Timeline to Mayweather v Pacquaio

By Gavin Duthie - 08/06/2014 - Comments

floyd8282828By Gav Duthie: This is my idea for a timeline leading to one of the biggest fights of all time Mayweather v Pacquaio to come off in September 2015. For this to happen we need lots of guarantees. We need Mayweather and Pacquaio not to lose which is not a certainty with Maidana and Algieri looking to destroy the party.

Furthermore we need for these promoters, managers and fighters to stop acting like children and agree to terms. The most important people here are of course Floyd Maywether and Bob Arum.

This article assumes they can get there act together and concentrates on the possible fights and timeline towards a potential super-fight next September.

Fights with potential opponents

Aug 9 – Danny Garcia 28-0 (16) v Rod Salka 19-3 (3)

Just last September Garcia was fighting on the Mayweather-Canelo undercard taming the beast Lucas Matthyse. He seemed a prime candidate for Floyd but has since went backwards. His performance against Mauricio Herrera was awful. His options after that fight became a Herrera rematch or move up to 147 which Garcia’s camp intimated was the most likely. In the end he went the other way and is fighting a feather fisted lightweight. When he wins this I think his most likely next stop is Lamont Peterson in a unification bout so don’t expect him to fight at 147 anytime soon. 

Aug 16 – Shawn Porter 24-0-1 (15) v Kell Brook 32-0 (22)

Very interesting fight and the result will open a lot of doors for different potential match-ups. The two most interested parties in this fight for me are Juan Manuel Marquez and Amir Khan. 

Juan Manuel Marquez

In his mind there is only one box left to tick in the career of JMM and it doesn’t involve a fifth fight with Manny Pacquaio. He wants to be the only mexican 5 weight world champion. After two failed title shots at the WBO Welterweight title (Pacquaio 3, Tim Bradley) the Porter-Brook winner would be a very realistic target. Remembering that we are not yet in a truce with the Goldenboy-Top rank status it would probably be preferable for Marquez if Brook won and I am sure that either would love a fight with Marquez but if Brook wins promoter Eddie Hearn will aim the ship straight at Amir Khan. 

Amir Khan

Matchroom promotions chief Eddie Hearn will be eyeing up another stadium bout if Brook becomes the IBF champion against Amir Khan. Brook and Khan already considerably dislike each other. Khan has made many jibes at Kell about the lack of quality in his opponents but if he was the IBF champion the bout takes a whole new meaning other than a grudge match. Amir Khan doesn’t want to miss out on the Mayweather fight again and a world title would certainly give him more bargaining power for a date in May. 

Sep 13 – Floyd Mayweather 46-0 (26) v Marcos Maidana 35-4 (31)

I was disappointed when this rematch was announced. However the first fight was fairly close with Mayweather landing about 9 more punches. I don’t think there was controversy in the first decision but Maidana ran out of steam in the last 3 rounds. I would expect Floyd to win but it is not inconceivable that the Argentine can spring an upset which would destroy a lot of future fights. 

Nov 22 – Manny Pacquaio 56-5-2 (38) v Chris Algieri 20-0 (8)

The same goes for this fight. After watching Algieri against Emmanuel Taylor and Ruslan Provodnikov its safe to say he is not there to make up the numbers. He is tall with a long reach and awkward. Pacquiao still has great handspeed but he prefers to fight straight forward powerful fighters. Algieri will attempt to emulate Marquez by using the jab and lots of movement. Algieri’s best punch is the overhand right which may be difficult to land with the southpaw Pacquaio so I expect him to win and stay on track. 

Potential Bouts 
(Depending on Porter-Brook outcome)

Dec – Shawn Porter v Keith Thurman 23-0 (21)

Thurman has recently been removed from the Mayweather-Maidana undercard. ‘One Time’ has performed admirably up until now and has decent wins against Diego Chavez and Jesus Soto Karass but nothing quite at world level. This time last year Thurman would have been considered a much better prospect than Porter but his two wins over Alexander and Maliggnaggi have changed that. Thurman needs a decent fight to prove his worth but if Porter does beat the undefeated Brook he might be more tempted to play the waiting game for Mayweather. Thurman might need to look at other avenues like Robert Guererro 32-2-1 (18) or Devon Alexander 26-2 (14).  

Dec – Kell Brook v Amir Khan 29-3 

This really would be huge in the UK. I understand most Americans wouldn’t really care but the fact is if Brook beats Porter than he is a world champion. If Kell Brook then beat Amir Khan in front of 60,000 fans he would be 34-0 with two big names on his record. At the same time if Khan won he would have proved himself as a 147 fighter. The winner of this potential fight would undoubtedly be no 1 candidate for Money Maywether. 

Jan/Feb – Manny Pacquaio v Juan Manuel Marquez 5

Unfortunately for Marquez I think regardless of a Porter or Brook winner he won’t get a title shot. Bob Arum is not going to work with other promoters like Hearn and Oscar when his only ever thought for Marquez is Pacquaio rematches. Marquez clearly doesn’t want to fight him again, he feels he has closed that chapter of his life but unfortunately Pacquaio is a 147 world champion and I think he will get a career best payday. Unfortunately unless he knocks Pacquaio out again he will probably lose, I’m actually surprised they didn’t disqualify Marquez for knocking Pac-Man out last time. If Pacquaio wants a fight with Floyd he would need to win this and convincingly for once. 

May – Floyd Mayweather v Porter/Brook/Khan

I’ve left out Thurman here not because of ability but I don’t think he can get a big enough win between now and next May to make this commercially viable. Porter won’t risk it if Mayweather is in his sights and Brook and Khan would not fight Thurman in favour of each other. 

To be honest I think Mayweather beats all these potential opponents no matter who it is. I think Khan has the best chance of winning but jot because he is the best but because of styles. 

Shawn Porter

Porter has absolutely no chance. He tries to bully his opponents, he might throw big punches but they are telegraphed and Mayweather would see them a mile off. Mayweather is also surprisingly strong and Porter doesn’t have the hand speed or variety to win. 

Kell Brook

Like Canelo Kell Brook is too methodical with his work to trouble Mayweather. He needs to be in control of the action which was why Carson Jones caused him so much problems when he increased the tempo. Brook has power but is not a huge puncher at the top level. He relies on being the better, slicker boxer and in this case he wouldn’t be.  

Amir Khan

For me Amir Khan is the most contradictory fighter in the whole sport. I would say he is the fastest boxer pound for pound but probably not in the top 100 when it comes to ring IQ. That being said if he is given a specific spoon-fed game plan by Virgil Hunter I think he has more of a chance than anyone. In with quick combinations out again, box a bit and use the jab never let Floyd get on the inside. I don’t think for a second he could actually pull it off but he has a better chance than the others. 

Sep – Floyd Mayweather v Manny Pacquaio

If everything previous were to transpire this would take this fight to the highest point commercially possible. Mayweather would still be undefeated and Pacquaio would have avenged his losses to Bradley and Marquez and bested a young star in Algieri. 

If boxing was as predictable as this though we probably wouldn’t bother watching it. There are a lot of movers and shakers involved in making this fight happen and the others also. We just need to wait and see if we will be watching possibly the greatest fight in the 21st century. 



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