Floyd Mayweather is expected to announce his next opponent soon. According to Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, via ESPN's Michael Woods, Money could announce his next opponent within the next week, and the list has been trimmed to three possible candidates.
According to Schaefer, the three possibilities are Robert Guerrero, Canelo Alvarez or a rematch with Miguel Cotto.
With a potential bout with Sergio Martinez off the table, a rematch with Cotto makes the most sense at this point.
The possibility that Schaefer and Mayweather seem to be most excited about is a match between Money and the rising welterweight in Guerrero. Mayweather's team would obviously like to strike while the iron is hot with Guerrero. His stock has never been higher after his epic clash with Andre Berto, which saw him win by unanimous decision.
However, outside of his win against Berto, he hasn't done much to deserve a shot at Mayweather just yet. Another win for Guerrero to solidify himself as a solid draw would be ideal before the big money fight that would come with taking on Mayweather.
Another possibility would be a somewhat anticipated bout with Canelo Alvarez. The 22-year-old undefeated Alvarez has gained considerable momentum with fans thanks to a knockout victory over Josesito Lopez and a decision win over Shane Mosley.
However, the risk doesn't seem to outweigh the reward for Mayweather in this one. Alvarez is a big fighter. He consistently fights in the junior middleweight division. He's young, hungry and offensive-minded enough to give Mayweather some difficulties.
A loss to Alvarez would put an eventual superfight with Manny Pacquiao in danger, ruin Mayweather's undefeated record and force Money to lose his spot as the sport's current pound-for-pound best.
A win for Mayweather and fans will point to the young fighter not being ready for the spotlight.
That leaves Cotto, as the fight that makes the most sense. He is an established name in the boxing community. His resume lends itself to a fight with Mayweather, and the first fight between the two was a lot closer than most expected.
Although Cotto lost on the scorecards, he won enough rounds for the rematch to be a compelling bout. For Mayweather, a rematch is significantly less risky than granting Alvarez a chance to beat him.
Cotto has a bout on December 1 with Austin Trout for the light middleweight title, so there's a very good chance he will have that strap to make a fight with Mayweather even more enticing.
Schaefer says that Mayweather could make his decision within the next week. Is he waiting to see what Cotto does against Trout before making a decision?
A decisive win for Cotto could make this rematch official.
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