While Floyd “Money” Mayweather, 46-0 (26) was making in excess of 36 million in what seemed to be the second toughest fight of his career (1st Castillo fight) the WBO Latino light welterweight champion Cesar Rene Cuenca, 47-0 (2), of Buenos Aires was in his home country Saturday of Argentina winning an elimination bout over Albert Mensah, 27-4-1 (12), of Ghana now out of Joliet, IL, to meet IBF junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson.
Cuenca is a southpaw ranked No. 3 by the IBF while Mensah is No. 5. The No. 1 & 2 spots are “not rated”. The 33 year old Cuenca is No. 4 in the WBO and No. 7 in the WBC. He has won numerous titles like the WBC Latino and Argentina (FAB) titles in a career going back to 2002. He has never fought out of Argentina. Mayweather added the WBA welterweight title to his WBC title and also holds the WBA and WBC super welterweight titles.
After viewing the Mayweather win over Marcos Maidana, 35-3 (31), also of Argentina, in which this writer agreed with FL judge Mike Pernick 114-114, Maidana deserves a rematch. He lost to Amir Kahn in 2010 but after Kahn’s showing with Luis Collazo I don’t think the fans consider him the threat to Mayweather that Maidana does. The two “good old boys” Nevada judges Bert A. Clements (62) scored it 117-111 and Dave Moretti (69), 116-112 for Mayweather.
If it’s going to take a knockout to defeat Mayweather it won’t be by Ceunca who only has 2, yes 2 in his 47 wins. Mayweather now lives in Las Vegas, NV, with 23 of his 46 fight being fought in NV. His last 11 fights have been in NV. Moretti has worked 8 of them and Clements 3.
The “race” to catch or surpass Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record is still on. Mayweather’s Showtime contract runs thru his 50th fight and Cuenca will be against his toughest foe to date in meeting Peterson.
