Manny Pacquiao will not take on a easy opponent as his comeback fight (Photo : REUTERS)
SINGAPORE -- By selecting unheralded Andre Berto as his final opponent before impending retirement, boxing's pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather (48-0, 26 KO's) effectively sticks it to rival Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao of the Philippines and England's Amir "King" Khan, both of whom could end up fighting each other should Mayweather hang up the gloves for good after his September bout.
Before the Berto fight announcement, Khan had been actively campaigning for a Mayweather showdown at Wembley Stadium, in front of Khan's hometown crowd. He's been chasing Mayweather for years, but "Money" has snubbed him repeatedly.
Mayweather had also previously teased about a Khan bout multiple times but has each time retracted, drawing much ire from the Bolton boxing star.
Manny Pacquiao, who Mayweather defeated soundly last May 2, is also eyeing a high-profile rematch against "Money" which would take place next year.
Their first fight, the richest in boxing history, was a dud in terms of action with Pacquiao complaining about a bum shoulder after the matchup.
After Mayweather publicly reiterated that the Berto fight, the last fight on a well-publicised six-fight contract with Showtime Sports, will be his last, Khan was left scratching his head in disbelief.
Pacquiao on the other hand is currently recovering from the said shoulder injury, a torn right rotator cuff, and is expected to be back in the ring early 2016.
The Filipino ring icon has repeatedly expressed his desire for a rematch, but Mayweather has characteristically been non-committal.
Although Mayweather remains firm that he has no plans of continuing his career after September, he has shown in the past that he can quickly change his mind.
After defeating Ricky Hatton in 2007, Mayweather stepped away from the ring and went into semi-retirement, only to return to competition two years later with a decision win over Juan Manuel Marquez.
Many observers speculate that if Mayweather gets past Berto and makes it to 49-0 as he is expected to, he'll be tempted to go for 50-0 in 2016.
But like all Mayweather fights, speculation is a big part of the wait as fans and observers alike are left guessing what the champion plans to do next.
If Pacquiao can return to the ring healthy in 2016, and if the price is right, Mayweather just might take the bait for a rematch against the Filipino superstar.
Despite fans' disenchantment with Pacquiao's bum shoulder, it wouldn't be hard to convince the buying public that a healthy Pacquiao would do much better the second time around.
With a Filipino fanbase that will passionately support Pacquiao no matter the predicament, it's a sure sell, you can count on it. The second fight is almost guaranteed to be a hit, no matter how many people claim they won't buy into it.
Mayweather however has said repeatedly that his heart is no longer invested in the sport that made him into the richest athlete in the world.
In such cases, Top Rank chief Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter is entertaining the possibility of a Pacquiao-Khan matchup.
"This kid Amir Khan keeps shooting his mouth off about Manny Pacquiao. I can arrange for Khan to fight Pacquiao," Arum told boxing writer Gareth Davies of The Telegraph.
"[Khan] has been begging Mayweather for a fight and now he can get a major fight. I'm not a hard guy to deal with. I'm not going to mess them around. One thing's for sure, Pacquiao is not ducking Khan. Pacquiao will fight him. I don't know if Khan will fight Pacquiao, but it's available," Arum added.
A few years ago, both Pacquiao and Khan shared the same trainer in Freddie Roach, and even trained for fights together at the Wild Card and in the Philippines. Both fighters have logged a decent amount of rounds sparring against each other and consider each other as 'friends'.
Khan however, will do anything to land a big fight, including signing on to fight Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who is still a fixture in boxing's mythical pound-for-pound rankings despite the Mayweather setback, has also said he is willing to trade leather with Khan.
"It's a good fight. Manny beats him, though, in my opinion," said Arum.
"Manny is getting up in age, so you never know what's going to happen. But I think he hits too hard for Khan."
In a perfect world, Mayweather caves and agrees to fight both Khan and Pacquiao in 2016. 50-0 and the possibility of surpassing Rocky Marciano's record plus being a few million dollars richer is a great temptation.
But we don't live in such a world.
After Mayweather lays waste to Berto in September, there is a big possibility that we may never see him in the ring again.
Is it too late for Pacquiao to catch Mayweather? Would you still like to see a rematch? Or will Pacquiao-Khan suffice? -Carlos Cinco
