Al Bernstein: “The one fighter I’d like to see Floyd Mayweather face before he retires is Keith Thurman.”

I recently had the opportunity to interview Hall of Fame commentator, Al Bernstein. Al is one of the most well known and respected analysts in the game. The topics discussed in this interview include, the Mayweather-Maidana rematch and what differences the second bout could present, Miguel Cotto’s victory over Sergio Martinez, Pacquiao-Mayweather possible match. Here is what Al Bernstein had to say in part 2 of his interview.

Robert Brown: What are some of the adjustments that both fighters can make in the second fight?

Al Bernstein: Maidana has improved his jab under Robert Garcia dramatically and I think he can use it even more. I think you’re gonna see even more of the jab of Maidana and I think it’s gonna lead to other things. That’s one of the adjustments he’s gonna make, he’s gonna take something he did well in the first fight and instead of changing something he didn’t do well, he’s gonna add on to something he did well.

For Mayweather, I think the second part of that fight he was able to stay off the ropes, keep things in the center of the ring and use just enough movement and not let Maidana jab. When Maidana jabbed his way in, Mayweather during the first half of the fight never got off first so Maidana was able to get inside.

The second part of the fight, Mayweather did get off first, so I think you’re gonna be seeing Floyd Mayweather try be first in this fight so that he can keep the fight in the center of the ring and not be pushed back to the ropes.

Robert Brown: Are you expecting this to be a close fight again?

Al Bernstein: I think the rematch is gonna be close. I don’t know who’s gonna win it. In my mind I think it’s gonna be much like the first one. I had the first one scored one point for Mayweather and I really think we’re gonna see a replay of the first one. We’ll see how it plays out.

Robert Brown: After Maidana, I think Mayweather has two fights left. What fights would you like to see, and what fights do you think we will see?

Al Bernstein: Assuming he beats Maidana. If he loses to Maidana, we’ll see a third Maidana fight, I’m sure. The one fighter I’d like to see him face before he retires is Keith Thurman.

I think Keith Thurman is gonna be the best welterweight in the world within a year or two, whether that comes before Floyd Mayweather retires or after. Of course there’s a lot of other welterweights to be considered in the argument when Mayweather’s gone. I think Thurman at 25 years old is the most talented fighters in the division and could be one of the best pound-for-pound in boxing in about 18 months to 2 years.

Robert Brown: It’s coming down to the end of Mayweather’s career. Do you see any possibility that he’s gonna fight Pacquiao at all?

Al Bernstein: No I don’t think so. Anything’s possible I guess but I can’t see it. After this, he’s got presumably two more fights, two more left in his Showtime deal. There’s too many things that stand in the way, he and Bob Arum don’t do business together, there’s the network situation between HBO and Showtime in the United States . There’s too many issues to be surmounted for that fight to happen. I think that’s just one that’s gonna slip by and the world will not see it.

Robert Brown: Are people getting carried away with Miguel Cotto’s victory over Sergio Martinez?

Al Bernstein: I think he was damaged goods in that fight. That wasn’t the same Sergio Martinez that we had seen, and Cotto performed very well in that fight, he did a great job. You can’t take anything away from him, but I think that was a damaged Sergio Martinez — he was never right, I don’t think his legs were good for that fight and I hope he retires.

I talked to Sampson Lewkowicz — his adviser — and he was going down to Argentina and he was gonna strongly urge Martinez to retire, and I think we may see that. Clearly that was not the Sergio Martinez we’d seen before. We had started to see the erosion. Once he got that injury towards the end of the Chavez Jr. fight, he wasn’t the same against Murray in the next fight and he had that long lay off because of injuries.

A healthy Sergio Martinez, and a completely focused one, honestly should have beaten Miguel Cotto because Cotto was coming up. Remember, Austin Trout had beaten Cotto a year or so before that, and Austin Trout is a smaller and not as heavy hitting version of Sergio Martinez.

Robert Brown: We got a milestone coming up for ShowBox, the 200th episode, it’s a massive achievement. How do you feel about that?

Al Bernstein: The ShowBox series is very special. Gordon Hall is the executive producer and my friend Steve Farhood has been there all through the years along with the late and terrific Nick Charles, Barry Tompkins, and Raul Marquez. That show’s produced almost 50 world champions that have fought on there and then gone on to win titles.

It is clearly a series that shows us the up and coming young fighters and what it does is it matches them tough, which is the key point. There’s been a lot of upsets on that series and a lot of great fights. I think it’s remarkable with that milestone coming up and I offer great congratulations to our colleges that work on that show. It’s pretty extraordinary.