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Floyd Mayweather JR NEXT OPPONENT – BOXING NEWS – The Top 5 Threats to the Undefeated Record

By Geno McGahee

When it comes down to the best fighter in the world, there is now little debate as to who it is. Floyd Mayweather, JR., 45-0, 26 KO’s, is the man to beat, but most of the big guns have tried and failed badly in trying to accomplish that feat. Most recently, the Mexican superstar, Canelo Alvarez, stepped into the ring undefeated and left with a loss and the list of opponents that have suffered this fate is long and impressive.

At 36, “Money” Mayweather doesn’t have a lot of time left and may only fight 3 or 4 more times before he hangs up the gloves. There aren’t many more worlds left to conquer, but there is a list of guys out there that could potentially give him some trouble and could also attract the public. The list is short, but there is a list.

THE TOP 5

Timothy Bradley, 31-0, 12 KO’s

The WBO welterweight champion is the only man with the distinction of beating both Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. His courage and will have brought him this far and if he possessed a big punch, he would probably rule boxing with ease. Unfortunately for Timothy, the punch isn’t there, but he hits hard enough to get the respect of his opposition. In his last fight, a dominant victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, he showed the ability to change his tactics in the ring to suit the opposition. He borrowed plays from the Mayweather playbook to confuse Marquez and stay out of trouble. This ability to strategize and adapt will help him immensely should he face Mayweather and considering that the Marquez-Bradley PPV was a big success, it’s safe to say that a Mayweather – Bradley would be as well.

Danny Garcia, 27-0, 16 KO’s

Just the idea of Floyd and Danny Garcia’s father at a press conference could sell this fight, but the fight itself would be interesting. Garcia has been the underdog before, against both Lucas Matthysse and Amir Khan, and he defeated both in dominant fashion. Floyd is a different sort of fighter, but Garcia is not one to be overlooked and would try incredibly hard to win the fight. He is not the type of boxer that gets discouraged like Robert Guerrero did after 30 seconds of the first round. He will fight hard. He would be the big underdog, but what else is new?

Gennady Golovkin, 28-0, 25 KO’s

A long shot here, but a shot nonetheless. Golovkin is the terror of the middleweight division and he has been leaving mangled heaps of opponents in the ring. He is begging for a match with Sergio Martinez, to clear up any confusion as to who the best in the world is at 160, but I can’t imagine him not jumping at the opportunity to take on the recognized best in the world. What makes him a possibility is his last fight. Curtis Stevens was dominated, but he showed that speed is a good asset to have against the powerful champion. Floyd may be able to confuse and cruise to a decision as he has so many times before, but the 160 pound monster may be just too big for him. This fight will most likely not happen, but you never know.

Adrien Broner, 27-0, 22 KO’s

With videos of him going to the bathroom and having sex along with all of his disrespectful antics in and out of the ring, Broner is trying to fill the spot that Floyd will soon leave behind, but his star is shining brighter by the day with all of the things he’s doing and the comparison to Floyd is there. He mimics the style, but he may be far too green for Floyd and has stated that he didn’t want to fight him any time soon. If he beats Maidana in his next fight, which most expect that he will, perhaps a Floyd fight is something that both camps would entertain.

Manny Pacquiao, 54-5-2, 38 KO’s

Better late than never? Maybe. The boxing super fight tease went on for years and the debate was recently settled as the “PacMan” suffered back to back losses against Bradley and Marquez. The Marquez loss was a devastating knockout defeat and most now consider the Filipino force spent. A match with Brandon Rios this month will either confirm this contention or put him back into contention for a match with Floyd. The fight can still be sold just because it would be Mayweather – Pacquiao. It’s hard to imagine Manny winning, but there would be plenty of fans supporting him and hoping for the upset. He would have a puncher’s chance, but not much more. His name value would sell the event.

THE OTHER OPTIONS

Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, 54-6-2, 32 KO’s

The 48-year-old “Alien”, Hopkins, has been campaigning for a fight with Mayweather recently, but the 175 pound champion isn’t really a good option for Money at this point. Hopkins is in notoriously ugly, non-interesting fights, and he is 175 pounds, too large for Floyd. Both being counter-punchers, you can expect a slow waltz without much warfare. This fight would have two big names in it, but it would be worse than the Hopkins-RJJ rematch. It would be terrible.

Amir Khan, 28-3, 19 KO’s

At one point, Khan was knocking at the door of superstardom, but he is not regarded to be in the same league as the true pound for pound bests in the game. Back to back losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia took him out of the running, but he has returned with back to back victories over mediocre opposition. Supporting the notion that he does not belong in the ring with Floyd would be his last fight, as he eked by Julio Diaz, getting dropped in the process. The brittle chin would be easy-pickings for Floyd and this fight, if it is made, is uncompetitive, but I keep hearing about this match-up…so maybe it will happen.

Ruslan Provodnikov, 23-2, 16 KO’s

In March of this year, we were introduced to Provodnikov. He showed really well against Timothy Bradley and nearly knocked him out several times. Had the bout been 15 rounds, he would have stopped him and there are many that believe that he won that fight. It was a loss on his record but a victory for his career and he followed that up with a destruction of the highly regarded Mike Alvarado. He would be an interesting fight for Floyd just because of his relentless pressure and power.

There are matches for Floyd Mayweather, JR., and it should be interesting to see just who he fights next. Stay tuned…

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