Don’t be fooled by Floyd Jr. ballyhoo

The script is more predictable than any episode of "CSI-somewhere-or-the-other."

They will hold a news conference in Los Angeles today and, in a most dramatic and elaborate manner, those who promote Floyd Mayweather Jr. will again proclaim the final fight of the pound-for-pound king's career will occur against Andre Berto on Sept. 12 at the MGM Grand Garden.

How else could they possibly hope to market this farce of a matchup?

Those savvy business types who have so brilliantly crafted the illusion that Mayweather has engaged a catalog of deserving and worthy opponents in the past decade just might have met their match in Berto.

He has lost three of his past six fights and is entitled to this opportunity like I am a starting role with the Lakers.

But it's obvious that after a historic payday from beating Manny Pacquiao in May, Mayweather desires his 49th professional fight to be an uncontested layup. He is, at some sports books around town, a 50-1 favorite to dispose of Berto like you might a pair of old, worn shoes.

Mayweather might as well climb a ladder and simply place the ball through a hoop. Why bother jumping?

You will be asked to pay $75 to watch this sham in high definition, which means reports about Mayweather and Showtime offering the fight for free on CBS and not demanding another pay-per-view ransom were about as true as this being his final fight. Something about not having the time to sell enough advertising to cover costs, including the $35 million Mayweather will reportedly earn for converting the layup.

There's not much free to any of that.

I don't know much about Leslie Moonves, other than he is president and CEO of CBS and can probably afford to add a few pumps of syrup to his frappuccino. But as a guess, I would suppose if you hooked him up to a polygraph test and asked if he believes Showtime has reaped all the benefits it forecast when signing Mayweather to a six-fight, $250 million deal, anything other than a negative response would cause the needle to move like a toddler on sugar overload.

The fight against Pacquiao lined the pockets of all involved for generations to come and continues to generate revenue, only now for attorney fees attached to lawsuits claiming fraud, ones that have as much chance at winning inside a courtroom as Berto does the ring.

But the six-fight package has included bouts against his-father-is-tougher-than-him Robert Guerrero, a not-ready-for-the-moment Canelo Alvarez and a capable-but-outmatched Marcos Maidana (twice).

Now we get Berto.

Who, by the way, lost to his-father-is-tougher-than-him Robert Guerrero.

Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, told reporters Tuesday his company's relationship with Mayweather has "exceeded our grandest expectations."

I'm pretty sure his fingers were crossed at the time.

He also said Mayweather has never hesitated to take on the best fighters in his division, meaning that in Espinoza we have a guy who televises major boxing cards for a living and yet apparently never has heard the names Amir Khan or Keith Thurman or Timothy Bradley or Shawn Porter.

The only logical promotion is to sell this as Mayweather's final fight of an undefeated Hall of Fame career and hope enough people (suckers) buy it. Mayweather and his promoters will scoff at the notion that a 50th fight awaits in the new MGM-AEG Arena behind New York-New York. They will insist that making even more money for such a moment doesn't mean anything, that the fighter doesn't need another mansion or Bugatti.

Which would be like Leonardo DiCaprio saying he doesn't need any more dates.

There is no such thing as having enough money, especially for someone whose entire existence is defined by it.

But for the next 40 days or so, these are the things you will hear from Mayweather's camp, along with how aggressive and exciting and dangerous Berto is, except, I gather, when he's not getting stopped in the 12th round by the likes of Jesus Soto Karass and his mighty 28-10-3 record.

The hype begins today at a news conference in Los Angeles.

Tread carefully in believing anything that is said.

Yes, even more so than you might when it comes to boxing.

This isn't Mayweather's final fight, and Berto doesn't have a prayer at waking up as Buster Douglas on Sept. 12, points that will be proven in time.

There is no miracle waiting to happen.

"That's a fact. This is Floyd's last fight," Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told reporters this week. "I'm not trying to sell it that way."

Sure he is.

He sure can't sell the actual fight.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be a heard on "Seat and Ed" on Fox Sports 1340 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow him: @edgraney