Floyd “Money” Mayweather – The Last 3 Fights May Not Get Any Easier

By Boxing News - 05/17/2014 - Comments

floyd74By Rocky Esposito: Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr., (46-0, 26 KO’s). Whether your a fan of his or not, at the seasoned age of 37, Floyd is still unarguably Boxing’s #1 Pound for Pound King. At Welterweight (147 lbs.), he currently owns the WBA Super Champion World Title belt, along with the WBC and Ring Magazine World Championship belts.

If we move up a division to the Light Middleweights (154lbs), it is the same exact scenario all over again. Mayweather again currently owns this division’s WBA Super Championship World Title belt, along with the WBC and Ring Magazine’s World Championship belts.

Now that the accolades are complete, I want to get to the heart of the story. Floyd has 3 fights left in respect to his contract with Showtime. A boat load of cash is still on the table. However, I feel that these last 3 fights just might be Floyd’s toughest yet. Let me explain… In 2008, Floyd was off for the entire year. In 2009, he had one fight vs Juan Manuel Marquez. In 2010, he had one fight vs Shane Mosley. In 2011, he had one fight with Victor Ortiz. In 2012, he had one fight vs Miguel Cotto. Then he signed the deal with Showtime in early 2013.

At the age 36, Floyd had two fights in 2013. He fought Robert (The Ghost) Guerrero on May 4, 2013. Then, he faced Saul (Canelo) Alvarez on September 14, 2013. And just recently, on May 3, 2014, he had a very competitive fight with former WBA Welterweight Champion Marcos (El Chino) Maidana. That is 3 fights in the span of one year. The last time Floyd had that many fights in one calendar year was 2005, nine years ago.

Floyd always keeps himself in great physical shape. He walks around in nearly the same weight that he fights at. Cutting weight is no major issue for Floyd, at all. The reason I believe that his last 3 fights may only get tougher are for these reasons.

The load and level of his fight schedule. The load first… Again, 2008 he was off. And from 2009 through 2012 he fought only once a year. From 2008 to 2012, 5 years, 4 fights in total. Now, if he keeps up his current pace of 2 fights a year from 2013 through 2015, that is 6 fights in just three years. This is not an absurd amount of fights by any stretch, but it is a big adjustment to Floyd’s body and recuperation time.

In regards to the level of competition, Floyd has fought very tough guys. (I know Pacquiao fans may get at me. Don’t be mad, I wanted to see that fight too). But, besides the Pacquiao fight never materializing, Floyd has fought champions.

The one hard part of the Showtime deal is keeping up the PPV buys. This may not be important to many hard-core Boxing fans, but trust me, every opponent Floyd chooses has to be able to generate PPV sales. With this in mind, that means Floyd has to take on the best out there. Showtime will not be satisfied with anymore PPV buys under 1 million. *Especially if the rumors are true that Mayweather’s last fight vs. Maidana did under 900K PPV buys. In our world, 850K-900K PPV buys is outstanding, especially when the fight cost $75-$80 for HD. But, when you talk (Mayweather), his contract, Showtime needs to generate PPV buys in the 1 Million and plus range, not in the Hundreds of Thousands.

I like the way Keith (One Time) Thurman breaks it down, he says… (Floyd is Willy Wonka and everyone wants that Golden Ticket). Him included. Thurman is currently the WBA Welterweight Interim Champion, and Floyd’s mandatory for that belt. You also have another young, hungry lion like the current IBF Welterweight Champion of the World Shawn (Showtime) Porter, who is more then willing to have the opportunity to face Floyd. Marcos Maidana said right after his fight with Floyd he would like a rematch. Actually, Lol, he said (HE) would give Floyd a rematch since he won the fight. (Personally, I would like to see them have a rematch in September). You also have other guys all wanting their chance at Floyd – Erislandy Lara, Amir Khan, and the fans #1 choice, Manny Pacquiao. Sergio Martinez has also been mentioned by fans, but that is unrealistic.

If Floyd completes the second half of his deal with Showtime (which I believe he will), he surely will be the hunted. This however, is nothing new for Floyd. Only the best/competitive opponents can realistically be considered for Floyd’s last three fights. They will not be easy for him, and they will all be bringing their absolute best to claim the (King’s Throne) of Boxing. Can Floyd remain undefeated in his last the fights? We just have to wait and see.



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