Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: What's next for boxing?

With the “Fight of the Century” behind us, what is next for boxing?

Boxing fans finally got the fight they wanted Saturday night as Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally off in Las Vegas after a six year wait. While the result was more of a tactical chess match than a brutal brawl, the outcome was what many expected: a unanimous decision win for Mayweather. With boxing’s “Fight of the Century” now in the rear-view mirror it’s time to look ahead at what is next for the sweet science.

For those interested in the kind of action they didn’t get from Mayweather and Pacquiao, you should tune in to HBO on May 9 for the hotly-anticipated matchup between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and James Kirkland. Both guys throw tons of punches and have excellent power. On paper their matchup is an early candidate for fight of the year.

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Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) is coming off of back-to-back wins after a TKO of Alfredo Angulo in March of 2014 and a split-decision win over Erislandy Lara last July. Meanwhile, Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) is on a four-fight winning streak after suffering a shocking loss to Nobuhiro Ishida back on April 9, 2011. Kirkland is a knockout artist and Canelo throws the kind of power punches that can end careers. Their light middleweight bout should be an entertaining one with very few experts predicting the fight to go the distance. For any viewers interested in seeing some fireworks, that battle will be a must-watch.

On May 16, HBO will have another excellent night of boxing lined up as knockout artist and Gennady Golovkin faces Willie Monroe for Golovkin’s WBA middleweight title. Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs) is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and is incredibly entertaining. A win over Monroe will likely lead to calls for a middleweight title unification bout with WBC and The Ring middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.

Also on that May 16 card, American viewers will get a rare chance to watch The Ring and WBC flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez fight Edgar Sosa in what should be another exciting bout. Gonzalez (42-0, 36 KOs) is currently fourth in The Ring’s pound-for-pound rankings and is an exciting fighter worth watching. Sosa (51-8, 30 KOs) will be a worthy challenger and is currently fourth in The Ring’s flyweight rankings.

The aforementioned Cotto (39-4, 32 KOs) has his own upcoming fight, as he will battle Daniel Geale on June 6 in Brooklyn. Geale (31-3, 16 KOs) is the fourth-ranked middleweight in the world according to The Ring despite getting annihilated by Golovkin last July. If Cotto wins, a matchup between he and Golovkin makes a whole lot of sense for everyone involved. That would certainly be a fight worth watching.

Apr 25, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Wladimir Klitschko reacts after defeating Bryant Jennings (not pictured) during their world championship heavyweight boxing fight at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Everyone loves heavyweights, but the division has been almost wiped clean of potential challengers thanks to the decade-long reign of Wladimir Klitschko. Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs) has crushed all comers while winning his last 22 fights and is currently slated to match up with Tyson Fury (24-0, 18 KOs) next. The 26-year-old Fury is a massive British slugger who, at 6-foot-9, could give Klitschko some trouble.

If the Ukrainian champion gets past Fury, a title unification fight with WBC champion Deontay Wilder would definitely garner a lot of interest. Wilder (33-0, 32 KOs) could be the next great American heavyweight and he has the size (6-foot-7) and power to compete with Klitschko. In my estimation, that fight could be built up as a huge event because of the cachet the heavyweight title holds. It would be a true unification of every major heavyweight title for the first time since 2000. If promoted correctly, it could be a huge fight.

Meanwhile, Mayweather and Pacquiao both have options moving forward, but from the sound of things a rematch doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) will need to take some time off to let his injured right shoulder heal and = if another fight with Mayweather isn’t on the horizon – I would expect him to move down to 140 pounds, which is certainly his best weight.

At junior welterweight he could line up one of several potential crowd-pleasing fights. The first would be against WBA, WBC and The Ring champion Danny Garcia (30-0, 17 KOs), while another could be against hard-punching Argentine Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs). Up-and-coming American star Terence Crawford (26-0, 18 KOs) has been mentioned but I don’t think he would be a serious candidate. Crawford needs to keep building his brand and working his way up. Don’t rule out a potential fifth fight with Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) either. Those two have fought four very close wars and there is no doubt the public would be interested in seeing them tangle again.

As for Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs), most believe he will finally give Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) the fight he’s been begging for. While Khan and his followers seem to think he is just the guy to end Mayweather’s undefeated run, I highly doubt that. Mayweather claims his swan song will come in September when he fights his final bout on his current contract with Showtime. I expect him to take the easy payday against Khan. I would be shocked if Mayweather didn’t win a wide unanimous decision against the Mancunian fighter.

After his fight in September, I do think Mayweather will take some time off, then fight at least one more time in an attempt to reach 50-0. I’m not sure if he would take on an actual serious challenger like Keith Thurman (25-0, 21 KOs) or try for a rematch with Pacquiao, but he has “retired” several times and has yet to stick with it.

Boxing has plenty of talent and plenty of guys who are worth watching. The sport will always have an appeal to American audiences because of the huge cultural impact it has made over the year. Guys like Jack Dempsey, James Braddock, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and Oscar De La Hoya have all made an indelible imprint on our society for one reason or another. That will continue for years to come.

Boxing’s next great rivalry is likely just around the corner. We can only hope it doesn’t take six years to get the sport’s next two superstars in the ring together.

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Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: What’s next for boxing?

By Ryan Phillips | May 5, 2015

With the “Fight of the Century” behind us, what is next for boxing?

More from Boxing