Thurman: Berto Needs To Catch Mayweather in First Four

Some of the heirs to Floyd Mayweather’s throne believe his title defence against Andre Berto might not be the cakewalk that many fans and critics have predicted.

And some of them are still hoping the welterweight champion does not retire after Saturday night.

Mayweather insists the fight in Las Vegas will be his last but other leading welterweights would like to get the chance to dethrone the “pound-for-pound king”.

Mayweather, 38, faces Berto, who has lost three of his past six fights, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, striving to equal the record of 49-0 of former heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano.

The WBA and WBC champion insists it will be his swan song; the crowning moment of a glittering 19-year career as the best boxer of his generation.

But critics accuse him of using the retirement talk to flog a fight for which there were still tickets available 24 hours before the start of the bout.

Keith Thurman, who is undefeated after 22 fights, including 22 knockouts, said on Friday:

"I'm here for the mystery factor: Is this his last fight or not? This might be the last performance. How eager is Floyd to make a statement and show the world that he is an entertaining fighter?

Thurman, one of the most explosive talents welterweights, went further.

"A lot of people who fight Floyd fade in the late rounds. In the first four rounds Berto needs to try catch him off-guard because it takes time for Floyd to figure you out. He needs that time but it's in that time that he's most vulnerable. Berto has nothing to lose. If Mayweather loses he loses everything," Thurman said.