By Geno McGahee
The announcement has been made that this is “Floyd’s Last Fight,” but that is doubtful. Knowing that the opponent is less than worthy of this shot, losing 3 of his last 6 fights, the bout needs all the help it can get. A 65 dollar pay per screw for the fans can’t sell this as a competitive bout, but if they put it out there that we are seeing the last of the pound for pound king, it may be a sale. Considering the lackluster ticket sales and anticipated lackluster PPV rentals, they may need to figure something else out. Maybe they can have Ricardo Mayorga slap somebody’s ass or have an all-out brawl.
Floyd Mayweather, JR., 48-0, 26 KO’s, has beaten a lot of name opponents like Zab Judah, Manny Pacquiao, Diego Corrales, Ricky Hatton, Canelo Alvarez, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, but he has never met an equal opponent in their prime. PBF’s career came just a little late. Had he been battling in the time when the guys like Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya were in their primes, he may not have that zero. Most likely, De La Hoya and Mosley would have beaten him.
The opponent is Andre Berto, 30-3, 23 KO’s, the former welterweight champion. He has been considered a potential opponent for Floyd for quite some time, but injuries and defeats have stopped it. Berto started his career with a lot of promise and he had some very high profile victories over Carlos Quintana and Freddy Hernandez, but he had a lot of issues with the tricky boxer, Luis Collazo, escaping with a gift decision. Collazo is no Floyd and that should tell us exactly what his chances are in this fight.
To add to the longshot chances, Berto has gone 3-3 in his last six fights, losing to Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, two men that Floyd easily defeated. The other loss was a knockout defeat to Jesus Soto Karass, a limited brawler. His last two fights were victories. One was over the journeyman, Steve Upsher Chambers (UD-10) and the other over Josesito Lopez (KO-6), a fringe contender. With the more capable Amir Khan clamoring for a fight and other guys like Keith Thurman, it’s hard to imagine how Berto found his way into this opportunity.
The one thing that Berto has in this bout is a puncher’s chance, but the chance is slim. The boxers that have done well with Floyd are volume punchers like Marcos Maidana and Jose Louis Castillo. Berto is a plodder and will be looking to land that right hand, but his lack of defense is going to stop his aggression. Soto Karass was able to drop in his right hand with regularity and the best punch in the arsenal for Floyd is that lead right hand. In other words, Berto is custom made for Floyd. This is the first time in a long time where Mayweather has chosen such a mismatched opponent. This is almost in Arturo Gatti territory.
Unlike other Floyd Mayweather, JR., fights, this one has garnered the least amount of interest. The public is wise to this showdown and the “Free fight” that was teased to the public did not go over well. Money Mayweather is showing his greed with this fight. He is banking on those that rented the other fights will rent this one as well, but despite his popularity or infamy, if there’s no chance for the opponent, nobody will pay for it. This is the same situation that we saw all those years back with Muhammad Ali – Chuck Wepner.
The undercard for this PPV is lackluster, without one notable fight. This entire PPV is already stinking to high heaven and even though the hope is that we will see something unexpected or exciting, we will most likely see some mediocre opening bouts, followed by a one-sided beating of an overmatched opponent with Mayweather JR winning every round and announcing his retirement….until his next fight is announced.
