Floyd "Money" Mayweather never looked like he was going to lose his WBC Welterweight title against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena.
Despite spending 12 months out of the ring and having his name in seemingly every headline other than boxing circles, Money May barely even got out of second gear en route to the simplest of victories—beating Guerrero via unanimous decision.
The 36-year-old started slowly—trying to break down his opponents' game early—but quickly took control of the fight in the next few rounds. By the time it got to the end of the eighth round, Mayweather had quickly built up a huge lead in the fight and showed he wasn't going to be troubled by the slew of punches that Guerrero was desperately throwing his way.
Mayweather didn't pursue the knockout like many fans would have wanted; instead playing defense and making sure that he wasn't stunned by a late haymaker.
Despite the fact that the scorecard might have only read a six-point win for Money May, the reality was that this was the simplest of wins. Mayweather was hardly troubled, and The Ghost was barely ever able to break down Money May's defense. Which, when he did, usually saw him on the wrong end of a quick, counterattacking straight right from the 36-year-old that left him reeling.
It was simply a masterclass in vintage Mayweather style.
However, whilst the win showed a number of things, what was perhaps most apparent was the distinct lack of class that Money May is going to come up against.
After "revealing" during the week that he handpicks his opponents (which wasn't exactly a shock), Mayweather essentially told the world that he isn't going to be beat in his next five fights. His massive contract with Showtime Inc. stipulates that he'll fight up to six times in a 30-month period—the first of which was his fight against Guerrero—and given the money at stake, he's unlikely to risk it by taking on an opponent who might actually cause him some problems in the ring.
Mayweather is the undisputed king of pay-per-view, so he'll no doubt attract enough media and public attention for his fights that he doesn't need a big-name opponent. Especially not given that his undefeated record is far more impressive at 44-0 than it would be at say, 48-1.
It's not yet known who Money May will take on in his next five fights, but given how easy an opponent Guerrero turned out to be, don't expect it to be to difficult.
The undefeated champion has a record, an image and a reputation to protect over the last five fights of his career. But more importantly, he has millions and millions of dollars riding on the outcome of every fight, and given the hand-picking selection process that he's afforded at the moment, Money May can ensure that he's a lock to win every single time he steps into the ring.
He's still got to earn it, no doubt, and he'll still face challenges throughout.
But if you think Mayweather is going to put on a fight where he might not be the favorite to win, then you're sadly mistaken.
He's a businessman as much as he is a boxer, and there's no way that his team is going to let that happen at all in the next 30 months.
I'd put Money on it.
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