With Floyd Mayweather due for release from his jail sentence in the first part of August, it’s time to think of the talented 5-division world champ’s career in the present tense once again. The search for Mayweather’s next opponent has likely begun and, whether he chooses to fight again in 2012 or not, the list of opponents has to be established long before phone calls are made and contracts are discussed.
One of the leading candidates for a Mayweather bout, Amir Khan, has had his name temporarily removed from consideration following his upset TKO 4 loss to Danny Garcia in a junior welterweight world title bout earlier this month. Garcia, despite the upset win, is still too unknown to be high up on the list of potential foes. Saul Alvarez, who takes on undersized underdog, Josesito Lopez on September 15th, is another strong candidate and could very well seal the deal with a dominant win. Other than that, Mayweather is facing the possibility of either drafting a lesser-known fighter and bearing most of the promotional burden or taking on a faded name with little chance of being competitive.
So, there’s really only one logical choice for the controversial fighter. Miguel Cotto should get his rematch and a shot at taking back his WBA junior middleweight belt.
While Mayweather won a unanimous decision by wide margins on all three judges’ cards, the bout was actually a lot closer than one would think from just reading the scores. Cotto had some very solid moments and there were several rounds that were actually quite competitive.
It appears as though Cotto might also be contemplating the chances of a rematch since he has yet to toss his hat in the ring for some action in the packed 154 lb. class. Seemingly, Cotto wants no part of anybody. Of course, he could just be taking a break and silently weighing his options, but he also could be holding back for a reason.
For Mayweather, picking an established figure, even one he beat in the recent past, is preferable to fighting someone he needs to build up. And with Cotto, specifically, at least everyone knows they will see a spirited effort.
For so many reasons, Mayweather-Cotto II is the only logical fight to make for “Money.” But until Mayweather is officially released and looking for a match-up, it will all be conjecture. Hopefully, the decision to fight will be made sooner rather than later.
