Floyd Mayweather is said to be preparing for an easy last fight and may not want to take on the likes of Gennady Golovkin. (Photo : REUTERS/Steve Marcus)
In the next episode of Keeping Up With Floyd Mayweather, the brash, undefeated American, a.k.a. the self-proclaimed TBE, or, "The Best Ever", has finally selected his dance partner in his final soiree atop the boxing ring and it is none other than the unheralded Andre Berto, who many believe and are right to believe, has not earned his shot at the sport's best.
Last episode, Floyd was stripped of his WBO welterweight title and did not protest against it, and why would he? Boxing's biggest star needs no title belts to his name to command the almighty dollar.
His legions of fans, both kinds, those who want to see him win and equally those who want to see him lose, will buy any fight he puts on the shelf.
It doesn't matter when, where and how, Floyd always wins.
He's built an amazing brand and is a marketing genius. This is also why he's the world's highest paid athlete but like the most crooked of thieves, Floyd is choosing to end his career the way he started it -- by cherry picking an opponent.
Berto is not half bad, but he's nowhere near the level of Floyd's most recent competition. And although Berto will have about as much of a chance as Robert Guerrero or Victor Ortiz to beat the defensive dynamo, Floyd will find a way to sell this glorified sparring session to the general public.
If there's one thing Floyd excels at more than boxing, it's making money, hence the obvious nickname.
By announcing Berto as his next opponent, Floyd once again kicks Amir Khan to the curb and effectively dashes hopes of a Manny Pacquiao rematch by reiterating that this is his last hurrah, at least for the time being.
He'll go for 49-0 against Berto, who has lost half of his last six fights making it all but guaranteed to be a Floyd victory come September.
One thing's for certain though, everyone hoping Floyd would end his career with a loss are now jumping on the Berto bandwagon because they simply have no choice.
It doesn't matter how many times we convince ourselves that we will boycott his next fight in favor of some other weekend shenanigan.
Love him or hate him, you know you'll be watching when he finally struts his stuff for the very last time. We're boxing fans, we can't help ourselves.
In the end, it doesn't matter who Floyd is fighting so long as Floyd gets paid. It's become clear that this last dance inside the ring paves the way for an easy exit in a sport Floyd no longer has the heart for.
You can forget Floyd-Manny II, forget a catchweight showdown with Gennady Golovkin, you can even forget a clash at Wembley Stadium (yes, that means you Amir Khan) -- classics that could have been -- because none of that is happening.
Floyd is going to waltz down to the ring on September 12th with a big green smile on his face knowing he's going to cash in on a few extra million dollars and get to enjoy the rest of his life reaping the fruits of his labor.
One thing you can't forget though, is that he's earned it.
My message to Andre Berto: swing for the fences.
