Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring on May 4 against Robert Guerrero, according to an official press release on BoxingScene.com, giving credence to long-standing rumors on the title bout.
Per the release, Mayweather has signed a six-fight deal with CBS and Showtime, one that is the biggest in the sport of boxing (financial terms were not disclosed), and the first fight of that deal will be the matchup against Guerrero.
This deal marks the end of Mayweather's relationship with HBO. According to Leonard Ellerbe, one of the star fighter's advisers, it was no contest when it came down to where he would sign.
Negotiations have been long and slow between both camps, but it became apparent just before Christmas that Guerrero would be the opponent for "Money-May" as he defends his WBC Welterweight belt.
Mayweather's career has settled into a nice routine, with the champ doing battle once a year since 2009—twice leading up to Cinco de Mayo. It is great marketing on his part, as fans can plan for his bouts well in advance.
It also helps that Mayweather has been dominant in his recent matches, defeating Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto. Even when he had the 16-month layoff between 2010 and 2011, he came back without missing a beat.
Mayweather destroyed Ortiz in his comeback fight, scoring his first knockout since 2007 against Ricky Hatton—albeit in controversial fashion.
On the other side of the ring, Guerrero is a budding star in the sport. He has a 31-1-1 career record with 18 knockouts. His lone loss was a split decision and came in 2005. Since that time, he has won 15 fights with two no-contests mixed in.
In Guerrero's last fight on Nov. 24, he earned a unanimous decision win after knocking Andre Berto down twice early and beating his eye to a pulp. In the post-fight press conference, Guerrero did exactly what you would expect from a young star trying to make a name for himself: call out Mayweather.
Guerrero will get his wish, but now he must prove that he is up to the task.
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