MANILA, Philippines - Floyd Mayweather is expected to fight again on Sept. 13 against a still unidentified opponent.
But don’t expect Manny Pacquiao’s name to be in the mix.
Mayweather’s adviser Leonard Ellerbe confirmed the date of his client’s ring return, after outpointing Marcos Maidana a few weeks ago to unify the WBC and WBA welterweight titles. He has indicated several fighters who could face Mayweather next.
Pacquiao, who holds the WBO version of the championship in the same division, is still not among them.
“Floyd will go on Sept. 13 and we looking at who he’s going to fight and where he is going to fight,†Ellerbe said in a report by ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael.
“We’re looking at opponents now. In the next two weeks we’ll have that part figured out,†he added.
Maidana, who took Mayweather to task in their showdown last May 3, leads the list of candidates for the undefeated American’s next fight. The Argentine slugger wants a rematch with Mayweather, something the latter is open to.
“He’s (Maidana) definitely in the mix. He’s a very dirty fighter. He used a lot of dirty tactics, but Floyd handled him easily and he gave the fans a great fight. But there’s a long list of opponents,†said Ellerbe.
British Amir Khan is also under consideration, so are Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter and Keith Thurman. All fighters are under the banner of Golden Boy Promotions, chief rival of Top Rank Inc., where Pacquiao belongs. – Dino Maragay/Contributor