Floyd Mayweather Telegraphing Comeback

Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, ad Muhammad Ali couldn’t stay retired. Floyd Mayweather looks like he lost in his bid to remain out of the ring, too.

ESPN’s Darren Rovell reports that two weeks ago Mayweather Promotions registered trademarks for “TBE 50” and “TMT 50.” The letters stand for “the best ever” and “the money team,” and appear on gear sold by the retired boxer; “50” references the number of professional wins a comeback fight victory would give Mayweather.

Last month, Mayweather left the door open for a comeback on a network broadcast in which former protégé Adrien Broner expressed displeasure at the older fighter’s criticisms of his behavior outside of the ring. “He’s gotta see me,” Broner said of the legend sitting ringside at the DC Armory.

On Saturday night at the same venue, Mayweather again wavered.

“Some crazy numbers have been thrown my way — upwards, of course, of nine figures,” the fighter-turned-promotor said on Showtime. “But I’m truly blessed beyond belief, and I really don’t know what we’re going to do. But right now, I’m really happy being on this side helping our fighters.”

Mayweather last fought in September against Andre Berto in what proved to be an anticlimactic end. The bout, like the letdown in May against Manny Pacquiao, left the public wanting less even if it left Money wanting more. This limits options if Mayweather desires a massive payday in his return.

The fight sure to generate the most dollars makes little sense to Mayweather. He repeatedly balks at a bout with the larger and more powerful Gennady Golovkin. Friend-turned-foe Broner, whose style both inside and outside of the ring conjures up visions of a younger Mayweather, looks good to bring in bucks. Amir Khan, should he upset Canelo Alvarez this weekend, could also justify a nine-figure payment to Mayweather.

But with victories over Manny Pacquaiao, Miguel Cotto, Alvarez, and most of the other big names between 140 and 160 pounds, Mayweather sees few other options than Golovkin, Broner, and Khan to generate big box office in a comeback.