Mayweather Continues To Insist 9/12 Is Final Fight

By Jake Donovan

From the moment he insisted that September 12 would be the last fight of his career, few outside of Floyd Mayweather’s immediate camp believed it to be true. Currently 48-0 (26KOs), there is an industry-wide belief that his upcoming Showtime Pay-Per-View headliner versus Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be followed—should he win—by an attempt to run his record to 50-0 come next May.

The conspiracy theory works for a number of reasons, including the fact that a brand new 20,000-seat MGM-AEG Arena is due to open in Las Vegas by April 16. The grand opening would come just in time for Mayweather to hit the magic half-century mark, with many claiming such an event would come in the form of a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, whom the unbeaten World welterweight champ bested this past May in the most lucrative event in boxing history.

For now, the pound-for-pound and box-office king insists his clash with Berto—a former welterweight titlist who is 3-3 in his past six starts—will be the final call in his illustrious career.

“Number 49, this is it,” Mayweather insisted to Showtime’s Brian Custer shortly after the conclusion of a press conference held in downtown Los Angeles to formally announce the September 12 event. September 12, my last fight. I’m happy. Great career.”

What it will certainly be is the final fight of a historic six-fight deal Mayweather signed with Showtime in 2013, following more than a decade spent on rival HBO.

When asked how he could possibly be content with the idea of going out at 49-0, Mayweather took the opportunity to remind the world of the Hall of Fame career he’s already enjoyed.

“I can go out 48-0 and be happy,” Mayweather noted.

Nobody would have blamed him had a retirement announcement immediately—or eventually—followed the 12-round win over Pacquiao in May. The fight was more than five years in the making, with the two sides finding numerous reasons to avoid the other before finally coming to terms this past February for the May 2 super fight.

Had Mayweather called it a career, the May event simply could have served as a bucket list item checked off before moving in that direction.

“All 48 (wins) played a key,” Mayweather says of a career that began way back in 1996, following his Bronze medal run in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. “But number 48 (Pacquiao) was the most important.”

The September 12 PPV event comes with a suggested retail price of $64.95 (+ $10 for HD), in line with Mayweather’s events with Marcos Maidana (twice) and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. The record-breaking show with Pacquiao carried a price tag of $90, plus $10 in HD. Tickets for the card range from $150-$1500 and are due to go on sale in the coming days.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox