Now that we’re past the Floyd Mayweather & Manny Pacquiao fight, what is there left for both boxers to do? Certainly not achieve something. But is there an attractive option out there for them in the near future to be a rebound from the financial and possibly emotional high this anticipated bout provided?
For Mayweather, there’s no retirement. Unless there’s some sort of opt out clause from his contract with Showtime, he has one more fight to be in under it. He said after the win over Pacquiao that he’d fight again in September which means picking an opponent very quickly, but Mayweather says a lot of things, not to mention being caught minutes after the end of a fight. Don’t be surprised if he’s going to take more than four months before his next fight.
But who is there out in the boxing world for him to fight and it would seem attractive to fans? The rematch option is always on the table, but if Pacquiao’s shoulder is really badly injured, it might take some time for that to happen. When it comes to money, this is still the biggest fight to put on, and we all know how much these people love their money, even if it won’t be record breaking.
There are other rematches to consider, and Miguel Cotto II is on top of that list. Maybe even Canelo? I’m not sure Alvarez wants a piece of Mayweather at this stage. He hasn’t shown that he’s improved much since his first loss against him, looking completely outclassed for 12 painful rounds. Juan Manuel Marquez? The name will come up, but no one wants that fight.
Remember when Sergio Martinez kept saying he wants to go down a weight class and fight Mayweather or Pacquiao? That’s over with. We’re going to hear demands for Mayweather to fight, but the knockout machine from the Kazakhstan, another undefeated fighter with three Middleweight title belts and an impressive knockout streak, is probably too much of a reach weight wise, and there’s no reason for him to go down that much, even if Mayweather is usually bigger than he looked for the Pacquiao fight.
So what makes sense? Mayweather is probably going to get the one million PPV buys with almost any opponent, as long as the price isn’t $100 again, but you never know if some sort of chain of reaction will be caused by him fighting Pacquiao and causing some sort of shift in the taste buds of boxing fans. Amir Khan sounds like a good option, but Mayweather stayed away from him for a reason, even if Khan doesn’t seem like the most intimidating of fighters.
Kell Brook is almost an unknown in the United States but might be the most difficult opponent out there for Mayweather among Welterweights and Junior Middleweights. Danny Garcia is a Junior Welterweight, but probably will try to avoid Mayweather. He loves his undefeated record quite a lot, but his last two fights were at a 143-142 catchweight. Maybe he’s finally ready to move up. Timothy Bradley might pose Mayweather some problems, but nothing he can’t handle.
Pacquiao? His decision is trickier. Yes, he can pursue the rematch and will probably get it, although the Mayweather team will make it a little less balanced as far as the money split is concerned. Besides that option, it’ll probably be whoever Mayweather doesn’t pick. Pacquiao has some big wins in him left, but does it really matter at this point? His legacy won’t grow with a few more wins, even knockouts. He was and is a great fighter, one of the most exciting to ever be in the ring. This loss didn’t change that. More wins won’t change that. And you have to wonder if something went out in him, although we thought the same thing after losing to Marquez by knockout. You can never really know how far a heart of a champion takes him.