Despite some solid interest from fight fans in the Sept. 13 Floyd Mayweather Jr. rematch with Marcos Maidana, it appears that people are fed up with Mayweather facing opposition that hardly has a chance to hand Money May his first loss.
A report from David Purdom of ESPN.com explained that betting was down 50 percent from the last fight that Mayweather was thought to have a real chance at losing, a junior middleweight showdown with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, according to Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports books for MGM.
Mayweather won the first bout with Maidana quite easily, so although demand for a rematch was there—although it dropped a bit the further away from May 3 that we got—that fans appear to believe that Mayweather is fighting inferior opposition so they don’t want to bet on the underdog, thinking it is a fools bet.
The official pay-per-view numbers for Mayweather-Maidana I in May were never released, but it is widely speculated that the bout failed to generate a million buys.
It will be interesting to see what the PPV numbers for this past weekends’ bout were, if and when they’re released, but going off the secrecy of the first bout, don’t expect Showtime to release them anytime soon.
With just two fights left on Mayweather’s six-fight Showtime/CBS deal, it is growing ever apparent that an opponent that is known and has a real chance of besting Money May in the ring needs to be brought in.
Sure, immediately most think Manny Pacquiao when that is said, but with a gigantic opportunity to open up the in-the-works MGM/AEG arena on the Las Vegas Strip, the best chance to see Pacman and Money may opposite each other in the ring would be around May 2016.
If that is the scenario that unfolds that leaves two fight dates, presumably one in May 2015 and the other in September 2015, to fill with opposition to draw fans interest.
A name that has been brought up a lot is British star, Amir Khan, who attended the bout Saturday and won his last bout on the undercard of the first Mayweather-Maidana bout in May.
Khan has the speed many have being yearning for a Mayweather opponent to have and he does have some knockout power. The downside to Khan is his highly questionable chin, which in this case could prove to be not such a big deal.
Mayweather hasn’t had a KO win since his controversial knockout of Victor Ortiz in 2011 and was only his second KO since 2005. A knockout of Khan would generate good press for Mayweather in the event a stoppage would take place, as many think Mayweather will not win by KO for the rest of his career.
If Khan can avoid a KO and utilize his speed to presumably land on Mayweather at a rate no one else in recent memory has, a close fight could be had.
Khan defeater, Danny Garcia is also a name that gets brought up in possible Mayweather opposition talks, and rightfully so for the undefeated junior welterweight champion.
That’s where most have their objection with Garcia fighting Mayweather; he is a junior welterweight who would be making his 147-pound debut against the best fighter in the sport.
The general consensus is that Garcia making the jump in weight would affect his speed, making him easy work for Mayweather, who would pick him apart with his elite counter punching ability.
Garcia has the name and the championship history that should satisfy most fans, though, so that makes him a viable opponent.
Another possible fighter for one of Mayweather’s next two bouts is interim WBA welterweight champ Keith Thurman. The 25-year-old Floridian boasts an undefeated record of 23-0 with 21 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Thurman hasn’t faced the greatest competition at this point in his career, as the toughest fighters he’s faced were a past his prime Julio Diaz and a Jesus Soto Karass who’s also seen his best days in the ring come and go.
Recently crowned IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook could also find his name solidly in the mix for a 2015 date with Mayweather.
Brook is said to be looking to face fellow Britt Khan before a possible Mayweather bout, according to the Telegraph, so it would make sense to set that bout up first to have a winner gets Mayweather bout. Mayweather has said before that Khan hasn’t earned a shot at him yet, and a win over Brook would give Khan the win he needs to prove to Money May he deserves his shot at boxing’s biggest stage.
Lastly, fringe contender, Shawn Porter, who suffered the first setback of his career when Brook bested him at the StubHub Center in Carson, California, could work his way into the mix with a comeback win over a worthy opponent.
Porter was looked at as one of the boxers that could help carry the torch when Mayweather hangs it up within the next two years, so getting his chance with the pound-for-pound king would make sense after a win for Porter.
So everyone awaiting the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout to finally take place since Money May actually mentioned Pacman by name post fight Saturday night, you’re likely to be kept waiting on the mega-fight until May 2016, if ever.
Don’t worry though, the three fighters mentioned before could make for exciting matches for Mayweather’s 48th and 49th professional bouts, but will most likely have him at 49-0 heading into 2016. An undefeated Mayweather would make a Pacquiao bout opening up the MGM/AEG arena in Las Vegas, going for Rocky Marciano’s record all the more intriguing.
If only dreams came true.
