Floyd Mayweather has getting all kinds of praise recently. As the tensions and hype towards his May 5 fight against Miguel Cotto builds up, Mayweather’s intentions and direction is once again in the spotlight, with most actually looking ahead towards his time after prison, thinking a win is guaranteed against the WBA Super Light Middleweight Champion.

If Mayweather needed any more praise to boost his already incredibly inflated ego, ESPN used some CompuBox numbers to declare him as the greatest fighter of all time. No one avoids punches like Mayweather, and no one throws them accurately as he does. But that’s nothing new to most, who can’t seem to part the incredible achievements in the ring with the public persona Mayweather portrays, not among the popular in the boxing world.

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Is Mayweather the greatest pound for pound fighter in history? He may well be. For most of his career, he stood and fought every possible challenger to his titles, every big name in his weight class that stood in his way to greatness. But until he fight Manny Pacquiao, there will always be that question mark, regarding both of them. It probably bothers Mayweather more, in terms of historic acknowledgment. But he loves that 0 on the loss column. He loves having the financial control over his fights.

Assuming he gets through Cotto with flying colors, Mayweather has to plan ahead for fall, for the days after he’s released from prison. I don’t know how long exactly he will serve in custody, but he’ll probably need some time after getting out to train. Lets say, no sooner than a November fight. As always, the Pacquiao rumors will hover. They’ll probably be hovering while Floyd is in prison, with the Golden Boy Promotions taking care of things on the outside. As recent history has shown us, it won’t be an easy fight to schedule. Probably impossible.

So who else? Amir Khan would love a Mayweather fight, but he needs to get through Lamont Peterson first. Then? Fight a Welterweight opponents. In general, I’m not too sure Mayweather is that keen to fight with Khan. Not for being afraid reasons, but he doesn’t seem to be planning on the young British fighter who’s been talking about a Mayweather fight for around a year.

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Sergio Martinez would be an interesting option. Probably the biggest in terms of money, especially for Martinez. Mayweather makes incredible amounts, it actually seems irrelevant who he fights. He’ll get the 1 million PPV buys anyway. But with Martinez willing to go down to 155 or 154, this is a fight can definitely happen. Mayweather will probably like the fact that Martinez will be closer to 38 by the time they are supposed to step in the ring.

And then there’s Canelo, probably the most popular Mexican fighter right now. Juan Manuel Marquez may be the biggest name, but his best is behind him. Too much Manny Pacquiao on his mind, and who knows how long he has left. Alvarez, if he beats Sane Mosley, will probably shoot right up the shortlist to the Floyd Mayweather golden opportunity.

Mayweather himself? He loves it when the questions surround him, and he has plenty of options to choose from. He can’t tell Martinez to win a few more fights before he deserves a shot. For Martinez, it always feels like now or never, and he’s proven plenty in the Middleweight division. As for Alvarez, or Khan to the same extent? Canelo is a good young fighter, I think he needs to get more experience under his belt, then down the line, yes he can get a shot.

Always nice to keep the young guys dreaming and hoping, as Mayweather prepares to his fight with Miguel Cotto in a weight he has already had success in the past, beating Oscar De La Hoya in the biggest fight (financially) in history.