Will it matter to Mayweather if the WBO strips him off his welterweight title? (Photo : REUTERS)
The World Boxing Organization is poised to strip Floyd Mayweather as welterweight champion after he failed to pay his $200,000 sanctioning fee and vacate the two 154-pound world titles he holds at a 4:30 p.m. ET deadline on Friday.
The pound-for-pound king outpointed Manny Pacquiao on May 2 to claim the WBO title and unify three of the four major welterweight world crowns.
Mayweather announced at the postfight news conference after the Pacquiao fight that he will vacate all of his titles to give younger fighters a chance of winning belts.
Mayweather claimed the WBO welterweight title with the unanimous decision victory against Pacquiao.
The major boxing organizations disallow boxers to hold world titles in multiple weight classes. But the WBC and WBA have been breaking their own rules to cater to Mayweather's wants.
However, the Puerto Rico-based WBO will stand by its rules and has told Mayweather to comply or face the consequences.
Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel, president of the WBO, had declared that if Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) did not comply with the rules within the deadline that he would be stripped.
The fight between Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas on June 27, won by the former, was originally for WBO welterweight title. But a change of heart by Mayweather to keep the title prompted the WBO to reduce the fight into one for the interim version.
If the 38-year-old Mayweather is stripped, Bradley will be elevated as WBO regular titleholder.
Bradley won the same title after beating Pacquiao in a highly-controversial decision in 2012. He lost it to Pacquiao in their rematch in 2014.
Mayweather will fight on Sept. 12 against a yet undetermined opponent. He rasied many eyebrows by identifying Andre Berto and Karim Mayfield as potential foes. After that, Mayweather had repeatedly announced that he plans to retire.
