Mayweather will NOT retire after his 49th. Exceeding Marciano?s record will simply be too inviting for Floyd?s legacy and ego satisfaction? ?Mayweather says it?s one and done. One more fight, he fulfills his contract, ties Marciano and moves on.??Robert Ecksel
So far, it?s open to speculation as is a potential date in September. However, by relinquishing his belts, Floyd Junior seems to have closed the doors on the hungry young Turks like Khan, Thurman, and Brook. It?s a safe, if not obvious move.
Even though Danny Garcia (30-0) beat Lucas Matthysse, he would be a safer opponent than the hard hitting Argentinean. Matthysse should not be included in Mayweather?s path to retirement. He is not a safe opponent. Timothy Bradley is also dangerous but he must face off against Jesse Vargas (26-0) in June. If Vargas should somehow upset Timothy, he would become the perfect 49th opponent for Floyd from a styles standpoint.
A rematch with the injured Pacquiao would no longer sell given the growing controversy of their recent fiasco which is fast morphing into a freak show involving everything from perjury to denied credentials. The so-called ?Fight of the Century? failed to meet even the most conservative expectations of boxing aficionados, while it satisfied the warnings of the naysayers and cynics.
Miguel Cotto is expected to beat Daniel Geale, but if he doesn?t Geale also becomes a rock solid candidate. Should Cotto win, he offers a combination of great fan-attraction and relative safety which should be what Team Mayweather wants.
50-0 the Real Goal
At any rate, Mayweather will NOT retire after his 49th. Exceeding Marciano?s record will simply be too inviting for Floyd?s legacy and ego satisfaction. And Cotto may fill the bill nicely for number 49. From Miguel?s perspective, why take a possible brutal beating from someone like GGG when he can go out with bushels full of cash and his health reasonably intact given the manner in which Money beats his opponents.?
Number 50
If the exit strategy gets this far, speculation will run wild and may include the likes of Adrien Broner, Anthony Mundine, Andre Berto, and even Chris Algieri if he should somehow outrun and upset Amir Khan.
My own prediction is that Cotto will be next but as for number 50, stay tuned.
