Floyd Mayweather Jr. is patiently waiting to make an announcement on whom he will fight in May, appearing to gauge interest via social media. Although Floyd took shots at Amir Khan, Manny Pacquiao, and Marcos Maidana on Twitter, Khan has always been and apparently remains the frontrunner.
For months Khan's been the preferred choice of Showtime Sports executive Stephen Espinoza, who believes his hand speed and skill set is the key to giving Mayweather a good fight.
"Khan is definitely one of the leading contenders for the fight," Espinoza told The Telegraph. "I know Amir wants the fight. Floyd hasn't made a decision. I expect an announcement by mid-January or the end of January.
Back in September, just days after Mayweather outclassed Canelo Alvarez, Espinoza had this to say: "What we saw against Saul Alvarez is that strength alone is not going to do it against Floyd Mayweather, so when you talk about hand speed and foot speed, then you start talking about two guys - Amir Khan and Adrien Broner. And whether or not Amir Khan lost to Danny Garcia or not, Amir Khan is one of the fastest fighters out there in the world."
After Maidana battered Broner for 12 rounds on December 14th, however, he leapt into the casual boxing fan's consciousness, and they may clamor for "El Chino" to take his pressuring attack to "Money."
Espinoza admitted as much, but continued to push Khan as well. "It is still wide open. Floyd has not made a decision yet about who he is going to fight on May 3. Obviously, Marcos Maidana is making a late case and a strong argument for the fight, but Amir is definitely there in the conversation."
Of course the premier choice for Mayweather's next fight would be Manny Pacquiao. Had they fought a few years ago, when both were at the peak of the sport, they likely would've done better numbers than the most recent record-breaking Floyd-Canelo fight. Even today, it would generate big numbers.
Espinoza would like to make the fight happen, but his comments were unexciting.
"I'd like to say I'm optimistic but there is a lot of politics involved," Espinoza said. "[There is] A lot of history to resolve. Unfortunately, until Manny Pacquiao changes his promotional representation, I'm not optimistic that it can happen.
I know Floyd is not the issue. Floyd wants the fight. Floyd will fight Manny Pacquiao anywhere, any time. Unfortunately, there is a promotional conflict which are the issue."
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