Floyd Mayweather could have picked anyone he wanted for his next fight. You had Keith Thurman the #1 contender, or champion Kell Brook. There was Amir Khan calling him out. Floyd made him think he was going to get the fight, but for two fights Floyd has went elsewhere for an opponent. There was Porter who beat Adrien Broner. Maidana did that and got two fights with Floyd. There's Timothy Bradley and he looks good on any fighters resume. Floyd could have went with any fighter in the top five, but he didn't do it.
Andre Berto, you are next. Why? There's only one reason, and even the die-hard Mayweather fans know what that is. He wants to honor the contract and remain unbeaten. It has been rumored for about a month, it would be Berto or Mayfield. The Mayweather fans said he's just joking. He'll end up fighting someone else. Nobody liked hearing he was going to fight one of those two guys. Then he said it would be on network television. A match-up so one sided could only be free, but it's not on network television; it's on Showtime PPV.
It has to make Berto feel pretty good that he got selected. He didn't do anything, he didn't win his way into a shot. Berto was handpicked by Floyd because he considers him an easy win to finish out the Showtime contract. I figure Berto wants to take a shot at the 0 on Mayweather's record, and he's probably been training hard, but knowing what's thought of him should light a fire in him that can't be put out. Nobody believes he has a serious shot at getting the victory.
Does Floyd Have Anything Left to Prove?
You could ask that question in any boxing forum and the answers would vary. Personally I think he has something to prove. He claims to be the best ever, but the final fight to fulfill his contract he goes out of the top five to find an opponent. That's not a move that TBE would make. At the very least he should have picked the fighter he thought he could beat out of the top 5. The best thing he could have done is take on the #1 contender, Keith Thurman.
Let's look at his last five fights.
48) Manny Pacquiao - This fight should have taken place when Manny and Floyd were both hot and beating common opponents. Instead it was five years too late when Manny had been viciously knocked and wasn't the same. Many had value, but like other opponents Floyd has beaten, he was too late for maximum value.
47& 46) Marcos Maidana - Marcos Maidana had been a tough fight, and got the fight based on his victory over Adrien Broner. There were those who believe Maidana won the first fight, but Maidana wasn't the mandatory when he got the first fight, and Floyd gave him two fights. Why? Not for the fans that thought Maidana won. He doesn't fight for the fans or he wouldn't be fighting Berto. Marcos Maidana is a tough fighter, but once Floyd figured out how easy he'd beat him in a second fight he burned another fight off his contract.
45) Canelo Alvarez - Canelo is tough and I think Floyd took a risk in this one. The fight was at a catch-weight and Canelo might have been weakened a little, but I give Floyd full credit for this one.
44) Robert Guerrero - What had he done to get a fight with Mayweather? That's all I heard as Mayweather was deciding who he'd fight this time. The Mayweather fans said that #1 contender Keith Thurman hadn't done anything to deserve a shot. What did Guerrero do to deserve his? (Handed a belt like Thurman)
Manny should have been the best fight out of the last five, but Maidana put up the best fight. Canelo was the most threatening opponent, but he wasn't ready for Floyd. If Guerrero deserved a fight when he got it, then Thurman deserved one. Robert Guerrero did beat Andre Berto, and Thurman beat Guerrero. Just based on these five fight it seemed like Floyd might go after a bigger name than Andre Berto
What Can We Expect From Andre Berto?
The real question is what can we expect from Floyd. I know after the Pacquiao fight fans labeled Mayweather a runner. So does he hit and move like he did against Pacquiao. Maybe he wanted to finish his contract with a knockout, because Berto's defense isn't all world class. It appears that Berto will do whatever Floyd makes him do. There is no reason to believe that Berto will dictate the action. That's exactly what he'll need to do if he expects to win. He has to get in on Floyd and stay there. He must fight the most aggressive fight of his life. Even that probably won't be good enough
Nobody wanted this fight and that includes some die hard Mayweather fans. The fight makes no sense and I've already heard regular PPV buyers say they won't purchase Mayweather-Berto. Floyd is smart enough to know that a fight with Berto wouldn't draw big numbers. So there has to be another reason to make such a one sided fight. The only thing I can see it being is Mayweather is going for the long overdue knockout. I don't expect Berto to win and neither does anyone else. There's no pressure from expectations. I still don't see what would be the biggest upset in boxing history taking place.
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