Boris "Bubs" Malloy
Oh boy! If this is really is going to be the last fight of Floyd Mayweather’s career, this isn’t even going out with a whimper. This is Mayweather sneaking out the backdoor and leaving someone else with the check.
The greatest boxer of this generation is looking to run his record to a perfect 49-0, tieing Rocky Marciano, before hanging up his mitts. The popular opinion is that he won’t be able to resist the temptation to go after 50-0 and that this disappointing affair next month won’t be the last time we see ol’ Money in the ring.
For now though, we have to accept that this is the fight we get for Floyd’s farewell. Mayweather had his choice of any lobster in the tank and he chose the smallest one, which also suffers from shell disease.
But why wouldn’t he go the easy route? After all, he’s already the greatest fighter of all time in the eyes of the only man who matters: Floyd Mayweather.
It would just be nice if he admitted this was an easy bout, instead of trying to sell us on Andre Berto with lines like “every time he goes out, he gives it 100 percent.” You know who else gives 100 percent? Most home economics teachers. But that doesn’t mean we like them, either. (Of course I’m not talking about you, Mrs. Oppenheimer; you were great!)
Berto enters this fight 3-3 in his last six bouts: his last loss was a knockout at the hands of Jesus Soto Karass. A one-time title holder in the division, Berto isn’t a terrible fighter, but he’s nowhere near the same league as Mayweather.
The good news for Berto is that he probably won’t get the crap kicked out of him. Mayweather has become a far more technical and defensive fighter in his later years, scoring just two knockouts over the past 13 fights.
The line is so skewed on this fight it’s not even worth betting, and if it weren’t potentially the last chance to see Mayweather, there’d be no point in watching it. But, because Money has outsmarted the public once again, I’m sure we’ll all tune into a snooze-fest.
To help keep things interesting, here are some odds and props for what is sure to be a one-sided affair.
Mayweather/Berto Fight Odds:
Odds to win:
- Mayweather – 1/80
- Berto – 35/1
- Draw – 32/1
Over/under on the number of rounds: 10.5
Odds on how the fight will end:
- By decision – 2/9
- By knockout – 4/1
- The ref calls the fight out of sheer boredom – 42/1
Over/under on PPV buys: 1.40 million
Odds Ronda Rousey pulls a WWE and runs into the ring halfway through the fight: 55/1
Odds Mayweather retires after the fight: 1/3
If Mayweather retires, odds he stays retired: 4/1
(Photo credit: Chamber of Fear (Flickr: Floyd Mayweather) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)
