The boxing World eagerly awaits the announcement of Floyd Mayweather?s next opponent. Manny Pacquiao has shown his card and has gained respect in choosing tough Ghanaian Joshua Clottey as his opponent to defend his WBO welterweight title on March 13.
Money Mayweather needs to trump this to re-gain his ring credit, and with the ring alias “Money” let?s have a look in the welterweight division to see who could make Floyd some beloved Money while keeping his ring reputation intact. The answer is simple, no-one. Three names spring to mind, Shane Mosley and Andre Berto, both are all tied up in a unification bout at the end of the month. Unless Floyd is willing to await the winner and absorb the wrath of the boxing fan until a bout with the winner can be made, we have to count them out.
The third credible name in the division is Miguel Cotto, and it does not look like the Puerto Rican will be returning to the ring any time soon after the death of his father. Even if that fight could be made, whether Mayweather would gain any credit is unlikely, after the Pac Man imposed a beat down on the Puerto Rican when the two met in November of last year at the MGM grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mentioned names from the Mayweather camp include Paulie Malignaggi and Matthew Hatton, the first mentioned Malignaggi has never competed at welterweight, this would be viewed as Floyd picking on the little guy?s AGAIN. And with only five knockouts on his record it?s hardly a mouth-watering contest. This is nothing more than a fight that threatens Floyd?s number two ranking in the coveted pound for pound listings; if Mosley was to defeat Berto he would most likely leapfrog Mayweather. And Matthew Hatton, well if Floyd Mayweather thinks Matthew has a following army of fans like his brother Ricky, he is sadly mistaken.
Floyd does have an ace card up his sleeve, but does he have the bottle to use it. A bout with Paul Williams or Sergio Martinez would get the majority of fans back on side, but failing that Mayweather may as well go back into retirement because there is nothing out there for him; at least nothing this fan is interested in. I would probably prefer to see Williams vs. Martinez go to war against each other for a second time.
With all that said and done we still do not know the content of the Pacquiao ? Clottey contract, if I know uncle Bob there will be a 14 day clause in there, and the whole thing was manufactured to force an against the wall Floyd at adhere to their terms. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed.
