At 35, the clock is ticking on Floyd Mayweather's run as the king of boxing, and there are some serious threats to Mayweather who would like to help speed that clock along.
This is great news for those of us who have waited for seemingly an eternity for Money Mayweather to schedule a fight with the only other man who has challenged him for the title of best pound-for-pound boxer—Manny Pacquiao.
With the emergence of Sergio Martinez and Saul Alvarez, the best option for Mayweather may be to set aside their negotiation differences, and step in the ring with Pacquiao.
Martinez, 37, is currently ranked as the third best pound-for-pound fighter by ESPN, and is coming off an ultra impressive win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on Sept. 15 (where he clearly outclassed Chavez).
Following that fight, Martinez, via ElManana.com.mx (h/t BoxingNews24.Com), let it be known that he wanted a shot in the ring against Money.
Saul Alvarez—who won his last fight the same night as Martinez—made it known that he too is hungry for a shot with Floyd.
Alvarez, at just 22, has already amassed an impressive 41-0-1 record and is the current WBC lightweight champ.
The young Mexican is coming off an impressive fifth-round TKO over Josésito López, and is getting stronger with every fight. A rising star in the boxing world, his draw power has increased by the second.
Both Martinez and Alvarez would present a valuable payday for Mayweather, as either fight would draw a huge amount of interest from the public. Both fighters would represent a very real threat to ending Floyd's undefeated status.
And the case can be made, especially with Martinez, that they have as good a chance at beating Money Mayweather as Pacquiao does. Mayweather must be as cognizant of this as anyone.
So this leaves Mayweather two options: schedule a fight with Manny Pacquiao that will undoubtedly render Floyd the most lucrative purse in the history of boxing, or take less money against a fighter who is just as prepared to beat him.
In those circumstances, the smart business choice is clear, and not even Floyd's detractors can accuse him of being a foolish business man.
This will serve to motivate Floyd to schedule the fight with Pacquiao, and as ESPN's Dan Rafael points out, Manny Pacquiao is already on record as saying he would agree to any drug testing stipulations by Floyd and take a lesser guaranteed payout for the fight.
Finally, the road blocks for this potential super bout are clearing, instead of growing more cluttered.
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