After producing another masterclass performance to easily overcome Manny Pacquiao in the most lucrative fight in boxing history on May 2, Floyd Mayweather Jr revealed his intentions to end his professional career at the MGM Grand on September 12.
For anyone who can make 147lbs, it is a fight that they would jump at should they receive the call from the sport's pound-for-pound king, and with only three months remaining until the scheduled date, the unbeaten American can't be too far away from an announcement.
Below, Sports Mole suggests five names that could be in the running to share the limelight with the 38-year-old as he brings down the curtain on one of the most illustrious careers the sport has ever seen.
1. Amir Khan
For two years, Amir Khan has openly admitted that a showdown with Mayweather is the fight that he craves, but on three occasions, the former Olympic silver medallist has been denied by the American, who opted to face Marcos Maidana, an opponent Khan has beaten, on two occasions as well as agreeing to fight long-term rival Pacquiao.
Waiting around for Mayweather resulted in Khan missing out on a world title match with Devon Alexander, but it gave the Bolton fighter a chance to grow into the 147lbs division, and although he didn't produce his best performance against Chris Algieri at the end of May, the victory might be enough to land him the Mayweather fight.
Mayweather is short of realistic opponents for September 12, and providing that he can find a solution to deal with the period of Ramadan that doesn't end until July 16, Khan appears to be the frontrunner. That said, he has also been favourite in the past and it remains to be seen whether Mayweather will sign on the dotted line against someone whose speed and combinations could cause him problems.
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2. Danny Garcia
Danny Garcia has spent his career in the light-welterweight division, but after amassing 30 successive victories and winning the WBC and WBA titles, the time has come for the 27-year-old to make the full-time conversion to 147lbs after competing at catch-weight in his last two outings.
His failure to make a defence of either of his world belts since March 2014 has result in the WBC stripping him of his crown, and if reports are to be believed, Garcia is in line to face Paulie Malignaggi in New York on August 1.
However, until that bout is finalised, Garcia remains a strong contender for the Mayweather farewell, and with the American boasting triumphs over Khan, Lucas Matthysse and Lamont Peterson, he has the respectable CV that Mayweather is perhaps looking for, while facing another unbeaten man would tick another box in the eyes of a man who has just topped Forbes' Rich List for money earned during the past 12 months.
3. Kell Brook
Despite winning the IBF title in California last August, Kell Brook still isn't regarded as a major name in the United States, but after two convincing defences of his world belt, he remains in the running to be the next man to step into the ring with Mayweather.
After beating Pacquiao, Mayweather indicated that he would vacate all of his world titles, which appeared to rule out a potential unification clash with Brook who holds the one belt that Mayweather is missing, but after 'Money' instructed his lawyers to get involved in delaying a decision regarding his WBO crown, there are signs that he could be tempted to try to unify the division.
Pay-per-view sales in the United Kingdom would boost Mayweather's revenue should this bout materialise, but Brook remains an outsider to get the call, and promoter Eddie Hearn has indicated that they are keen to secure their next opponent sooner rather than later with Brandon Rios looking a possibility for the end of August or early September.
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4. Lucas Matthysse
With Garcia losing his WBC light-welterweight belt, that has left Matthysse in line to meet Ukrainian Viktor Postol for the vacant title, potentially in late summer or the autumn, and with the hard-hitting Argentine yet to make the move to welterweight, it would seem likely that he would take this contest to try to become world champion for the first time in his career.
However, Matthysse is considered to have a similar fighting style to that of two-time Mayweather opponent Maidana, something that may entice the Las Vegas resident into approaching the 32-year-old, who is coming off the back of a thrilling success over Ruslan Provodnikov in one of the fights of the year.
At this stage, a meeting between Mayweather and Matthysse seems unlikely, and the boxing purists would expect the same type of fight that transpired in the second showdown with Maidana. That said, the pay-per-view numbers have the potential to be stronger than some of our other suggestions and the South American shouldn't be ruled out at this stage.
5. Adrien Broner/Shawn Porter
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Next weekend, American duo Adrien Broner and Shawn Porter meet in a highly-anticipated clash at the MGM Grand as both look to move themselves into contention to become world welterweight champion for a second time, but a stellar performance from either man could move them towards the top of the list of possible opponents for Mayweather.
They would have to contend with only having an 11-week gap between their own fight and a potential match with Mayweather, but it's an opportunity that neither man would turn down. It's common knowledge that Mayweather and Broner are friends but a fight between the two would do huge business, while Porter's stock would rise considerably should he be able to shake off his defeat to Brook by overcoming a multi-weight world champion.
Little else can be added until Broner and Porter clash on June 20, but they are both major names in the welterweight division and would be seen as attractive opponents should Mayweather choose to end his career with a fight against either of them.
