Al Bernstein's Blog March 20, 2009 No Surprise -- Mayweather Coming Back If Rush Limbaugh and Rachel Maddow started dating, that would be a surprise. If Ben Affleck became a Yankees fan, that would be a surprise. If Toby Keith toured with the Dixie Chicks, that too would be a surprise. Floyd Mayweather Jr. ending his retirement—not so much of a surprise. It looks like the 32 year old boxing superstar will come back to the ring on July 11th against a yet to be determined opponent. That would be about a little over a year and a half after his last fight in December of 2007, when he beat Ricky Hatton. The goal of this comeback would be for Mayweather to meet the winner of the Hatton-Manny Pacquiao match. Mayweather and his people are hoping that winner is Pacquiao, because that would be an absurdly lucrative fight for them. Choosing to have a tune-up fight before he takes on the likes of Pacquiao or Hatton is a good decision. Ring rust is bound to be evident when Floyd gets back in the ring. He wants to work that out against someone other than a top tier fighter. Mayweather Jr.’s apparent decision to come back adds interest to the already big May 2nd fight between Hatton and Pacquiao. While most boxing fans are intrigued at the notion of Mayweather and Pacquiao battling each other, a Mayweather-Hatton rematch provides a different drama. Hatton is now trained by Floyd’s estranged father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. Would he train Hatton against his own son? Would it be a big surprise if Floyd Sr. went against his own son in a big fight? Well, yes, but to put it in perspective, the Limbaugh-Maddow dating match-up would be a bigger surprise. (This blog is written exclusively for USSportspages.com readers. To see more of Al’s coverage of boxing go to the Al Bernstein Boxing Channel at ibnsports.com. To contact Al call Adie Zuckerman at the Al Bernstein Live offices at 847-827-9212 or e-mail to adie@albernsteinlive.com). Archives: January 14, 2009 January 19, 2009 January 27, 2009 February 4, 2009 February 18, 2009 February 24, 2009 March 10, 2009 March 20, 2009