Retirement announcements in boxing are a lot like promises on the presidential campaign trail. Plenty of them are made but most are full of hot air and should be taken with a grain of salt. So there should be no surprise that former pound-for-pound president Floyd Mayweather Jr. admitted to engaging in preliminary talks with CBS/Showtime about returning to the ring for a 50th fight. Mayweather Promotions has even filed trademarks for “TMT 50” and “TBE 50” in case a deal is reached.
Mayweather walked away from the sport with a perfect 49-0 record in 2015 following the richest fight in history against Manny Pacquiao and one of the most forgettable fights in recent history versus Andre Berto. Many expected Mayweather to return for a 50th win in order to break his tie with Rocky Marciano for the best undefeated record by a retiring champion. Mayweather seemed sincere when he announced he was walking away from the fight game, but one thing is clear. When money talks, Money listens.
Fans salivating over a potential matchup with middleweight monster Gennady Golovkin should put their tongues back in their mouths. Mayweather has repeatedly rebuffed ideas of fighting at 160 pounds. There’s a slim chance he could aim for a rematch with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s 155-pound middleweight title. After all, he has already defeated Alvarez. He could earn a title in a new division, get a 50th win and earn a boatload of cash (Harriet Tubman $20s only please!). He could also try to woo Manny Pacquiao out of his recent retirement for another lucrative square dance around the ring. Although the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was one of the most disappointing bouts in history, Pacquiao’s injured shoulder gives his fans a reason to want to pay for it all over again.
While those three fighters make sense for boxing fans, the only name Mayweather has mentioned as a possible opponent so far is that of WBC welterweight champion Danny Garcia. Garcia wouldn’t be a bad opponent. He’s a talented, undefeated, multi-division champion. While he’s far from a household name, he does have an established name in boxing circles. However, Garcia is not really a return-from-retirement-level opponent. Mayweather would’ve received more credit for fighting Garcia in his 49th fight instead of the ‘gimme’ bout against Berto. Since Mayweather has hinted that it would take over nine figures, aka $100,000,000, I’m not sure that Garcia is really the guy.
Let me put it this way: If Showtime is shelling out over $100M for Mayweather versus Garcia, I’m headed to Showtime HQ with the deeds to beachfront property in Baden and everything I can find on the Seen on TV section at Walgreens. Better yet, for that type of coin I’d fight five people in one night, like George Foreman did in 1975. Bring on Mayweather, Garcia, Pacquiao, Berto and Birdman. Call it ‘Respek Deez Hands.’ Cha-ching!
Meh Day: Canelo vs Khan
This weekend’s May Day fight should be billed as Cinnamon Toast Punch. It continues the trend of underwhelming fights by boxing superstars in 2016. Alvarez, the WBC World Middleweight Champion, is set to fight Amir Khan this weekend. Yes, the same Khan who fought at 135- and 140-pounds for the majority of his career will step to Alvarez’s weird 155-pound weight custom weight class to fight for the 160-pound title. If it sounds stupid and confusing, it is.
Khan has enough trouble standing upright in fights against men his own size. How in the world was he given a shot at the middleweight crown? Of course, the answer in boxing is almost always money. Khan has a huge following back home in the UK. Alvarez has a huge following in Mexico and the US. United, they bring together a lot of dollars, pounds and pesos to the table.
Expect Khan to be on his bicycle early in attempt to use his hand and footspeed advantages to stay away from the bigger man. He could have some limited success early. However, Alvarez will touch Khan to the body early and often and as the old adage says, “Kill the body and the head will die.”
Khan’s selection is a clear example for maximum pay for minimal risk. He is food. He is toast. There’s no chance he walks out of the ring with the WBC strap around his waist. The only reason for excitement around this bout is because once it’s finished, Alvarez will be forced to fight Golovkin at 160-pounds or vacate his title. Either way, it will finally put the 155-pound shenanigans to rest.
Just for the record, I’m not opposed to catch weights, I just don’t think they have any business being in play for championship fights.
Blues bounce back
Hats off to the St. Louis Blues for avoiding yet another implosion by fending off the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games during the first-round of the NHL playoffs. The Blues blew a 3-1 series lead and the ghosts of a listless past threatened to strike again. However, the team dug deep and emerged victorious in a thrilling Game 7.
After dropping Game 1 to the Dallas Stars in the second-round and nearly blowing a 3-1 lead in Game 2, the Blues bounced back again and smacked the Stars 6-1 in Game 3 Tuesday night. If this talented, ulcer-inducing team can develop a killer instinct and put teams away when they have them down, it can go where no Blues team has gone before.
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