WENN
It has been less than a week since Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced that he plans to come out of retirement in 2020. While announcing his return to combat sports, Mayweather also said that he had things in the works with UFC president Dana White.
“Coming out of retirement in 2020,” Mayweather stated. “[Dana White] and I working together again to bring the world another spectacular event in 2020.”
That led to immediate speculation regarding who the undefeated boxing star could face when he returns and there are plenty of intriguing options. Among the options most commonly mentioned by fans on social media are current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and three previous Mayweather opponents — Conor McGregor, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and Manny Pacquiao.
The boxing and MMA team at BetOnline.ag compiled mentions from over 50,000 tweets to determine which opponent is most commonly preferred in every state. The date was compiled using trends software with direct access to geotagged Twitter data.
When it was all said and down, Twitter users appear to prefer Mayweather match up against a former boxing foe like Pacquiao or Canelo rather than a crossover fight with a mixed martial arts star.
Here is a complete breakdown:
BetOnline.agPacquiao – 22 states
Canelo – 16 states
McGregor – 9 states
Khabib – 3 states
Other fighters who were mentioned were former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and the Baddest Motherf*cker titleholder Jorge Masvidal.
So will Mayweather be risking his undefeated record by moving to mixed martial arts for a bout? Or will we see Mayweather and Dana White joining forces for the long-planned ZUFFA Boxing that the Ultimate Fighting Championship president has been tweeting throughout the years?
We are just going to have to wait and see, but our popcorn will be ready.
Who would you like to see Mayweather take on in his return bout? Sound off in the comments section below with your thoughts and predictions.
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