By Vivek Wallace: Ok, we all knew the day would come, and within the last 36 hours guess what? It has. To some, the return of Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a welcomed effect, but to others, his act has quickly become reminiscent of one of those little bugs that you rarely see outside at night until you turn the light on, and suddenly, they come from the woodworks, anxious to gloat in the glow. For Mayweather, the lights and glow that he now prepares to bask in are also very close to home as well; As in the very famed Las Vegas strip, where he now appears once again destined to perform. Some speculate it’s the money, others feel he misses the attention and notoriety received from having his name overlook the city on huge scrolling marquee’s; Whatever the case may be, apparently it will soon culminate into the return of the man many around the sport love to hate. With endless possibilities, we now examine the 3 most likely options pondered by the sports former pound-for-pound king..
1-And-Done: Of all the options on the table for Mayweather jr., this appears the most likely scenario….that is until another ‘one’ comes along. Word from the Mayweather camp is that he plans to face the winner of the still unsettled yet inevitable showdown between Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao. If Hatton wins, this equation once again puts Mayweather in a situation where he could sit in a corner across from a fighter being trained by his Father. Last time around due to monetary issues, it never materialized, but this time around, the deck could be stacked against Floyd as he would not only have to face a fighter trained by his Father, but according to Ricky Hatton’s Father, Ray, he would have to do it in England as well. The other equation would put Mayweather in the ring against the only man to gain notoriety and acclaim as the sports true pound-for-pound champ in the post-Floyd era. This fight would be a huge global attraction, (perhaps even more so than a second Hatton showdown), and would potentially do better numbers than the Mayweather/De La Hoya showdown. The 24/7 series for that showdown would be a helluva ride and the wild quotes have apparently kicked off nearly a year early as Mayweather jr. recently went public stating that he would “beat Manny Pacquiao’s ass”! If Pacquiao prevails against Hatton in May, look for a Fall showdown between he and Floyd, taking place around October, November time frame.
The House That Bob Built: In this scenario, no matter which man ultimately wins, Bob Arum’s victory would trump them all because he holds the key to the only house Mayweather will care to enter. That proverbial house being the Top Rank stables. Every potential matchup out there for Floyd – (Margarito, Cotto, or Pacquiao) – all start and end through Bob Arum. If Floyd defeats Pacquiao and decides to stick around, by then, the Cotto-Margarito rematch will have been decided, setting the stage for a 2010 showdown if Floyd wants to get bold and do what few believe he will; Which is entertain a Cotto or Margarito fight. This scenario will be intriguing either way because both men are naturally bigger and would push Mayweather to the literal brink of his very existence. Miguel Cotto seems to have lost his appeal in the mind of some fight fans after his lost to Margarito but that notion is absolutely absurd. He fought a guy that you can’t hurt, and he was doing enough to potentially win until his stamina gave in and the physical nature of the fight took its toll. Cotto is still a formidable foe for any welter out there and sans Paul Williams and Antonio Margarito in the equation, there’s no one that comes remotely close to stopping him. A potential Margarito/Mayweather fight would be an amazing spectacle. Never before has Mayweather been pushed the way he would against Margarito, either literally or figuratively. When you add the height, reach, and size dynamics to the fact that it’s a fighter in his prime who contains them and all of a sudden, Mayweather has an up-hill battle on his hands, or shall I say one huge mountain to climb….Mount Margarito.
None of the Above: As unlikely as this option sounds, this scenario could very well manifest. Mayweather doesn’t seem too interested in going across the pond to face Hatton, so if it came down to it and Hatton decides that he won’t do a rematch in the U.S., Mayweather holds the cards here because as we’ve already learned, he isn’t obligated to do anything beyond this point. (Which sucks because his part-time love affair with the sport is the very thing we used to rip Oscar about). That scenario crosses Hatton out. With Pacquiao, you still have the chance of Mayweather failing to agree to terms. Mayweather will view himself as the draw, Arum will view Pacquiao as the draw, and whether or not the two sides can meet in the middle at the negotiating table will ultimately dictate whether or not they will eventually meet in the middle of the ring. Pacquiao showed us in negotiations with Oscar that he isn’t willing to belittle his own presence on the big stage. The Mayweather ego and a less-than-willing Pacquiao could spoil this showdown. And of course we all know if the chance exist for Mayweather to upstage Pacquiao at the negotiation table, it will as well against formidable yet categorically second tier (from a financial standpoint) options like Cotto and Margarito. The only dark horse that has proven he will take less money to make a bigger statement is Paul Williams, but personally, I have a better shot at landing in the ring with him than Mayweather does. You can throw this fight in the ‘high-risk-low-reward’ cabinet; and we all know how Mayweather views that status…..So in the end, all this talk from Mayweather may very well be, well….talk!
So at the end of the day, none of us know what the future may hold for Mayweather, but if it involves the ring, Pacquiao and a few others may learn first hand the meaning of the old saying: “‘Mo Money Mo Problems”!
Stay tuned…
(Got Questions or Feedback?: Contact ESB’s Vivek Wallace at 954-292-7346 and vivexemail@yahoo.com, or show some love at www.myspace.com/anonymouslyinvolved)