Floyd Mayweather Next Fight: 'Money' To Face Andre Berto on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas
Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. officially announced former world champion Andre Berto as his 49th foe in his scheduled fight on Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Following his unanimous decision win against Manny Pacquiao during their record-setting showdown in May, Mayweather already informed the media that he will be staging his farewell fight in September, which stirred debate about who should receive the great honor of facing him in his final ring appearance.
World Boxing Council Silver welterweight champion Amir Khan was up to his toes and thought that he could be the one to grace the much anticipated event. He was persistent in calling out Mayweather several times this year.
Berto from the start
However, Mayweather surprised several boxing enthusiasts, when he named the two boxers who could get a shot against him in the final fight of his career.
"We're looking at two different guys. We're looking at Andre Berto, Karim Mayfield. We just don't know. Those are a couple of names... We just have to wait and see," Mayweather told Fight Hype.
Some people shrugged off the idea that Mayweather is serious in facing Berto (30-3) or even Mayfield (19-2). TMZ Sports previously reported that although Mayweather is not confirming it yet, Berto is the frontrunner in the race to get a shot against the Grand Rapids native.
On Tuesday, Mayweather stepped into the spotlight again to deliver his official announcement, reported Boxing Scene.
"September 12, 2015 for number 49. Come be part of the history. Book your hotel and flights now," wrote Mayweather.
Still a PPV event
Contrary to earlier speculation that it will be watched by boxing fans for free via CBS, the announcement detailed that it will still be staged as a Showtime pay-per-view offering.
Showtime Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager Stephen Espinoza admitted in earlier interviews that it will be hard for them to sell a fight on short notice, BoxingScene reported, but in the end, the Mayweather-Berto fight ended up as a Showtime PPV event, which Mayweather confirmed on Instagram.
Berto Vows Eyeing Knockout Win
Berto, who holds a 30-3 record with 23 knockout victories, is confident of his chances against Mayweather.
"I'm coming to kick Floyd's *ss on September 12. Best believe that I plan to bring it to Floyd and I'm not concerned about what 48 other fighters have been unable to do. Somebody is getting knocked out and it won't be me. You don't want to miss this," Berto predicted.
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