Legendary boxing champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather said in a high-profile manner that he will announce his next fight on May 15 (May 16, Beijing time), as for who is the opponent? He didn't reveal it, so it caused a lot of speculation among fans and the media.
Mayweather, now 47, has a 50-fight professional record and 27 knockouts, and given the crowd of eyebrows on July 20, the Mike Tyson vs. Jack Paul fight has attracted so much speculation that Mayweather is not ruling out a formal application for a boxing license that would lead to a real professional bout. Of course, this is just speculation.
This week, it was rumored that Mayweather's comeback did not rule out a big fight against old rival Virgil Ortiz, thus ending a 13-year feud. Back in 2011, when Mayweather and Ortiz competed for the WBC welterweight title, one was a veteran of a hundred battles, and the other was a fledgling up-and-comer, but when the fight reached the fourth round, Ortiz maliciously hit his opponent with his head, causing Mayweather to injure his lip, and then the two sides entered a rematch, Mayweather took advantage of Ortiz's not yet into the fighting state, two heavy punches, directly stunned the opponent, and won his only knockout victory in the championship since 1999.
To this day, referee Joe Coze still remembers the scene vividly, saying it was one of the most bizarre nights he had ever experienced. "A lot of people are still talking about the Mayweather vs. Ortiz fight, he hit Mayweather with the top of his head, I deducted points for Otiz, he hugged me and said sorry, and then he hugged Mayweather and kissed him," Coetze said. I remember Odyssey apologizing to Mayweather and then hugging him again, telling the judges to deduct points and prompting the timekeeper to restart, only to have Mayweather come up and land a left hook and a straight right that knocked Odysse unconscious. ”
Now, does it mean that the two sides will meet again after 13 years? It's an interesting question, and at the same time very doubtful, and perhaps in the words of the media - a rumor that cannot be confirmed for the time being!
In the fight against Mayweather, Ortiz earned a guaranteed appearance fee of $2 million, and it is said that on the night of the match, he was extremely excited, calling around to say that he was knocked out, and perhaps in Ortiz's heart, it was an honor to be knocked out by Mayweather.
After the defeat to Mayweather, Ortiz never rose again, and was expected to challenge Carneiro Alvarez at one point, but unfortunately lost the opportunity due to an unexpected defeat. At the beginning of Otiez's debut, he was known as the "second generation of Pacquiao", because like Manny Pacquiao, Ortiz, who is also left-handed, has amazing speed and attacking power, but he lacks Pacquiao's skills and defensive ability, and Ortiz's jaw has been criticized, and 5 of the 7 games he lost were knocked out, many of which were destroyed by a punch.
It remains to be seen whether Mayweather actually chooses Ortiz, who himself stressed that he is the only one who can make an announcement, so we will have to wait until May 15 to see who Mayweather's opponent really is. Mayweather previously revealed that he will start his comeback journey in Mexico, and also revealed that the match will be played in July or August, and since Mayweather mentioned Mexico, there is speculation that he may choose one of the country's legends, with many of the media setting their sights on "Babyface Assassin" Antonio Barrera.
Barella appeared in the UK some time ago and started an exhibition match with the home boxer Ricky Hatton, if Barrera can meet Mayweather, it may be a "interesting" competition, but Mayweather has been playing frequent exhibition matches since 2017, and many viewers are numb, so unless you have the money and time, how many people really pay attention?