Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs Andre Berto has finally been made official.
Mayweather has finally confirmed that he will be facing Andre Berto this coming September 12, 2015 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for the WBA and WBC welterweight titles.
Other than the titles, Mayweather’s goal is obvious – register his 49th win and place himself at par with boxing great Rocky Marciano.
The announcement hardly comes as a surprise though many are still criticizing Mayweather for choosing Berto over other quality fighters like Amir Khan.
There is, however, a minor detail that was changed and it had to do with the broadcast rights. Despite earlier belief that Mayweather had considered broadcasting the fight for free, it will still be on pay-per-view.
The Mayweather vs Berto fight will be broadcast live on Showtime PPV though the cost of watching the fight has yet to be known.
Berto, 32, was one of the two boxers named by Mayweather as possible opponents. The other one is Karim Mayfield.
It was initially believed that Mayweather was fooling around but as it stands now, the undefeated boxer was serious after all.
Before he mentioned the names of Berto and Mayfield, Amir Khan was believed to be the strong favorite to end up as Mayweather’s opponent.
However the Mayweather camp shunned Khan whom they accused of constantly criticizing Mayweather despite being told to stay silent.
With that settled, the next question is expected to gain interest in the coming weeks leading to the September 12 fight – will it be indeed Mayweather’s last fight?
Mayweather stands pat that it will be his last fight though some believe that going up against a fighter like Berto (whose career is something many believe is on the decline) isn’t exactly the way to exit the sport.
Of course the final verdict on that will still fall on Mayweather’s shoulders despite the fact that most boxers and analysts believe that Mayweather will continue to fight in 2016.
Below is something shared by veteran matchmaker and businessman Rick Glaser on Mayweather.
“Highly unlikely (he retires in September),” Glaser told CBSSports.com. “The state of his financial situation -- aka cash on hand -- will dictate his future. More than likely, (it's two) fights and leaving the game.”
Barring any surprise, Mayweather is expected to cruise to his 49th win and match Rocky Marciano’s record. However, the real question is what lies ahead for the flamboyant one after the September 12 fight.
Will he retire or fight again in 2016? Your views and inputs are most welcome.