didn't Live Up to the Hype, Maybe These 10 Fights Will

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KO) is coming off his fourth round knockout victory over Victor Ortiz, which took place earlier tonight on HBO PPV, but was it enough to satisfy fans?

It may have left some boxing fans wanting to see more from the former pound-for-pound king. After 16 months out of the ring, he only spent about 16 minutes in the ring before winning the WBC welterweight title from Ortiz.

Controversy came about in the fight as Ortiz was knocked out after apologizing for headbutting Mayweather. The 24-year-old was caught off guard and knocked down by a left hook and right hand combination. Referee Joe Cortez counted out Ortiz despite not restarting the fight properly.

In what could possibly be the biggest fight of the year, it probably won't turn out that way before the end of 2011.

These are 10 future matchups boxing fans can watch if they didn't get enough out of this one.

No. 10: Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson

IBF light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-1-1, 18 KO) will look for future bouts versus Pacquiao and Mayweather, but he must first get through a very tough opponent in Lamont Peterson on Dec. 10.

Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KO) only has one loss on his record and that was to Timothy Bradley, a boxer who was supposed to fight Khan and hasn't signed the dotted line just yet. His draw was against Victor Ortiz.

Khan comes into the fight as the No. 1 ranked light welterweight, and he is placed ahead of Bradley and Devon Alexander.

Khan is currently riding an eight-fight win streak with victories over Paulie Malignaggi, Paul McCloskey, Zab Judah and Andiry Kotelnik.

This should be a very tough fight for Khan, and it may be a surprise for many if he is upset.

No. 9: Kell Brook vs. Rafal Jackiewicz

For the UK's Kell Brook (24-0, 16 KO), his potential continues to grow as he makes his way through the welterweight division.

His next bout will come against Rafal Jackiewicz (38-9-1, 19 KO), who has only lost one fight in the last six years, on Oct. 8.

Brook, 25, is one of the younger up-and-comers and recently defeated Lovemore N'dou. He also holds a victory over Michael Jennings.

Jackiewicz is an experience veteran and has been boxing for 10 years. He will look to use that experience when he goes up against the boxer who is nine years younger.

No. 8: Sergio Martinez vs. Darren Barker

On Oct. 1, HBO will feature a middleweight bout between WBC champion Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KO) and Darren Barker (23-0, 14 KO).

Martinez has put himself among boxing's pound-for-pound elite with impressive victories over Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and Sergei Dzinziruk.

Barker will take on his biggest challenge yet, but he's undefeated and can't be counted out.

Many are anticipating a possible matchup between Martinez and Floyd Mayweather or a super middleweight champion. This is the fight that could set those fights up.

No. 7: Nonito Donaire vs. Omar Narvaez

WBC and WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire (26-1, 18 KO) will return for the first time since his knockout over Fernando Montiel to take on former WBC super flyweight champion Omar Navaez (35-0-2, 19 KO) on Oct. 22.

The bout will be broadcast on HBO and should be a great fight to showcase the best skills of one of the pound-for-pound leaders in Donaire.

The Filipino boxer hasn't lost since losing his second bout in his career, which makes him one of the more dangerous boxers and one of the toughest to beat.

His opponent, Navaez, is 36 and undefeated at 35-0. Despite having 19 knockouts, Navaez has gone the distance in his last five bouts. He is a former flyweight and super flyweight champion.

No. 6: Lucian Bute vs. Glen Johnson

IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 24 KO) will take on tough journeyman Glen Johnson (51-15-2, 35 KO) on Nov. 5.

The most intriguing part of this bout is seeing how the very durable Johnson can withstand the power punching of Bute, who has knocked out his last six opponents.

When Bute gets pushed, he has trouble. There haven't been many boxers who have been able to take him late, and Johnson is the type of guy that will definitely test that part of his game.

Johnson is currently 2-3 in his last five bouts with his losses coming against Carl Froch, Tavoris Cloud and Chad Dawson.

No. 5: Alfredo Angulo vs. James Kirkland

In this slugfest on Nov. 5, James Kirkland (29-1, 26 KO) will trade power shots with Alfredo Angulo (20-1, 17 KO) in a light-middleweight bout that promises to entertain fans.

These two fearless boxers are two of the most exciting up-and-comers, and they are beginning to make their ways into the championship light.

They will have to make it through each other's firepower if they have any intentions of challenging for a title, and that's no easy task.

Kirkland recently rebounded from his knockout loss to Nobuhiro Ishida to win two bouts, both by knockout. Angulo has gone 5-0 since losing to Kermit Cintron but has only fought once since July, 2010.

No. 4: Bernard Hopkins vs. Chad Dawson

At 46, Bernard Hopkins (52-5-2, 32 KO) brings a lot of interest in any remaining fights he has left in his career as fans don't know when it will be the last time they get to see him in the ring.

He became the oldest champion in the sport when he defeated Jean Pascal earlier this year. After the fight, he promised to put on the most entertaining fights in his career until it's over.

He puts his WBC light heavyweight title on the line against Chad Dawson (31-1, 17 KO), a 29-year-old whose only loss is to Pascal.

Dawson holds victories over Antonio Tarver, Glen Johnson and Tomasz Adamek and looked flawless in beating them. His natural boxing ability accounts for much of his success as his passion and energy in the ring can sometimes appear to be absent.

This may turn out to be a very close and competitive match so it's one you will want to watch and discuss afterwards.

No. 3: Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito

It's going to be nearly three-and-a-half years since they last fought when Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto enter the ring on Dec. 3rd.

Since their brutal fight in 2008, which resulted in Cotto losing by knockout in Round 11, both boxers have had career-defining moments that have positively and negatively affected their careers forever.

Cotto (36-2, 29 KO) most recently moved into the junior middleweight division to challenge Ricardo Mayorga and Yuri Foreman, defeating both by TKO.

Margarito (38-7, 27 KO) has become the villain of boxing since being caught with loaded hand wraps before his 2009 loss to Shane Mosley. Mentally defeated before even entering the ring and knowing the circumstances that were to come, he got pounded for eight rounds before being stopped in the ninth.

After a year-long suspension, Margarito returned to beat an overmatched opponent and was destroyed by Pacquiao over 12 rounds at the end of 2010.

No. 2: Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

Filipino superstar and pound-for-pound leader Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38KO) will make his return to the ring on Nov. 12th versus a familiar foe in Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38KO), who is jumping up 10 pounds in weight to face an opponent he has come close to defeating on two different occasions.

Their first two meetings were memorable bouts with two very different results. What will the third bring us?

In 2004, the first bout saw Pacquiao making a statement early, dropping the Mexican fighter three times in the first round. Marquez showcased the heart of a champion and fought back to earn himself a draw over 12 rounds.

The rematch took place in 2008, and had it not been for a single knockdown suffered by Marquez in Round 3, he may have come away with the victory. Marquez out-landed Pacquiao in the bout, but it was not enough to earn the win, losing a split-decision many had thought he won.

With the third fight scheduled and a super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz on order for September, there are going to be some shifts in who the biggest star of the welterweight division really is.

No. 1: Carl Froch vs. Andre Ward

In one of the more anticipated matchups of the year not featuring Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao, super middleweight champions Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KO) and Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KO) will fight to crown the Super Six Super Middleweight Grand Prix champion.

Both have fought and beaten the best of the best since the tournament began in 2009, and it's going to be an even bout come fight night.

Ward is undefeated and has had impressive victories over Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green.

Froch has wins over Jermain Taylor, Arthur Abraham and Andre Dirrell.

It all goes down on Oct. 29 on Showtime.