Moments ago, undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd "Money" Mayweather revealed that his next opponent will be former welterweight champion Andre Berto. The bout will take place on September 12 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be televised live on Showtime Pay-Per-View. Mayweather made the announcement official on his social media accounts.
Mayweather is coming off of a dominant unanimous decision victory over 8-division former world champion Manny Pacquiao. That fight, which broke all pay-per-view records thanks to 4.4 million buys, earned Mayweather a whopping $230 million payday. This will be the final fight of Mayweather's six-fight contract with Showtime/CBS.
Berto is coming off of a 6th round stoppage of welterweight contender Josesito Lopez. In 2011, Berto was on course to face Mayweather until he suffered the first loss of his career to Victor Ortiz, who would instead get the opportunity to face the pound-for-pound champion on the strength of the win. Since then, Berto's career has taken several twists and turns, including a failed drug test, shoulder surgery, and two more losses to Jesus Soto Karass and Robert Guerrero, who also earned a shot at Mayweather thanks to his victory over Berto. Having rebounded to string together back-to-back wins, Berto appears to be back on track and is ready for the opportunity that has eluded him for the past four years.
We're told the televised pay-per-view card will feature the following fights:
- Floyd Mayweather vs. Andre Berto
- Roman Martinez vs. Orlando Salido 2
- Badou Jack vs. George Groves
- Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Jonathan Oquendo
Furthermore, it's our understanding that Ishe Smith vs. Vanes Martirosyan will be televised on Showtime during the hour leading up to the start of the pay-per-view event.
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