Floyd Mayweather running out of options if Pacquiao won't fight

Floyd Mayweather has revealed his classy victory over Miguel Cotto could be his last if a potential mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao fails to get the green light.

Calls for a bout between the best two pound-for-pound boxers on the planet have once again hit fever pitch after Mayweather’s unanimous decision over Cotto on Sunday, which extended his record to a perfect 43-0.

But with the pair no closer to working out a deal than they were when negotiations first took place three years ago, the loud-mouth American admitted a dearth of quality opponents could force him to hang up his gloves - depriving the world of the most anticipated clash in 20 years.

“There’s nobody out there for me. I can’t really tell you where my career’s going from here,” the talented

35-year-old said. “I fought everybody basically.

There’s nothing but the young, strong pups coming up.”

Such talk from the new WBA light-middleweight champion should be taken with a grain of salt considering he’s already come out of retirement once before and, in the lead-up to the Cotto fight, claimed he wanted to keep going for another two years.

But while he’ll definitely be inactive for the short-term - Mayweather begins an 87-day prison sentence for assault on June 1 - failure to agree to terms with the Filipino fury does leave his options severely limited.

One likely opponent could be Pacquiao protege Amir Khan, providing the British hope avenges last year’s controversial defeat to Lamont Peterson later this month.

Mexican sensation Saul Alvarez also looms as an enticing prospect after putting former champion Shane Mosley through the wringer on Sunday’s undercard, although promoter Oscar De La Hoya insists the 21-year-old is still 12 months away from testing himself against the best.

Meanwhile, the man known as ‘Money’ claims the victory over Cotto proves he can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

Mayweather, a counter-punching specialist, has been accused of being too defensive, but he said: “I could have stayed on the outside and just out-boxed him all day. But I looked for the knockout and he’s tough as hell.”