Why should/shouldn't Floyd fight Alvarez?

After his dismantling of Robert Guerrero on May 4, its clear Floyd Mayweather Jr. has what it takes to fulfill his six-fight deal with SHOWTIME. Although Guerrero shouldn’t be confused with any of the all-time greats, he is still an excellent fighter in his prime. It was a win Mayweather needed to keep his place amongst the best in the sport.

Many in the boxing world are hoping Mayweather’s next fight in September is against Canelo Alvarez. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer confirmed in an ESPN.com report that he is in discussions with Alvarez and Mayweather for a September bout.

Considering the scope of Mayweather’s deal with SHOWTIME, that isn’t likely to happen, at least not in September. Should Mayweather wait until the fall/winter of 2014 or early 2015 to fight Alvarez? Should he fight him now?

Below are the pros and cons of both scenarios.

Mayweather, although undefeated and considered the best boxer in the world, has been criticized for not fighting other all-time greats. While it’s not necessarily his fault that there aren’t a ton of talented fighters for him to choose from, not fighting Manny Pacquiao in 2010 or 2011, when the Filipino Congressman was at the top of his game, hurt Mayweather’s profile.

The Neutral Corner posted its list of preferred fighters for Floyd. But who his next opponent is could depend on the name. Fighting Alvarez would probaby guarantee a pay-per-view number north of the 1.5 million Mayweather did against Miguel Cotto. We're not so sure he can do the same fighting the likes of Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Lucas Matthysse, etc...

So yes, in order to further cement his status as an all-time great, to keep boxing fans happy and his pay-per-view numbers up, Mayweather should fight Alvarez in September.

So no, if he wants to continue to pad his record (44-0), keep piling up the pay-per-view buys and keep the SHOWTIME bosses happy, he won’t fight Alvarez until the fourth or fifth fight of the deal.