In the first installment of this two-part series, I named the top fighters in the welter (147 pounds) and middle (160 pounds) weight divisions who could create their own golden era with our very own Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. figuring in the mix if the two Hall-of-Famers decide to stick it out for while in the game.
The top fighters are undefeated Keith Thurman, Mikey Garcia, Errol Spence Jr., and Terence Crawford, and still dangerous Shawn Porter and Danny Garcia, who both have two defeats. Then there?s darkhorse Marcos Maidana, and big guys Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin.
Looking at the list, Alvarez has already established himself as the top draw having bankrolled millions of dollars from his last fights.
Mikey Garcia vs Spence has already been set for March 16, which I believe can trigger more fights between the top dogs in the welter and middle weight divisions.
Now, what if Pacquiao and Mayweather forego their rematch in the meantime or for good to trade leather with one, two or three of those top fighters?
Mayweather, still with zero defeats, can flaunt his drawing power and money to get any of the top dogs in the ring. He already beat Alvarez in September 2013 in a fight that ranked among those that got the most pay-per-views.
Nobody, perhaps with the exception of Maidana, has been able to unravel Mayweather?s counterpunching expertise, and that makes him competitive against the top dogs who, perhaps with the exception of Crawford, are not maestros when it comes to defense.
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To the top dogs in the welter and middle weight divisions, a win over Mayweather, even by decision, would be a prestigious one because, simply, no one has beaten him yet.
Okay, so I call on the top dogs in the two divisions to make Mayweather?s scalp a trophy (of course, I am not literally speaking).
As for Pacquiao, I hate to see him being used as a stepping stone by any of the top dogs in those divisions.
So how far can Pacquiao and Mayweather go in this era where the welter and middle weight divisions are stacked with talent?
Mayweather and Pacquiao definitely cannot take all of the top dogs or even up to three of them. At their current ages, perhaps it is wiser for them to fight up to two of the top dogs. But if they decide to do a rematch, then one more fight for the victor would still be feasible.
Mayweather has a very good chance against Mikey Garcia because despite Garcia?s volume punching and pressure style, he is not big enough at 5?6? to bully Mayweather the way Maidana did. And Mikey Garcia has yet to prove his worth at welterweight.
As for Pacquiao, he has a good chance against Porter, who despite his size and power, is not a mobile fighter. Porter?s defense is also porous. However, do not expect Pacquiao to stop Porter.
As for the rest of the top dogs, I would place my bets on Thurman, and Maidana to emerge as the top two, at least in the welterweight division. Maidana? Well, he just signed a multi-fight deal with Premiere Boxing Champions, according to RingTV.
Maidana has also shown how rough he can be in his two fights against Mayweather, and has demonstrated his tenacity to bounce back from a knock down or a barrage of punches.
Thurman, despite having a long lay off, has faced better opposition compared to the younger welterweights and still packs a wallop.
Thurman and Maidana also have the potential to invade the middleweight division to fight either Alvarez or Golovkin.
But what if Thurman takes on either Pacquiao or Mayweather? Now, we really have another golden era at the welter and middle weight divisions slowly unfolding.
