Welterweight

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has wasted little time in talking up Kell Brook as the next name to dominate the welterweight division following Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s retirement from the sport.

The Matchroom figurehead wrote in his Daily Mail column on Thursday that Brook can be the "Special One" of his weight class, exactly one month prior to his title defence against Diego Chaves on October 24:

Floyd Mayweather is stepping away, or so he says, and now it is time for Kell Brook to show he is the Special One of welterweight boxing. I truly believe he will go on to dominate this division before stepping up to light-middleweight three or four fights from now.

[...]

I can see him winning world titles at both light middleweight and middleweight and there are tempting fights to be made against men like Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez. He is good enough to be a multi-weight world champion so the next couple of years should be very exciting.

It's hardly surprising to see Hearn highlighting the talents of a fighter representing the best interests of his Matchroom stable, but speculation of an "inevitable" rise to light-middleweight will be treated with particular interest.

Many see America as the real proving ground for elite fighters, and Brook has fought outside the United Kingdom on just two occasions, beating Luis Galarza and Shawn Porter in New Jersey and California, respectively.

Special K is still a long way off the unbeaten 49-0 record on which Mayweather chose to take his leave of boxing earlier this year, although many suppose Money will eventually make his return to the ring at some point.

That being said, Brook's rise through the sport's upper echelon is clear for all to see, with Hearn recently congratulating his star upon making The Ring's official pound-for-pound top 10:

Brook brings with him an undefeated 35-0 record to the Sheffield Arena next month, where it's thought Chaves could provide him the toughest test of his career to date.

Emerging from that bout with a victory would further vindicate Hearn's claims to welterweight superstardom, and Brook has himself told Sky Sports of the intent he holds to surpass Mayweather's record:

It's brilliant to be recognised as one of the top 10 fighters in the world and the number one welterweight by Ring magazine.  

I have worked tirelessly over my career to reach the top, and I am now getting to where I want to be - but the journey is only really beginning for me as I want to be the best in the world.

Floyd's last fight on Saturday means that the door is open for someone to become boxing's new mega-star - and I want to be that man. 

His 49-0 record is incredible and he leaves a phenomenal legacy behind, but I believe I can reach that pinnacle and go past it.

The old adage goes that to be the best, one has to beat the best. The stars aren't likely to align and give Brook any date against Mayweather should he indeed come back out of retirement, but the Briton is proving himself through other means.

WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman is another figure cementing his place as a star of the division, and he recently told boxing reporter Michelle Joy Phelps a future fixture between him and Brook could be possible:

The passing of the torch is a necessary ceremony in sport, perhaps most obviously in the individual arena of boxing, which is in constant need of new attractions and figureheads to hold up its appeal.

The Matchroom team of Hearn and Brook clearly feel the Sheffield-born fighter is ready to emerge from the shade and become the man of the moment, with a substantial welterweight throne in desperate need of a successor.  

There aren’t many out there who expect Floyd Mayweather to stay retired after he secured his 49th professional win over Andre Berto at the weekend, but Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the World Boxing Council, encouraged the veteran to do so.

Sulaiman thinks the end of Mayweather’s career, in which he won all 49 fights, provides a fine opportunity for others to make their way to the summit of the sport, per Miguel Rivera of BoxingScene.com: 

He confirmed his retirement from boxing. For me, I think it would be something spectacular if he didn't return, because it would mark [the start of an era for] a new generation of fighters. He goes out on top, unbeaten with health and money.

If he can maintain that position [by staying retired] it would set an example.

The WBC chief also outlined the fighters he feels could fill Mayweather’s shoes as the pound-for-pound king: “It could be Golovkin, the Canelo-Cotto winner, Chocolatito, Leo Santa Cruz. Quality, charisma and luck is required.”

Rivera noted in his piece that Sulaiman also confirmed Mayweather’s WBC titles at welterweight and junior middleweight “should be vacant by the end of the week.” However, it’s also claimed the WBC is yet to receive any confirmation from Floyd’s camp that they are willing to relinquish the belts.

If Mayweather’s heart is no longer in boxing, he probably should walk away. After all, in such an unforgiving discipline, any lapse in concentration or distraction in preparation could see even the greatest fighters on their backside once they step into the ring.

Former IBF world middleweight champion Darren Barker thinks going out of the sport at the very top, which Floyd clearly still is, is something to be admired:

However, there are factors that could lure the 38-year-old back. As a fierce competitor, he’ll be keen to pass the career record of the great Rocky Marciano, who he equalled with his 49th win in 49 fights. Going to 50-0 against a quality opponent would surely add more strength to Mayweather’s claims that he is the best ever.

In addition, Mayweather is a free agent now. It means he has greater freedom to choose any potential opponent and command extraordinarily lucrative offers for a 50th fight. The latter, in particular, would surely appeal to a man who has been known as Money in the latter stages of his distinguished career.

Laceupboxing thinks despite the talent coming through, fans of the sport will miss Floyd more than they expect:

It’d be a shame if Mayweather did retire on the back of the Berto fight. Not only was the occasion essentially a glorified sparring session, but it revealed he still has the quality to compete at the very top level for a while yet. If he wanted to, you suspect the American could put some distance between himself and Marciano’s record.

After vacating his titles and some time away from the sport, Mayweather may find his competitive edge pushing him to get back in the ring. With so much still left to achieve, it’d be a big surprise if he was to stave those instinctive desires off.

Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. bowed out of the sport of boxing Saturday night in the only way he knew how, soundly beating Andre Berto in a 12-round unanimous decision victory to improve to 49-0.

The 38-year-old appeared in control from the opening seconds, and that tune didn't change throughout 36 minutes inside the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After dancing around every Berto challenge and answering with convincing jabs, Mayweather put what appeared to be a finishing touch on his career.

Bleacher Report summed up the win and where it puts Mayweather for his career:

Nobody should have expected anything different, but yet another vintage Mayweather defensive performance shined through Saturday night.

The 32-year-old Berto looked aggressive and intent on forcing the issue, but that much proved to be impossible. He simply couldn't land anything on Mayweather, who glided around almost every attempt with ease.

Although Mayweather got hit two more times than he did four months ago against Manny Pacquiao, Berto struggled to hit more than 20 percent of his punches, as ESPN Stats and Info noted:

Berto couldn't for the life of him find Mayweather, but Money had no such troubles.

While never truly attacking his opponent, Mayweather waited for the right times to get his punches in and did just that. His efficiency with power punches reached an astonishing percentage at one point, as Mike Coppinger of USA Today noted:

Every fighter who has stepped into the ring with Mayweather has had a similar game plan—attack with intelligence, force Mayweather on his back foot and rough him up. That's much easier said than done, and Berto found that out Saturday.

He entered the fight hoping to establish a tone that never really got going, as he shared with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:

Andre Berto says his game plan was to double and triple jab and bring the pressure. Said Mayweather was slippery and really smart.

— Chris Mannix (@ChrisMannixSI) September 13, 2015

But Berto's failed attempts at victory Saturday only proved to be a minor footnote to the real story. That, of course, involved Mayweather stepping away from the ring for good.

Or so he says. With his camp staying firm on his pledge to retire following Saturday, he reiterated that to ESPN's Dan Rafael after the fight:

"You got to know when to hang it up, and it's time for me to hang it up," Mayweather said. "I'm not going to be doing this when I'm 40 years old.

"There's nothing else for me to do in the sport of boxing. I made great investments, I'm financially stable, well off. I had a great career. My record speaks for itself."

There's no telling, honestly, whether the talk of Mayweather being done with the sport holds any real water. It's hard not to believe him with all he's accomplished, but it's also hard to believe he would leave millions on the table that would come from a rematch with Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto or Saul Alvarez.

At the same time, what, really, would that prove? There's simply nothing else that Mayweather can do over a final fight or two that would do anything other than get his record to that round number of 50, which frankly isn't enough alone to spur a comeback.

For now, we can bask in Saturday night being the last time the living legend laced up the gloves.

Even in the midst of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s announced retirement on the heels of his victory over Andre Berto in Saturday night's welterweight title bout in Las Vegas, the focus hasn't shifted away from Mayweather adding that round No. 50 to his record in the near future.

The pound-for-pound king has insisted ever since before his May fight with Manny Pacquiao that he'd step in the ring in September for the last time, and that tune hasn't changed even after Mayweather's win. After dispatching of Berto quite easily in a 12-round unanimous decision, he shared his thoughts on retirement with ESPN's Brian Campbell:

With that said, Mayweather has announced his retirement from the sport before. With a large sum of millions to add to his bank account and the prospect of inching past Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record with which he's now tied, it's not hard to envision a scenario for Mayweather's return to the ring.

One thing is certain—the best welterweights aren't going to back down from the idea of facing Mayweather in a potential 50th fight. With that in mind, let's take a look at three boxers who could get the call if the 38-year-old chooses to lace up the gloves again.

Winner of Miguel Cotto vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez

These two boxers are being bunched together only because they're getting ready for a massive encounter on November 21, and it's impossible to fathom the loser of that one having any real shot at Mayweather. But whoever should win, you can bet he'll call out the 49-0 champion.

Yes, both boxers have had their shot at Mayweather over the last couple of years and came up short. But it's not hard to say that those two fights are the toughest Mayweather has had over that time span. 

The 34-year-old Cotto had Mayweather on his back foot during their bout, and in the middle rounds, it appeared he was winning the fight before he got gassed and opened the door for Mayweather. It's not surprising, then, that Cotto is eyeing another shot at Mayweather should he beat Alvarez, per Mitch Abramson of the New York Daily News.

"We don't know exactly what Mayweather—he said before that he's going to retire after this fight (with Berto)," Cotto said. "I can't point to someone who's not going to be here later. But if he's going to stay after his fight, I think and I know that's a fight (between he and I) that people can watch."

Alvarez would pose quite the threat to Mayweather as well. Although outmatched in their first encounter, the 25-year-old has improved since then, most recently knocking out James Kirkland in the third round.

If Mayweather wants to stick it to those who say he avoids top competition, he can simply schedule the winner of Cotto vs. Alvarez and shut a lot of people up.

Shawn Porter

If Mayweather isn't sure about the laurels of Shawn Porter and wonders whether he even deserves a shot at him in a potential 50th fight, all he has to do is ask his buddy, Adrien Broner. 

Porter handed Broner just the second loss of his career back in June, beating his opponent to a pulp in what was a unanimous-decision victory that could have been stopped much earlier. Although Porter is joining a long list of such contenders, his trainer handed out some stern words to Mayweather after that fight, per the Las Vegas Sun's Case Keefer.

"We’re going to do the battle for Las Vegas," Ken Porter, his trainer/father, said. "We live on the same street, right down the street from Floyd—about a mile-and-a-half. Don’t ignore us. Don’t act like the elephant’s not in the room."

It's easy to see why Porter is appearing so confident despite Mayweather's track record. The 27-year-old has lost just once in his career, and even that was a majority decision to Kell Brook that could have gone either way.

There may not be a boxer on the planet who can truly hang with Mayweather in his weight class, but Porter poses as big of a threat as anyone. If Money scheduled Porter, it certainly wouldn't be a bashful way to win No. 50.

Manny Pacquiao

We all saw what happened when Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally put the talking to rest and stepped into the ring for 12 rounds. The way that unfolded leaves a rematch awfully unlikely.

But it would take some serious ignorance to pretend like this wouldn't be the No. 1 motivator for Mayweather to get back in the ring one last time.

In case you were living under a rock all summer, Mayweather and Pacquiao carded what was likely the largest single-night payout in sports history. Mayweather pocketed as much as $180 million, while Pacquiao, even with the short end of the stick, raked in around $100 million, per the Associated Press via the New York Post. 

Plus, there are the IV and shoulder controversies that have clouded perception of that fight. A report surfaced from boxing journalist Thomas Hauser (h/t ESN.com) that Mayweather received an illegal IV prior to the bout; additionally, Pacquiao was nursing a shoulder injury that required surgery after and limited his ability to fight his fight.

It may be too late to find out what would happen in a potential rematch, and it's a given that the two boxers will be even more past their primes than they were in May. But it's hard to envision Mayweather—or Pacquiao—passing up the chance at another nine-figure payday.

Another wash, rinse, repeat performance for Floyd Mayweather Jr. appeared to end his professional boxing career—if his retirement announcement in fact holds water—Saturday night, as he eased past Andre Berto in his typical 12-round unanimous-decision ways. 

The 32-year-old challenger wasn't lauded as much of a threat at all to Mayweather's crown before the fight. Already a mismatch on paper, the massive favorite showcased why Berto didn't stand any chance as he dodged punch after punch and eluded his opponent in the way only Mayweather can.

Even after an expected victory, we learned plenty from Saturday night's fight about Mayweather and how he'll be remembered in the wake of his 49th and presumably final victory. Let's take a closer look at some of the top takeaways, featuring key stats from the bout.

Mayweather Is (Still) Unhittable

The incredible defensive ability of Mayweather has frustrated just about every opponent he's gone up against throughout his career, and that ability gave him an advantage Saturday night that Berto could do little about.

With his head on a swivel and ready for Berto's aggressive nature, Mayweather didn't seem to be troubled one bit by his opponent throwing everything he had at him. Instead of appearing wary of Berto's power, Mayweather dodged what felt like every punch as he kept his face clean and unblemished throughout.

Berto did manage to land more punches on Mayweather than Manny Pacquiao did four months ago, but not by much—plus his accuracy was lacking immensely, as ESPN Stats & Info noted:

Although he obviously didn't employ the same sort of desperate nature that Berto showed throughout the match, Mayweather proved to be incredibly accurate and productive with his punches. An inordinate amount of them found Berto, as USA Today's Michael Coppinger reported:

While his fighting style leaves a lot to be desired by many who fail to respect Mayweather's fluidity and defensive prowess, it's undeniable that it has worked. After all, Mayweather hasn't lost once in his career while fighting this way, despite not garnering a knockout in several years.

Just like so many of the elite boxers who faced Mayweather before him, Berto simply didn't have the hand speed or the tactical game plan that threatened to trouble the longtime champion. That much became evident from the onset of Saturday's bout.

Berto Doesn't Belong on This Stage

As expected, Mayweather gave his opponent plenty of props and credit on Saturday. But from an outside perspective, he hasn't fought an opponent this outmatched in years.

Still, Mayweather found a way to applaud Berto for his fight even after 12 lopsided rounds. He shared with ESPN's Dan Rafael that he would have had peace even if Berto had pulled off the shocking upset:

Mayweather may not be a comedian, but that quote reads like a heck of a punch line after how Saturday's fight went down.

For a truly accurate description of how Berto fared, let's glance at Rafael's post-match story.

"The matchup had been widely panned as a mismatch," Rafael wrote. "Berto, the critics said, had no prayer to win. As it turned out, he was not remotely competitive, as Mayweather was razor-sharp."

On the surface, it was hard to expect anything different. Berto closed as an 11-1 underdog to Mayweather's 1-30 favorite status on Odds Shark, and oddsmakers had reason to peg Mayweather as such a sizable favorite. One glance at Berto's recent career sheds an unflattering light, as he came into Saturday's fight 3-3 in his last six bouts.

Make that 3-4 now, and don't expect his lackluster performance against Money May to get him anything in the future other than one pretty large check.

Going Out in a Forgettable Way

Perhaps it's only fitting that Mayweather's career ended this way.

While the middle of his career was known for inspiring victories over some of the biggest names in the sport, Mayweather's final few years leave a lot to be desired. Other than his May fight with Pacquiao—in which Pacquiao looked well past his best in terms of skill and health—Mayweather has filled his schedule with opponents he can easily outbox with his lull-you-to-sleep defensive style.

It was hard to expect anything other than what we got Saturday night from Mayweather, as Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press shared:

In a time where boxing as a sport is attempting to move into a new era and revitalize waning interest, it's hard to say Mayweather's reign has been all that good for the sport. The brutal nature of boxing that has generated so much interest has begun to fade with Mayweather's run at the top.

Fittingly, UFC fighter Michael Johnson used it as a chance to promote his own sport:

If Saturday was indeed Mayweather's last fight, both critics and supporters alike have plenty of ammunition. For the haters, it's yet another chance to argue that Mayweather simply did what he needed to win and nothing else—even when the opponent was giving him the opportunity to do more and get the crowd excited.

But for those who have stood behind Mayweather, it's a fitting way to end things. The defensive approach that Mayweather has perfected was on display for one last time, even if it's not the most popular of styles.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. retired from boxing on Saturday evening after defeating Andre Berto via unanimous decision to take his undefeated record to 49-0 in what was another clinical showcase of his everlasting pedigree.

As has been the case so many times in the 38-year-old's past, Mayweather suffocated his foe over the course of 12 rounds, to the point where one would be hard-pressed to pick out any patch of Berto dominance.

The Daily Mail's Jeff Powell isn't entirely convinced by Mayweather's alleged retirement, suggesting the welterweight phenomenon will return to make an attempt at 50 career wins before officially hanging up his gloves.

And if Saturday's display at Las Vegas' MGM Grand was anything to go by, Money could easily prolong his fighting days, as David Mayo of MLive.com showed just how one-sided the judges scored the encounter:

Having built his legacy on a mastery of self-defence, there was little chance the five-division world champion would be in any mood to alter his approach for what he insists will be his final bout.

That's not to say Mayweather neglected to turn on the flash when it mattered, though, and Sho Stats attested to the world No. 1 landing more than seven times more body shots that his opponent midway through the fight:

It's been a long, long time since Mayweather came into a fight looking to impress anyone, though. He has always opted for pragmatism ahead of panache, but his evasive technique is something that may never be replicated.

Some boxing romantics may favour the more brutish methods, but that in itself is an art form none has perfected quite like Mayweather, who modestly dubs himself "TBE"—The Best Ever.

Berto was all but too aware of how difficult it would be to get a sight of his foe and told TMZ Sports after the fight that he grew weary of chasing after his enemy in the ring.

With the fight not of a particularly thrilling standard throughout, Mayweather and Berto's war of the words midway through became a focal point before referee Kenny Bayless put an end to their chatter.

However, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated confirmed what was exchanged between the two, with The Beast apparently hoping to unsettle Money with his sideline comments:

Ultimate Fighting Championship combatants James Krause and Kevin Lee were aggrieved to see Bayless limit this aspect of the fight, which they enjoyed as a particular highlight:

Mayweather's defensive priorities have in the past led to him finishing a long way behind his victims in the punch count, but here we witnessed a more aggressive account for stretches of Saturday's duel.

Mayo noted how the departing champion went to work first on Berto's body in the hopes it would gas his opponent later in the clash, which in turn would lead to an easier race for the finish line:

It may not be considered glamorous to all, of course, but being effective is the only factor Mayweather tends to care about, and this "final" outing was no different.

Accuracy remained a running advantage for the victor too, according to Sho Stats, with Mayweather landing almost three times as many punches as Berto overall while boasting a substantially superior hit rate:

While his boxing is fantastic, it's Mayweather's persona that has also made him such a joy to watch down the years. He talked to ESPN after the result for what could well be the last time:

Classy until the end, Mayweather takes his leave of the ring without so much as a bruise to his chin, ending his career the way he's gone about the vast majority of the last 19 years: spotless.

His swan-song show against Berto may not be unanimously hailed as befitting of such an illustrious career, but the former Pretty Boy will nonetheless look handsomely upon another astute victory before bowing out. 

Floyd Mayweather Jr. did the expected in what he said was the final fight of his illustrious career on Saturday night, easily dispatching challenger Andre Berto in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

In improving his all-time record to 49-0 and tying Rocky Marciano's feat, Mayweather never faced any serious sort of test from Berto and danced around his opponent's attempts like they were coming in slow motion.

That allowed him to pick his moments of attack, leaving an impression on the judges that cemented his victory.

Even with Berto showing his resiliency during one or two rounds and seemingly winning a few, one judge had it scored a clean 120-108 sweep for Mayweather. Showtime Sports reported all three judges' scores:

There were many watching—and even more not watching—who downplayed Mayweather's presumed final fight due to both his ultra-defensive fighting style and his opponent's lack of accolades. But even in denial, it was hard to watch what unfolded on Saturday night and think of Mayweather as anything less than a magician in the ring.

With the 32-year-old challenger coming at him aggressively and throwing everything he could at him, Mayweather didn't look troubled in the least. His quickness allowed him to dodge every blow from Berto—from the significant to the light jabs—with relative ease.

The mismatch became evident very early on, as ESPN.com's Dan Rafael observed:

By the time the middle rounds had passed and Mayweather's victory came into further focus, nothing really changed for the pound-for-pound king. With the opportunity to take some extra chances and perhaps notch his first knockout in years to end his career on, he instead opted to stick to his game plan and continue wearing down Berto.

Simply put, Berto was swinging at air for the majority of the contest, as he landed less than 20 percent of his punches:

Those numbers are only where Mayweather's superiority begins in terms of statistics. CompuBox shared some unofficial numbers from the fight, which include Mayweather hitting 149 of 219 power shots (68 percent).

Meanwhile, Berto connected on just 39 of his 301 jab attempts—a painfully low mark. His game plan to mix things up backfired and then some with Mayweather's swift movement, as Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix noted:

Mayweather could have talked up his own game after the fight like he's known to do, but that's not really needed anymore. If his word is to be trusted, Money has hung up the gloves and is ready to rest on his illustrious career.

He shared some of his thoughts about retirement following the win, per Rafael: "You got to know when to hang it up, and it's time for me to hang it up," Mayweather said. "I'm not going to be doing this when I'm 40 years old. There's nothing else for me to do in the sport of boxing."

Well, that last point could be argued.

Perhaps Mayweather is as accomplished as possible, but he has the opportunity to continue making dozens of millions each fight—and could very well rake in another haul similar to what his fight against Manny Pacquiao generated with the right scheduled bout.

Of course, not everyone is going to be so upset should he not step in the ring again, including Oscar De La Hoya:

It's an understatement that Mayweather has gone about his boxing career in a way that has gotten under the skin of many in the sport, but that doesn't change where he stands now. He's never lost a fight, and despite a number of unsavory matchups late in his career, he has gone up against many of the best the sport has had to offer in his class.

Now that he's got his win over Pacquiao and a few hundred million more dollars to dump in his bank, there seems to be a lot more acceptance from Mayweather that his career is up.

If he's at peace with stepping away from the game, then that's all that matters—even if some folks haven't particularly enjoyed how he went about it.

Floyd Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing after comfortably defeating Andre Berto by unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night, and claimed he was never once truly challenged on his way to winning all 49 of his bouts.

Mayweather is retiring unbeaten having equalled the legendary Rocky Marciano's 49-0 record, per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com. He made the sensational claim about his career in his post-fight press conference, per ESPN's Dan Rafael:

According to Al-Shatti, on his decision to hang up his gloves, Mayweather added: "I think it's about time for me to hang it up. I'm knocking at the door now, I'm close to 40 years old. I've been in this sport 19 years. I've been a world champion 18 years. I broke all the records. There's nothing else to prove in the sport of boxing."

The American cited his dedication to the craft as a key factor in maintaining his unbeaten status right to the end, according to Rafael:

Money also admitted an early goal of his as a young fighter:

Nevertheless, despite not hitting the incredible numbers he reached during his clash with Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather appeared relaxed as he reflected on his less-anticipated fight with Berto:

Having announced his retirement, the 38-year-old appeared to be in a reflective mood at the presser, and identified some key figures in his development as a boxer: 

He also considered the legacy he leaves behind, per Rafael:

Mayweather expanded on his plan to help young fighters, according to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix:

It now remains to be seen as to whether Money will stay true to his word and retire permanently. B/R's Jonathan Snowden certainly hopes this to be the case.

However, for a fighter who seems to revel in his status as the highest-paid athlete in the world, the prospect of returning for another big payout and beating Marciano's record will undoubtedly prove a highly tempting one, so don't rule out another bout for him just yet.