Floyd Mayweather Next Fight: Will Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri Determine Mayweather’s Final Opponent?

It’s uncertain whom Floyd Mayweather will take on when he gets back in the ring, but his next opponent might be fighting on Friday night. Amir Khan is set to take on Chris Algieri in a bout that could potentially set up the final fight of the undefeated boxer’s career.

Mayweather has one fight remaining on his Showtime contract, and Showtime Sports Executive Vice President Stephen Espinoza confirmed that the world’s top boxer plans to fight on Sept. 12. Mayweather has contemplated fighting Khan for the last year and a half, and a win for the Brit this weekend could finally set up the match for later in 2015.

Khan has emerged as one of the top boxers in the welterweight division, winning his last four fights in dominant fashion and failing to lose on any judges’ scorecards. It appeared that he might fight Mayweather in May of last year, but the sport’s top star decided to fight Marcos Maidana, instead. After Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao on May 2, Khan said that Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told him Mayweather is ready to make the fight happen.

In order to secure a bout with Mayweather, Khan must get by Algieri, and he might have to do so convincingly. Algieri won the first 20 fights of his career, including an impressive win over Ruslan Provodnikov a year ago. But he wasn’t competitive against Manny Pacquiao last November, getting knocked down six times in a unanimous decision defeat.

Khan is expected to take care of Algieri, against whom he is a heavy favorite. He has -1600 betting odds to win at Bovada.lv, while Algieri is a +800 underdog. If Khan has trouble against his opponent on Friday, it could force Mayweather to look for a potentially tougher challenge.

A win for Algieri could prove that his loss to Pacquiao was somewhat of an aberration, but it likely wouldn’t be enough to put him in the conversation to fight Mayweather. That might open the door for Mayweather to have a rematch with either Miguel Cotto or Canelo Alvarez.

An eventual rematch with Pacquiao isn’t out of the question, but it’s looking less and less likely, and it certainly won’t happen in September. Pacquiao fought Mayweather with a torn rotator cuff, and shoulder surgery will keep him out of the ring until 2016.

Mayweather might not decide whom his next opponent will be until close to halfway through the summer. He fought Maidana for a second time on Sept. 13 of last year, but the bout wasn’t officially announced until July 10.