What Is Next For Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao?
Now that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao made history with their mega fight last evening, what’s next for them? Mayweather, looking sharp, won via a unanimous decision, Pacquiao appeared sluggish. Plenty of questions were answered, yet plenty of questions remain for both men. After the fight, Mayweather stated that his next bout in September will be his last. Pacquiao left no comments regarding his own future. With the aftermath staring at us, we are now left to ponder – where do we go from here?
There was a lot of buzz and hype surrounding the events, unfortunately fans had mixed feelings regarding the actual fight itself. Some felt that the fight was a brilliant showing by Floyd Mayweather, others thought that the fight was uninspiring. They wanted more action, more punches thrown and landed, they wanted the drama inside the ring to live up to the drama outside of it.
Floyd Mayweather gives his fans a glimpse into the final stage of his career.
“I’m fighting in September, yes. I got one more fight with Showtime/CBS. You guys have done a remarkable job. My last fight is in September.”
More drama ensues. Who will be Mayweather’s final opponent?
One name that come to mind is Amir Khan.
Khan is a good, if not great fighter, but he comes with little fanfare. He is a safe name that rolls off the tongues of boxing fans. He has a powerful right hand, strong left hook, and he is young enough to make Mayweather move around and sweat a little bit. Everything about Amir Khan reads well. There is one problem – Floyd Mayweather wants to fight in September, Amir Khan is Muslim and will be observing Ramadan (via BBC).
“I really believe I have Mayweather’s number and I’m ready for whatever he wants.”
“I can’t do September because of Ramadan. It just depends on my schedule this year but if we can do this year or early next year I will definitely jump to it.”
If Amir Khan cannot fight Mayweather, the other name that jumps out is welterweight sensation Keith Thurman.
Thurman is undefeated at 25-0, finishing 21 of his opponents by knockout. He is a knockout artist that is reinventing himself as a boxer counter-puncher. What makes him dangerous is that he, like Mayweather, studies his opposition during the fight and adjusts accordingly. Everyone has to respect the power that he has in both hands.
Once Mayweather does retire, there are several observers who believe that he is next to carry the torch. The only flaw to a fight with Thurman is that he is more obscure as a boxer than Amir Khan.
In a perfect world, there will be passing of the torch at some point. Can fans rally around the idea that Floyd Mayweather’s last fight is one that would put another boxer over as the next big thing? If this was the WWE, that storyline would already be in the works. Sadly, this is not wrestling.
It will not happen because of the size differential but a showdown with new welterweight Terrance Crawford would be a must-see affair. Crawford is the one boxer who reminds people of a young Floyd Mayweather, with punching power. Would HBO work with Showtime once more to showcase their up and coming star?
Crawford might be a potential foe for Manny Pacquiao provided that he returns to the 140-pound weight class. There are a couple of rumblings suggesting that Pacman is near the end of his Hall of Fame career. If he does not begin to contemplate retirement, he will undoubtedly want to chase another belt before it is all over with.
[Photo by Jamie Squire/ Getty Images Sport]
