It is increasingly likely that Andre Berto will be Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s opponent on September 12 in what could be the pound-for-pound king's final fight of his career. That news comes to the chagrin of rising welterweights Amir Khan and Keith "One-Time" Thurman, as well as boxing fans who had hoped for an opponent with a better resume.
Berto is 30-3-0, and lost three of four fights during a stretch from 2011 to 2013. He has since won two consecutive fights over journeymen Josesito Lopez and Steve Chambers. Berto has a reputation for fast hands and an entertaining style, but he's proven time and again that he is defensively limited. In addition, two of his three losses are to fighters Mayweather has already beaten (Robert Guerrero, Victor Ortiz). That hasn't dampened Berto's idea of his chances if this fight becomes official.
"I'm happy to be in the running for this fight and am definitely up for the challenge. I know it will be a great fight if it happens," Berto said.
One of the reasons Mayweather might take an opponent like Berto-or Karim Mayfield, a junior welterweight Mayweather has also mentioned-is that his 49th fight may not be on pay-per-view. CBS reportedly wants to televise Mayweather's next fight, and a matchup vs. Khan in particular is a surefire pay-per-view event when taking Khan's British and Middle Eastern fan base into consideration.
Per The Los Angeles Times " it's a matter of assessing how much advertising revenue can be amassed for a special event on Sept. 12." One concern was the matter of ensuring Mayweather continues his string of massive, $30 million-plus paydays largely generated from pay-per-view sales, as well as revenue generated inside the venue via ticket sales and concessions. That is a figure that would have to be predetermined based off expected advertisement sales.
A source close to the talks said that the $30 million guarantee Showtime/CBS owes him is a "myth."
ESPN's Dan Rafael speculated that the likelihood of Mayweather's fight happening on pay-per-view are slim because of the proximity of fight night, and the fact that nothing's been announced.
"The notion that the fight could be on CBS seems quite possible because if he was going to be on pay-per-view it should have already been announced, with fight night less than two months away," Rafael wrote.
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