Floyd Mayweather, Jr once again made headlines as the boxing community unites in describing his September fight, which would reportedly mark the conclusion of his remarkable career in the ring, as downright ridiculous. The announcement of the undefeated champion of his intention to fight Andre Michael Berto for his final match was met with disappointment and quite possibly, disgust among his fellow boxers.
The issue came to light when TMZ Sports disclosed that the fight between Berto and Mayweather has been finally made official. According to the report, both camps have been discussing the potential match for weeks and the two parties now reached an agreement. With the deal in place, fans and followers of the sport can expect Mayweather's final bout in the ring to be against the 2008 WBC welterweight champion.
"It's a pleasure and honor to be in this position and I'm looking forward to capitalizing on every moment of it," Berto stated, referring to the announcement that he has been chosen over Karim Mayfield and Keith Thurman for the September bout against Mayweather.
It is common knowledge that Mayweather has been eyeing to break the record of Rocky Marciano (49 - 0) since the former began his boxing career. With this last match, which a number of sports analysts, boxing fans and even former boxers themselves peg as a completely lopsided fight, Mayweather will finally be able to hang his boxing gloves and break the record. While Berto is a notable boxer in his own right, his performance record could speak for itself in terms of his ability to offer Mayweather a good fight. Throughout his career, Berto managed to achieve a record of 33 - 3, a considerably insubstantial achievement when compared with Mayweather's 48 - 0 streak.
Kelsey McCarson of Bleacher Report echoes the sentiment of the boxing community with regard Mayweather's choice of final opponent. "He is athletic but hardly skilled," the writer pointed out, referring to the capacity of Berto to hold up his end in the September battle. McCarson further noted that Berto is not even included in the top 10 welterweights in the world, according to the list compiled by Ring Magazine or the Transnational Boxing Ranking Board. She added, "He has suffered losses to middling contenders Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero and Jesus Soto Karass. He possesses no attribute as a fighter that would lead any sane person to believe he'd be anything but a glorified sparring partner for Mayweather on fight night."
With this in mind, many sports analysts believe that Mayweather only chose Berto as his 49th opponent to guarantee that he accomplishes his ultimate goal - to break the undefeated streak of Marciano. Hence, several fans and followers of the sport expect that this match will be more disappointing than Mayweather's recent fight with Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Since his last match in May angered fans who paid hefty amounts just to witness the "Fight of the Century," it looks like Mayweather is seeking ways to make it up to the public. According to ESPN, talks are ongoing with regard the possibility of having the Berto - Mayweather fight aired on free TV instead of pay-per-view.
At the moment, no official announcement has been made by Mayweather himself or anyone from his camp.
