Five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather could return to professional boxing and win a world middleweight title at 47.
That’s the view of top trainer Robert Garcia, who has pitted his wits against Mayweather on many occasions in the past. Garcia says ‘Money’ would be able to defeat the winner of Erislandy Lara vs Danny Garcia if he made a sensational return to the ring in the coming months.
Mayweather retired from competitive boxing in 2015 after defeating Andre Berto. However, the boxing legend has fought several exhibitions since then, including one in Mexico last month against John Gotti.
After toying with Gotti, there were suggestions by many that Floyd could still cut in today’s era despite his age. World Boxing News even reported that rival Manny Pacquiao plans to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios and could offer Mayweather a shot at the title if successful.
Garcia doubts Mayweather could boil down sufficiently enough to make any lower than super welterweight despite predicting the Las Vegas native would beat some of the champions at 147.
“Whatever you say, whatever anybody wants to think, Mayweather could, because he’s still active, he’s still in shape, he could fight a real fight,” Garcia told ES News.
“Not real fighters like Vergil or Jaron Boots Ennis, but Mayweather could still beat many champions. Maybe at welterweight, he could beat most of the champions right now.
“He’ll probably beat Eimantas Stanionis, Mario Barrios, and Brian Norman Jr. Mayweather can’t fight a solid guy at 154, 160.
“He could probably fight the winner of Danny Garcia and Erislandy Lara; he could fight them and become champion. I think he could beat one of those.”
Lara vs. Garcia occurs on the Canelo vs. Berlanga undercard on September 14, headlined by the man Mayweather defeated as a youngster. Canelo stepped up to the plate in 2013 before Mayweather retired to test himself against the best.
Canelo wasn’t successful as Mayweather retired 50-0 following a stroll in the park against Conor McGregor, sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a professional contest.
Mayweather won world titles from super-featherweight to super welterweight [five divisions], with middleweight proving a bridge too far in his prime or later career. But seven years later, the fact that Mayweather is still being talked about as a possible world champion, approaching his fifties, is a testament to his achievements in the ring.
A sixth-weight title would undoubtedly be too risky for the man who covets his 50 without defeat.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
