By Raj Parmar: Last Saturday the one fighter that most boxing fans thought could be the one to halt pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather (48-0, 26 KO’s) fell short in his attempt. Manny Pacquiao (57-6, 38 KO’s) will now join 47 other opponents on Mayweather’s “48-0” customary t-shirt that depicts the names of all his career wins inside the boxing ring.
Floyd cruised through a relatively one-sided affair against Manny in which the Filipino boxing sensation could not break through Mayweather’s vaunted defense. After the bout, talks in the post-fight press conference already turned to who Floyd would be fighting next.
The unbeaten champion stated that it’s way too early to begin that conversation but acknowledged that he will fight again in September in what may be his last fight ever. Despite Mayweather’s comments, his team already began the motion of selecting who will be the next challenger to his boxing throne.
Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KO’s) was in attendance for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight and claims he was approached by Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe about a future fight with Floyd. Khan is scheduled to take on Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KO’s) later this month and feels once he gets past that fight, he is not only the ideal choice for Mayweather at the moment but also feels he has the tools to put a blemish on Mayweather’s perfect record.
“I think the fight is there, I spoke to Len Ellerbe, his manager, I saw him in the media room and he came over to say ‘hi… he’s ready when you are,'” Khan stated to BBC Radio Five, “I really believe I have his number. Financially they know it’ll be a big fight and it’ll be an exciting fight. They need someone young to fight, like myself, to come on board and maybe push Mayweather and stick him in the trenches and to also not show that respect.”
Khan, however, may find it difficult to secure the fight with Floyd due to his religious obligations as he will be fasting during the Ramadan religious period taking place this summer, which will prevent him from properly training for a fight in September. In the event that a Mayweather-Khan fight falls through there is another fighter who is making a strong case to step into the ring with Floyd next.
Hard hitting welterweight Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KO’s) is coming off a very impressive win over former Mayweather victim Robert Guerrero (32-3, 18 KO’s) that took place back in March. Thurman possesses a unique combination of power, ring intelligence and footwork which has led boxing enthusiasts to clamor for the two unbeaten fighters to face off.
Thurman has an outspoken personality like Floyd which would lead to a memorable build-up to a potential encounter and draw lots of attention. Keith is pumped at the prospect of fighting the world’s top pound for pound fighter and believes he would present a much bigger challenge than Pacquiao.
“You know I want to fight him, especially after seeing that beautiful performance. I want to fight the best in the world. I know I’m a dangerous man,” Thurman stated to media members after watching the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight live, “I have more head movement, boxing skills, in-and-out, all-around movement than Pacquiao. I think me and Floyd Mayweather would be an excellent fight.”
Both Khan and Thurman have the best chance based on today’s welterweight landscape to become Floyd’s next opponent. Whoever it ends up being, he will not be fighting just for himself but will be indirectly fighting to preserve one of boxing’s most prestigious milestones as Mayweather is one win away from tying heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s cherished 49-0 record.
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