For boxing fans, two things are pretty obvious at this point in time.

One, the welterweight division is dominating ratings and popularity like never before. The days of must-watch heavyweight fights are in the past. Two, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are well past the prime of their careers. Mayweather is set to face Andre Berto in September, while Pacquiao is still recovering from his shoulder surgery.

The young and restless are set to take over boxing in a major way.

Mayweather and Pacquiao are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the welterweight division today, but after that an obvious trend takes place. Fighters No. 3 through No. 16 in the welterweight rankings are all under the age of 33 years old. Boxing fans are in for a great future with Keith Thurman (4) and Kell Brook (3) leading the way.

Thurman has relentlessly called out Mayweather over the last year and half, but it doesn't look like we'll get that showdown. Thurman is just 26 years old, and he has a perfect career record of 26-0 with 22 knockouts. Thurman is the most powerful puncher in the welterweight division today. In his last fight he defeated Luis Collazo in the seventh round. Thurman doesn't have a scheduled fight next.

As for Khan, he also doesn't have a next opponent scheduled. Back-to-back losses to Lamont Peterson and Garcia erased any possibility of facing Mayweather or Pacquiao. Khan has many doubters, but at 28 years old, he has time to mend his mistakes. Khan is 31-3 in his professional career.

Even though the two best and most popular welterweight fighters are set to retire soon, boxing fans still have a lot to look forward to with so many quality young fighters. More than likely we'll see at least two of these notable welterweight fighters go at either this year or next year.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1