For all the talk about Floyd Mayweather supposedly wanting an “easy” fight come September, it looks like he may be getting his wish.
Michael Woods of The Sweet Science broke the news Tuesday that the five-division champion is officially slated to fight Andre Berto on September 12. The bout will be broadcast on CBS instead of on pay-per-view.
The fight will be the sixth and final of Mayweather’s deal with Showtime and it’s hard to foresee it generating very much excitement.
While Berto is a fine fighter in his own respect, he is galaxies away from Mayweather’s level as a fighter. Berto does sport a respectable 30-3 record and is on the upswing after scoring a TKO victory in the sixth round over Josesito Lopez in March. But the 31-year-old is well past his prime and suffered notable defeats to Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero, two fighters who Mayweather thrashed in the past. Berto’s best assets as a fighter are his hand speed and punching power but even those are beginning to wane with age. His defense and stamina have always been lacking and he’s exactly the type of opponent Floyd has annihilated time and time again.
Interestingly enough, Mayweather (albeit possibly half-kidding) mentioned Berto as a possible opponent in June:
Floyd said he'll fight Berto or Mayfield next. I asked if he was kidding. He seemed to be serious. Said Pacquiao fought Algieri so why not?
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) June 21, 2015
The undefeated Mayweather once again appears to be taking the easy way out and won’t even patronize Amir Khan, who’s been wanting to get in the ring with Floyd for years now. A showdown with Khan probably still wouldn’t be competitive but would undoubtedly make for a better matchup than Berto.
We shouldn’t be at all surprised that Mayweather wants to cruise to his 49th victory. The bad taste from his farcical “fight” with Manny Pacquiao in May is still fresh in the mouths of boxing fans everywhere. At least since the fight is going to be on CBS, Floyd won’t be able to bamboozle us out of even more money. Bring on the drab unanimous decision victory.
