Floyd Mayweather is going to retire with a professional boxing record of 49-0. Well, there is one thing hanging in the future that makes me a little hesitant to make this proclamation.
It is not the fear that he might lose, it is that you can't ever put too much stock into a statement like the one LaceUpBoxing gave with this tweet:
Plans of retirement can be a fickle thing. I've seen enough people Brett Favre their way out of a retirement that I'm always a little more surprised when someone actually sticks to a retirement plan than when they break it.
However, let's just assume the 36-year-old will have five more fights. Those should come in the next 30 months, as that would complete his recently signed 30-month contract with Showtime/CBS.
Money will be 38 in 30 months. For most fighters, this would be a huge concern. However, Money went a long ways towards alleviating any age concerns in his bout against Robert Guerrero on Saturday.
Ducking and dodging punch after punch, Money was clearly moving as well as ever, and his hands haven't missed a beat as his deadly counterpunches were a blur.
It was no surprise that Money dominated this fight, but after a year away from the ring that included a stint in jail, it was a surprise that he looked so good.
However, maybe it shouldn't have been. While Money has 44 fights under his belt and is 36, he is far younger than the typical 36-year-old boxer. He has always been so hard to hit that Mayweather has not taken the same kind of abuse as other fighters.
Take a look at this tweet, which was prior to the Guerrero bout, from CompuBox:
As CompuBox also points out, that didn't change much on Saturday:
There is some stiff competition out there, but no one on Money's level. Manny Pacquiao has looked increasingly vulnerable and is coming off of two straight losses.
The undefeated Timothy Bradley wouldn't be able to land enough punches to win on the cards, and he doesn't have the power to knock Floyd out. Money has already dominated Juan Manuel Marquez once.
In the eyes of many, the fighter with the best shot to take down Mayweather is 22-year-old Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
While Alvarez has the power, he doesn't have the defense. Money would pick him apart while Canelo whiffed on big shots. If Canelo wants any shot at beating Money, he has to improve his movement, and it is hard to see him getting that to a high enough level in the next 30 months.
There simply is no one out there with the skill to beat Mayweather.
If Money sticks to his retirement plan, he will venture into the sunset with an unblemished record and a great argument to be considered the greatest ever.
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