Maidana, Garcia, Malignaggi possibilities for Mayweather’s September fight if he fights Khan next

By Boxing News - 01/05/2014 - Comments

garcia65By Dan Ambrose: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is still being hush-mouthed about who his May 3rd opponent will be, but it’s widely assumed that he’ll be fighting Amir Khan due to his slightly better name recognition compared to Marcos Maidana and Danny Garcia.

If Mayweather does select Khan for his next fight, then Maidana, Garcia, Paulie Malignggi and Keith Thurman will be the main possibilities for his September bout, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.

Khan is not the best fight for Mayweather in terms of him being a competitive match-up. You can make a good argument that he’s an easier option than fights against Maidana, Garcia, Thurman or Malignaggi. The chances are good that Khan will get hit hard by one of Mayweather’s perfectly timed shots and then hit the deck and be too hurt to continue fighting.

With the likes of Maidana, Garcia, Maligaggi and Thurman, these guys will take whatever punishment that Mayweather dishes out and stay in there until the end. That doesn’t mean their going to win. It’s just that they won’t fold quickly like Khan probably will.

“I think if Floyd fights Khan in May he would likely fight Maidana or Garcia in September,” Rafael said on Friday to ESPN. “Maybe Malignaggi. Maybe an outside shot to Thurman.”

Maidana deserves the Mayweather fight on May 3rd due to his win over WBA welterweight champion Adrien Broner on December 14th last month, but Mayweather is thought be more interested in facing someone that can bring in the most pay-per-view buys in the United States.

Khan is thought to be that guy. If Maidana wants to get the fight with Mayweather in September, then he’s going to need to pick up another impressive win in his next fight to get to be in the running for the fight.

Malignggi looked good in beating a past his best Zab Judah in his last fight in December, but he’s going to need to prove that he can beat a good welterweight in his next fight if he wants to be in the running for the Mayweather bout in September. Beating another over-the-hill fighter coming off of a loss won’t do the job for Malignaggi. He’s needs someone that’s relevant and preferably a fighter who is in the welterweight division.

As always, Manny Pacquiao isn’t in the discussion for Mayweather’s future fights. Mayweather won’t negotiate with Pacquiao until he leaves promoter Bob Arum. If that happens, it won’t be until 2015. Pacquiao’s contract with Top Rank runs out at the end of 2014.

Danny Garcia needs to look a lot more exciting for his next fight than he did in his last against Lucas Matthysse.



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