As the seed becomes the sapling and the caterpillar becomes the butterfly, Floyd Mayweather Jr (48-0, 26 KO’s) is preparing for the next stage of his existence, in which he aims to lead the next generation of top-class boxers to glory beneath his self-titled promotional banner.
The Mayweather outfit has produced a handful of respectable pros and former champions, but none have yet come through that seem able to pick up where Floyd will soon leave off. Though, as the pound-for-pound Zeus told World Boxing News, the plan is to find him.
“Mayweather Promotions has always done record-breaking numbers and our ultimate goal is to find the next Floyd Mayweather. With all of the talent out there, it will soon happen.”
”I want all of the fighters out there to keep working hard, stay focused and know that there is no limit to what you can do.”
“Mayweather Promotions wants to continue to work with all fighters and help build their careers so that they can get to that top level.”
This company’s success has directly correlated with Floyd’s in the ring, so he is right to be concerned about the future of the business after he decides to hang up the gloves for good.
Currently they have WBC super-middleweight champion Badou Jack, Mickey Bey, J’Leon Love, Ishe Smith, and Ashley Theophane all under contract, but not one of them has yet shown the persona or the skills required to hold Floyd’s heavy torch.
During such a pointed search for the next ‘big star,’ there is a real danger that an overzealous push to the back of a young and talented pug may result in disaster if he is overmatched too early.
Floyd’s career was forged over a long period and he made slow, progressive steps until he bloomed into the technical monster we know him to be today. He always had unbelievable skills, but he demonstrated his class by continuing to put them to work against increasingly tough opposition.
As much animosity as Floyd holds for him, his former promoter Bob Arum did a good job of steering his early career, as he did for countless others. Does Mayweather have that kind of foresight integral to all great promoters? To see the bumps in the road before they pop up and direct a young fighter’s route accordingly? We shall see.
Floyd may have a host of talent to choose from in the near future depending on how his close associate Al Haymon fares in his upcoming legal dispute with Bob Arum. If Haymon is unsuccessful and is forced to forgo his ‘Premier Boxing Champions’ venture on NBC, it is a possibility that prospects like the impressive Errol Spence could be siphoned off into the Mayweather camp. A few more of that class would certainly set a good tone for the future of the business.
