By Jake Donovan
Floyd Mayweather enters what he firmly insists is the final fight of his incredible career, as the undefeated World welterweight champion meets Andre Berto in a scheduled 12-round bout Saturday evening at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Both fighters easily made weight for the Showtime Pay-Per-View headliner. Mayweather came in at an always-ready 146 lbs., while Berto was a ripped and lean 145 lbs.
Saturday's show pales in comparison to Mayweather's last ring appearance—but then, any event would. The best fighter in the world further established himself as the highest-grossing athlete in boxing history following his 12-round win over Manny Pacquiao in their historic May 2 meeting in this very venue.
The event destroyed all monetary records, with Mayweather clearing well north of $220 million (some reports claiming as much as $250 million). Despite the gigantic cash grab, Mayweather insisted in finishing out his six-fight deal with Showtime, which leads us to this weekend in Las Vegas.
Mayweather and his handlers have not budged from the claim of this being the last ever-fight of his 19-year career that is undoubtedly Canastota-bound in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility.
There are many in the industry who view this fight as the unbeaten pound-for-pound king going out with a whimper. Don't tell that to his opponent, who insists that Mayweather is going home with a loss.
Berto is 3-3 in his past six starts, but has won two straight, including a 6th round knockout of Josesito Lopez in March. The former welterweight champ enters Saturday's fight as an 11-1 underdog, but the weigh-in comes just hours after Serena Williams—regarded as the top female tennis player in the world—suffered one of the biggest upsets in U.S. Open history as she was ousted from the semifinals following a three-set loss to unranked Roberta Vinci.
Can lightning strike twice in one weekend?
BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs. ANDRE BERTO
Shaun Brown (Mayweather TKO8): The farewell fight? Whatever it is this is a fight between a driver and a passenger. Berto will be carried and peppered by shots he won't see coming. Hunter to throw in the towel and save Berto from being humiliated.
Ryan Burton (Mayweather TKO): Just a gut feeling but I think Mayweather "goes for the knockout" in what looks like his final fight. I envision a late stoppage.
David Greisman (Mayweather TKO): It won't be Mayweather vs. Arturo Gatti, but Berto was picked for a reason, which is to send Mayweather out with another win and for that win to be more entertaining than Mayweather's boxing-heavy performances. Berto has guts and says he's healthier than he was in recent losses. That won't make a difference.
Peter Lim (Mayweather UD): In typical Mayweather fashion, Floyd will neutralize Berto's offense and land just enough punches to win each round in a yawner.
Takahiro Onaga (Mayweather UD): Dull procession for Mayweather to move to 49-0 and further frustrate both fans and haters alike
Cliff Rold (Mayweather KO): The best Welterweight in the world against a guy who can't seriously be argued as top fifteen, maybe even top twenty, in the class at this point. For $80 in HD. Whatever. It will be as entertaining as Mayweather lets it be.
Reynaldo Sanchez (Mayweather to win): God !! I am only waiting to finally read that Floyd is out of boxing. This sport does not need to support another fraud ...
Alexey Sukachev (Mayweather TKO6): After all the criticism lately Floyd must shut his haters up. That's what he will do.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene
