December ninth in Las Vegas. This will go down as the final ever boxing event broadcast under the Showtime banner as well as the network's final boxing PPV. It had previously been reported that David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade would previously be Showtime's last PPV a fortnight earlier on November 25th. As of now, the final card ever shown on the premium cable television network itself, ending a 37 year run, will go down as Tszyu vs. Mendoza this past Saturday. This was initially reported as being an exhibition contest between the pair of retired multiple-division champions. There are growing rumors but nothing yet confirmed that Mayweather and García could agree to make it a legitimate sanctioned professional bout and count on both of their records. It has been more than six years since Mayweather fought such a match, and just over two for García. For the former, it would present an opportunity for his capstone to be a victory over the respected Mexican four weight class titlist with a 40-2 record...and not an 0-0-0 debuting Conor McGregor. For the latter, if he can knock off the undefeated 46 year old he can bow out with not just any old W to erase the loss to Sandor Martin in 2021, but perhaps the most sought after W in the sport in decades. Obviously if this remains a gentlemanly exhibition, the matter of either man winning on points is moot (as too would be a knockout in all probablity). If however, the wind keeps blowing in a certain direction and there's fire where there's smoke and this does become official - this placeholder will be the official poll for the 51st professional bout of Mayweather's career and 43rd of García's. García gives up two inches of height and four of reach, but is eleven years younger than Mayweather and was competing on a regular basis far more recently.
This would presumably take place no lighter than 154lb, since that is where Mayweather last fought officially in 2017 - while García, naturally more of a lightweight, was last seen at welterweight but has gotten quite gordito since. Also, interestingly, the chosen date would put this in direct competition with Prograis vs. Haney on DAZN.
Crazy from PBC to clash with Matchroom's PPV show. I presume everyone here will be paying for Regis Prograis vs Devin Haney on DAZN PPV instead.
I kind of see why they would do it, though. If they're vacating the market anyway, they have nothing to lose by deciding to be super petty and draw some amount of viewership away from the competitor that played a large part in driving them out and hurting PPV buys for their largest remaining event of Q4. Just going full on kamikaze, realizing Mayweather's name equity alone will lure some casual eyes off the Prograis-Haney card. I kind of respect it.
They have zero common opponents - unsurprisingly, given how they campaigned in the same weight ranges fully a decade apart. (Mayweather fought at super feather in the mid-to late nineties, García in the mid to late aughts; Floyd at lightweight in 2002-2003 and Mikey not until 2017; PBF at 140lbs in 2004-2005 and MAG in 2017-18; and Mayweather primariy at welter from 2005 until his penultimate match in 2015 while García fought there just thrice, all during the pandemic after the American had retired from non-exhibitions). García was supposed to face Manny Pacquiao a few years ago, however - and the gym legend goes that Mayweather and Errol Spence once fought a tumultuous seven minute long single round of intense sparring that ended with the younger man nearly kayoed unconscious by an uppercut in 2013.