TheCelebrityCafe.com Staff Mayweather has not fought since defeating Shane Mosley by unanimous decision on May 1, 2010 Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. hits a heavy bag during a media workout at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Nevada April 14, 2010. Mayweather will fight WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley for the title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BOXING)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will end his 16-month layoff on September 17, when he squares off against WBC welterweight titleholder Victor Ortiz in a bout that is expected to take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“My fans have been waiting long enough,” Mayweather, 34, tweeted Tuesday.
Mayweather, a former world champion in five different weight classes, has not fought since he defeated Shane Mosley by unanimous decision in May 2010. He has only fought twice in roughly four years, including the aforementioned victory over a past-his-prime Mosley and a decision win over a far lighter Juan Manuel Marquez in September 2009.
The vast majority of Mayweather’s recent battles have occurred outside the ring, where he has been charged in three separate cases for run-ins with Las Vegas police and a domestic violence incident involving an ex-girlfriend.
Ortiz, 24, is a legitimate challenger who is expected to pose a different threat than Mayweather’s recent opponents. An ascending and charismatic star with quick, heavy hands, the Mexican-American standout is an exciting action fighter who is coming off a thrilling victory over the previously unbeaten Andre Berto.
Nate Jones, one of Mayweather’s assistant trainers, tells The Los Angeles Times that the Ortiz bout could serve as a prelude to a long-awaited fight against current pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in 2012.