Earlier in the week, I presented Part I of my series on Floyd Mayweather’s top opponents. The five names covered in that list are the most obvious choices, although, perhaps not as interesting or intriguing as the names we have here: Manny Pacquiao, Gennady Golovkin, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Keith Thurman and Adrian Broner. Are any of these likely? Perhaps not. But they are the opponents that certainly pose the most threat and competition.
The Case for Pacquiao:
A mega fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather would have undoubtedly shattered all boxing records as far as revenue and PPV sales. It was the dream fight of all dream fights – there was supposed to be no way this fight couldn’t happen; surely these two men were on a collision course. But it was not to be.
Still, after all of this time, and after two losses — a highly controversial one to Timothy Bradley and a vicious knockout by Marquez — Pacquiao still presents the most compelling argument for Mayweather. He is the biggest name and will draw the most money. And depending on how he looks against Brandon Rios on November 23rd, he could be seen as being right back on top of his game. The fight might not be what it once was, but fans would still pay good money to see it actually happen. So, don’t hold your breath, it’s still not likely to happen, but it would certainly be the best fight out there, despite losing a lot of the luster it once had.
The Case for Golovkin:
Put plain and simple – GGG is an animal. He has 14 consecutive knockouts with his thunderous punching power. But the man can also box. He’s an intelligent fighter who knows how to pick his punches.
It’s a very intriguing option, but Golovkin is too large for a fighter like Mayweather. Golovkin, a natural 160 pound fighter, and has blown through that division. If Golovkin found a way to drop down to a catch-weight, this would be by far the most interesting option, a huge middleweight slugger vs. the elusive, natural welterweight Mayweather. Even then, the notion that Mayweather would take on a huge middleweight power-puncher like Golovkin is unlikely.
The Case for Martinez:
After coming off several injuries and perhaps a decline in performance, the possibility of this fight transpiring is less likely. Despite winning, Martinez didn’t look particularly good in his last fight against Martin Murray where he looked vulnerable at times. At 38, Martinez is getting up in age, and has certainly lost some steam. However, he’d be a very tough stylistic for Mayweather, since he is a southpaw with awkward movements, great skills and good speed.
The Case for Hopkins:
After Hopkins’ recent fight against Karo Murat, maybe this fight is indeed a possibility. Hopkins sounded pretty serious in the post-fight interview when he stated he would come down to 160 pounds to fight Mayweather. The fight would certainly sell solely on name recognition, but would it be a competitive matchup — a 48-year-old light heavyweight vs. a 36-year-old welterweight? With Hopkins’ new nickname the “Alien” and with Mayweather’s seemingly superhuman reflexes it would be a matchup out of this world.
The Case for Thurman:
So you’re probably asking why this name is on the list. Well, Thurman packs a big punch, he’s undefeated, and he will soon be on people’s radars for bigger fights. Thurman almost fought a recent Mayweather victim in Robert Guerrero, but Guerrero’s camp declined the fight. At the age of 24, Thurman is still young, but he has been impressive. He has 19 knockouts in 21 wins, and has the confidence and power to give Mayweather a slight challenge.
The Case for Broner:
Is there enough money on the table to make these two “brothers” fight one another? Perhaps. But while Broner has similar techniques as Mayweather, he is hardly Mayweather when it comes to talent –his last fight was indicative of that. Paulie Malignaggi exposed him a bit there, as he escaped with a narrow split decision, and was touched up a good portion of the fight.
Broner might have just been trying to get his feet wet with a guy who he knew wasn’t the biggest puncher in the division, though. If Malignaggi had more punching power, it might have been a different story for the Brooklyn native. First, Broner will have to get past a much more powerful Marcos Maidana. If Broner can do this then maybe we’ll have ourselves a Mayweather vs. Broner showdown on Showtime in September 2014.
