The more Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. and Adrien "The Problem" Broner win, the more people will discuss a potential meeting between the two in the ring. What started as something only mentioned in the circle of hardcore boxing fans will soon become a matchup the entire sport is begging for.
With one or two more Broner victories—assuming Mayweather doesn't slip up against Canelo Alvarez or anyone else—the young, brash 23-year-old will supplant Manny Pacquiao as the man most fans want to see in the ring with Mayweather.
Can't you just see the tagline for the fight? Mo Money, Mo Problems. It is an obvious play on the title of the 1997 Notorious B.I.G. song that featured Ma$e and Puff Daddy, but fitting considering the fighters' nicknames.
There are so many angles to explore in a potential Mayweather-Broner clash. The teacher vs. the pupil, big brother vs. little brother—as they currently refer to themselves. The possibilities seem endless in regards to pre-fight hype.
Mayweather recently signed a lucrative 30-month deal with Showtime/CBS that could—and should—end his Hall of Fame career. It seems that timetable will allow Broner an opportunity to gain enough momentum for the hype to reach a high level.
For the record, barring some significant fall-off, Mayweather would likely win a clear unanimous decision over Broner. There are holes in Broner's game that recent opponents, like Paulie Malignaggi, couldn't exploit that Mayweather most certainly would.
Broner seemed to come close to losing his composure while trying to solve Malignaggi. Imagine what his mental state would be if he were in the ring with Mayweather. Nonetheless, two undefeated, flamboyant and linked fighters like Mayweather and Broner would produce one of the biggest paydays in the sport.
Because of the monetary potential and Floyd's seemingly insatiable desire to be the best in the sport, it will be difficult for him to walk away without proving he is better than the man being groomed to succeed him.
It seems like the seeds are already being planted by boxing writers like myself. The fighters no doubt feel the growing tension as well. Mayweather's competitive nature is apparent in this quote from Boxing Scene's Keith Idec:
But Broner’s a great young guy. He has a lot to learn. He has a lot to learn, but he’s a great young kid. I’m a veteran. I’ve been around the sport 17 years, dominating.
There’s a lot of things he still has to learn. Me personally, I feel that he should’ve got the knockout.
I just feel like with my career, a lot of times they try to compare the two. I love the kid, but you’ve got to realize, just look at my career. I already fought a guy that was so crafty in Genaro Hernandez at 21 years old. I feel like in the sport of boxing now, a lot of these guys are fighting guys that’s handpicked, which I understand because this is a business, also.
Comparing himself to Broner at a similar age, criticizing his performance, that is clearly the talk of a man in a rivalry of some proportion. Don't think for one second Floyd could be dragged unknowingly into anything. Mayweather is as sharp in the business as he is in the ring. He likely saw the potential of a fight with Broner years ago.
He's probably already had thoughts on how he'd approach the fight strategically. That's the mental edge fighters like Mayweather have over most of their opponents.
As for Broner, in February, he told Michael Woods of ESPN that he won't ever fight his "big brother." In June, he still said he wouldn't fight Mayweather, however this time he added a little more machismo to his statement.
He told Woods this in a separate article: "My big brother got his legacy, I got mine. I want to see him retire undefeated. I don't want to hand him a loss."
Broner has also said he wants to be the first fighter to gross a billion dollars in the ring. His admiration and desire for money is understandable. That said, he'll never have a fight in his career that will trump the earning potential of fighting Mayweather.
For a man driven by a monetary goal, this would be a difficult opportunity to refuse.
We'll have to see whom Broner takes on next and whether he can continue his winning ways. Ultimately, it is a good bet these two men will meet at some point over the next two years.
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