Floyd Mayweather Jr. has not fought twice in the same year since 2007 when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya in May and Ricky Hatton in December.
But that's exactly what he plans to do in 2013, according to his senior advisor Leonard Ellerbe.
"Floyd has told us that he is fighting twice in 2013 with the first date being May 4 -- Cinco De Mayweather -- and the second date being Sept. 14," Ellerbe told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com on Wednesday evening.
This was confirmed on the official Twitter page of Mayweather Promotions:
Mayweather eyes two fights in 2013 espn.go.com/boxing/story/_…
— Mayweather Promotion (@MayweatherPromo) December 6, 2012
Both dates are on weekends that in the past have been very lucrative for boxing. The May date would be on Cinco de Mayo weekend and September would coincide with Mexican Independence Day weekend.
With those dates secured, the choice of opponents would seem relatively obvious. It would seem that the best way to market a fight on Mexican holiday weekends would be against Mexican fighters.
And that is why interim-WBC welterweight champion Robert Guerrero and WBC junior middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez are about to hit the lottery.
Both are Mexican fighters, both have WBC belts that Mayweather covets and both would be heavy underdogs.
Guerrero, who is technically the mandatory challenger at welterweight to Mayweather, was a blip on the radar screen before his convincing victory over Andre Berto in November.
He appears to have acclimated to 147 pounds well and has a rough, some would say dirty, style that could give Mayweather some trouble.
In their fight Andre Berto attempted to employ some Mayweather-esque defensive tactics to stymie Guerrero's offensive attack.
"The Ghost" handled it well, but to say that Berto is lightyears from Mayweather would be understating the problem by more than a little bit.
It would be a nice cash-in fight for Guerrero, who is one of the sport's truly nice guys, and something he has certainly earned.
A fight with Robert Guerrero would also serve another purpose for Mayweather—that of providing him with what he'd feel is a low-risk tune-up before facing Canelo Alvarez later in the year.
Alvarez, due to his size and punching power provides, at least on paper, a more dangerous challenge. But Canelo has never stepped foot in a ring with anyone close, or even in the same galaxy, as Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Recently critics have become increasingly vocal about Alvarez's choice of opposition, labeling them as falling into two categories—undersized or washed up.
It's difficult to argue that point and the critics will certainly get louder and more vocal should Alvarez sign to face Miguel Cotto in May.
Cotto is coming off two decisive defeats in a row, and looks to be in the twilight of a great career.
The main problem with Alvarez is that he's a prospect marketed as a superstar. When you're a prospect you have the leeway to take the types of fights Golden Boy Promotions has scheduled him in recent months.
But when you're marketed as a superstar you lose the right to call out Floyd Mayweather Jr. when you won't fight the best fighters in your own weight division.
Regardless nothing here will change the fact that Alvarez, rightly or wrongly, will almost certainly be rewarded with the biggest fight of his career in the second half of next year.
That is unless Miguel Cotto somehow channels the fighter he was five years ago and grabs what at this stage would have to be described as a major upset.
If that happens all bets are off.
But if you wanna go with the smart money—that says Mayweather vs. Guerrero and Alvarez are on the table for next year.
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