Floyd Mayweather Jr… and Then Everybody Else.

This past weekend undefeated pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather jr, once again proved to us, just how much better he is than the rest of his division; by essentially pitching a perfect game against a young, undefeated, power puncher; who just happened to outweigh him by 15 lbs.

Over the past few years, “Money” has made it abundantly clear that he is just  too good for his counterparts in the welterweight division. Although, he still has to fight; with that being said, who is left for him to beat?

At this point, there are only a handful of guys that either are viable options, or could be so in the near future. In this article I will break down Mayweather’s present and future options at or around his weight class.

Tim Bradley – Bradley is arguably the most deserving of a shot at the pound for pound king; that is if he can get past Juan Manuel Marquez on October 12th. Bradley is relatively young, undefeated, and has gone through the majority of the big names out there. Although, he has yet to prove that he is as effective at welterweight as he was at junior welterweight. The biggest roadblock that could prevent this fight from happening is Bradley’s affiliation with rival promoter Top Rank. Although, with that being said, Bob Arum may would be willing to offer up Bradley if the price was right.

Chance of winning? – Not great; although Bradley is active enough to win some close rounds, and if he could withstand Mayweather’s punching power he could possibly give Mayweather a decent challenge. His heart would have to be on display in a very tough rugged fight to have a chance at taking Mayweather’s “0”. The most likely outcome would be that Bradley gets hurt coming in wildly, and is either stopped late, or looses a mildly competitive decision.

Manny Pacquiao – No list of future Mayweather opponents would be complete without the “Pac-Man.” Although his career is now in quite a bit of trouble following the one punch knockout he suffered at the hands of his long time rival JMM, he still would be the most lucrative option for Mayweather. Should he look good against Brandon Rios, there is a chance that Bob Arum would be desperate enough to take whatever insulting offer that Mayweather gives them; because like it or not, his days as an elite fighter are numbered.

Chance of winning? – not great, he is way too easy to hit and does not have the size or strength to handle Mayweather on the inside. His southpaw stance would be his biggest advantage in the fight, although he still would have barely even a punchers chance. Mayweather would be bigger, faster, stronger, and more skilled; which is a recipe for disaster.

Sergio Martinez – The long time middleweight king would be a historic challenge for Mayweather to take on. A win would give Mayweather a lineal title in a fifth division, accomplishing something that no man has ever accomplished in the history of boxing. Martinez would also be one of the few fighters left that the fans would give a decent shot of winning. The weight would be the number one issue in getting this fight made, although Martinez has always claimed that he would be more than happy to go down in weight for a chance to fight Mayweather.

Chance of winning? – Of all the fighters that Floyd could conceivably face, Martinez would pose the toughest challenge. He is fast,  slick and a southpaw; Mayweather would have the advantage in speed and skill, with Martinez having big advantages in size, strength and punching power. Martinez’s long power jab would prove to be his best weapon against the elusive Mayweather; if he could follow it up with a straight right hand, he would have a chance of knocking out the pound for pound number one. It would remain to be seen if Martinez’s awkward style would bother Mayweather, although even with that being said, Mayweather would still be a very big favorite; and rightfully so.

Danny Garcia – Following his impressive victory over Lucas Matthysse on the under-card of Mayweather’s most recent fight; Danny Garcia’s stock has never been higher. With victories over Amir Khan, Lucas Matthysse, Kendall Holt, and Erik Morrales; Danny Garcia looks poised to make the move up to the welterweight division. Although, he would most likely need at least one high profile win in the division to land a shot at Mayweather.

Chances of winning? – Slim; Garcia is a fast, young, and hungry fighter with very good boxing ability; but he has been far too easy to hit in his previous outings. His punches are too wide to be able to land on the extremely elusive Mayweather, and his disadvantage in size would not do him any favors. Although, his combination punching could keep Mayweather on defense for long enough to score some points in spots, if he could find a way to slip Mayweather’s accurate punches he could have a prayer of getting the decision.

To be continued….