Some would argue that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is already a sure thing for all-time legendary status, and that certainly may be the case. However, the point of this article is that all roads to get there do not pass through Manny Pacquiao and that critical respect and mainstream success is definitely possible for Mayweather without having to deal with all the drama revolving around a Pacquiao bout.
Here are four fights Floyd Mayweather can use to earn a spot among the sport's all-time legends:
Amir Khan
The 24-year-old wunderkind from the UK has already established himself as the top dog of a stacked and deadly junior welterweight division. With big wins over Zab Judah, Marcos Maidana, and Paulie Malignaggi, few can argue with Khan's resume or with his monumental talent. The gifted, upwardly-mobile Brit has already stated his intention to move up to welterweight and challenge Mayweather for the division's lineal title. The two talented, trash-talking stars could generate a crazy amount of publicity while giving the fans a competitive and entertaining encounter. If Mayweather could put away the gifted and ambitious young lion, it would go a long way in erasing past criticisms and silencing his legion of doubters.
Victor Ortiz II
Why not go back and erase some of the bad press he got for getting rough with the headbutt-throwing Ortiz? Through four rounds, Victor Ortiz was somewhat competitive and seemed to be focused on delivering a good effort. Mayweather had yet to hit his rhythm and hadn't given the fans a real show before everything went crazy. Let Ortiz fight an eliminator of sorts, possibly a rematch with Andre Berto or Marcos Maidana, and then get back in line for another crack at Floyd. A more decisive win over Ortiz wouldn't do much for Mayweather's overall resume, but it would put a fitting end to this chapter of his career.
Alfredo Angulo
After Khan and Ortiz, if a fight can't be made with Pacquiao at welterweight, there's absolutely no other fight to make in the division. In that case, it's either retirement for Floyd or a move back up to the junior middleweight division, a place he briefly visited when he took the WBC 154 lb. title from Oscar De la Hoya in 2007. Ideally, the fight to make for Mayweather's second run at the division would be against the winner of the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito contest in December. However, we've already seen how hard it is to broker a deal between Bob Arum and Team Mayweather, so some realism should be applied. Angulo, at this point, is better than either Cotto or Margarito and the bout could be made with significantly less drama. A win over "El Perro" would give Mayweather a real win over perhaps the top fighter in the junior middleweight division. It would also erase some of the criticisms tossed at Mayweather in 2007 for beating an "over the hill" De la Hoya for the belt.
Sergio Martinez
Of course. This one make the most sense and would be the biggest challenge. Argentina's Martinez is a former junior middleweight titlist and is now the undisputed middleweight top dog and no lower than Top 3 on all pound-for-pound lists. He is also in desperate need of a career-defining payday against a fellow star. Martinez has already agreed to meet Mayweather or Pacquiao more than halfway— offering a catchweight of 150 lbs. in order to make the bout. The power and speed of Martinez would be a serious threat to the smaller Mayweather and it would immediately end all the "Mayweather is afraid to lose" talk that has been circulating throughout the media ever since the fighter from Grand Rapids split with Bob Arum's Top Rank Promotions in 2006. A win over the dominant middleweight would immediately propel Mayweather to legendary status and silence all the critics.
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