It seems practically nobody in the boxing world truly believes superstar Floyd Mayweather Junior is really retired. Mayweather, the last time anyone asked him, insisted he is indeed “done” and is content now helping out his growing stable of young fighters. Yet still the 49-0 great is expected by many to return to the ring for fight number-50. Not only that, but plenty of fighters are hoping they will get a date with “Money” (Manny Pacquiao recently stating how he wants a rematch with Floyd).
And trainer Joe Gallagher, ahead of his fighter Liam Smith’s big fight with Canelo Alvarez the day after tomorrow, has told Sky Sports he is “90-percent sure” Mayweather will call out Smith for that 50th fight, if Smith is victorious over Alvarez in Texas.
“All we are thinking about is Saul Alvarez but if we pull this off on Saturday then for the next fight, I’d expect a call from Floyd Mayweather,” Gallagher said. “Floyd will be sat there watching and think, ‘There’s only two people who have beaten Alvarez. One’s me and one is Liam Smith so I’ll give him a date for fight number fifty next year. If we win this, there’s a 90-percent chance that the phone will go from Team-Mayweather.”
So, is Gallagher maybe a little guilty of getting overexcited, or is he on to something? No-one knows what Mayweather is planning to do except Mayweather himself, but if he did decide to fight again, wouldn’t Mayweather choose, and no disrespect to Smith, a far bigger name? And didn’t Floyd say that if – if – he did come back he would only be doing so if nine-figures were waiting for him? Would a Mayweather-Smith fight come close to generating that kind of cash, even if the reigning WBO 154-pound champ did a number on Canelo?
But Gallagher feels his fighter will change his life with a win on Saturday and “becoming a superstar in world boxing.” Perhaps Mayweather will indeed look to come back against a young, exciting and unbeaten fighter. Smith fits the bill, all he needs now is to pull off the upset of the year by toppling Canelo.