Following his win against Manny Pacquiao on May 2, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is taking his time choosing his next opponent.
With undefeated boxer set to protect his 48-0 record in less than two months, Mayweather appears “really close” to officially choosing who he will face in the ring for what could be the final round of his career.
Andre Berto is the favored opponent to face Mayweather on the set Sept. 12 date, the final fight as negotiated in Mayweather’s six-fight contract with CBS/Showtime. After the match, Mayweather has said he plans to retire to “give other fighters a chance.”
Officials said that an agreement between Berto and Mayweather is “likely,” but nothing has yet been finalized.
After much speculation that England’s Amir Khan would be the favorite to get a shot at fighting Floyd, Khan dismissed that notion in June, suggesting Berto and Karim Mayfield as his potential opponents. Coming off victories over former welterweight world champion Devon Alexander and junior-welterweight world champion Chris Algieri, Khan had lobbied hard for the Mayweather bout.
Mayweather, 38, would reportedly earn a purse of a little more than $30 million for fighting Berto—a far cry from the $220 million he made from the Pacquiao match, which generated a record Pay-Per-View revenue in the US of at least $400 million.
The September bout between Mayweather and Berto might not even be broadcasted on PPV. With Mayweather’s nearing retirement, Showtime is reportedly looking to air the fight on CBS, the parent company of the premium channel. Being able to watch the fight for free would be welcomed by fans, many of whom were disappointed after the MayPac fight — dubbed “The Fight of the Century” — actually had little excitement.
Even though Mayweather was favored against Pacquiao, a large contingent of fans believed the Filipino boxing star had a chance to make history by beating him.
Against Berto, reports say Mayweather would be given incredibly high odds to remain unbeaten, and an upset would be one of the greatest in boxing history.
Berto, 31, has won his last two fights, most recently defeating Josesito Lopez in a sixth-round TKO last March in Ontario. He has overcome a career-threatening shoulder injury, but is not one of the favored best fighters in the current welterweight division.
Former champion boxer Floyd Mayweather Sr. has even admitted that his son’s plan is to take “easy fights.”
With a career record of 30-3, Berto is eager to get back in the ring. He’s been defeated by both Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, both of whom were beaten by Mayweather.
“I’m happy to be in the running for this fight and am definitely up for the challenge. I know it will be a great fight if it happens,” Berto told Mike Woods from TheSweetScience.com.
A finalized deal is expected to be announced very soon.
“The network has no comment at this time,” representatives at Showtime said.
Meanwhile, Mayweather has already begun training for the September fight, posting a video montage of himself on Instagram wearing protective gear and throwing punches while his Money Team supporters cheer him on. If the money-loving boxer proves victorious, he would match the 49-0 record that the late heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano retired with.
Mayweather was ranked a third time by Forbes as the world’s highest-paid athlete in 2015, earning $300 million (mostly from the Pacquiao fight). His earnings broke the entire record for athlete earnings in a single year, a title previously held by Tiger Woods. (With reports from Los Angeles Times, International Business Times)
