Mayweather and Pacquiao

Canelo Alvarez, left, lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a controversial decision. It was his only defeat.

The fight of the century is over, but it may not turn out to be the fight of the year.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night in Las Vegas was far from electrifying and had some fans grumbling about Mayweather’s methodical defensive style.

The heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, was also panned after successfully defending his title a week ago in a bout that mostly showed off his repetitive jabbing and ability to hold.

Given that both bouts were not as entertaining as they could have been, The Ring magazine’s ranking of Mayweather, Klitschko and Pacquiao as Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the world, is somewhat disheartening.

Luckily, beyond the big three there are a number of outstanding lesser known boxers who are fighting in the near future with a good chance to produce some exciting bouts.

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The first one comes on Saturday, when Saul Alvarez, known as el Canelo, the Mexican junior middleweight, fights in Houston. Alvarez is 42-1-1, his only loss coming to Mayweather in a controversial majority decision. He is a fierce combination puncher who is much more offensive-minded than Mayweather. His opponent, James Kirkland, an American knockout specialist, is 32-1 and has at least a puncher’s chance to make it interesting.

Even better is the lineup at the Forum in Los Angeles the next Saturday, May 16. Roman Gonzalez, the Nicaraguan flyweight whom The Ring considers the fourth best fighter in the world, is 42-0. Known as el Chocolatito, he has taken on and knocked out many of the top fighters in his weight class, but he is often overlooked because of his small size, 5 feet 2 inches, 112 pounds. Never has the “size of the fight in the dog” adage been truer than with Gonzalez, who fires off flurries of punches that heavyweights can only dream of, and can take a punch, too.

On the same card is one of the most exciting fighters in the world, Gennady Golovkin. The last 18 men who got in the ring with him were knocked out, some of them in spectacularly brutal fashion. Golovkin is known for the frequency of his bouts, having won a fight as recently as February. He knocked out three foes in 2014 and four in 2013.

Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan has knocked out his last 18 opponents.

His opponent, Willie Monroe Jr., won a tournament called Boxcino on ESPN, but like many of Golovkin’s recent opponents, he seems overmatched. Still, a brawl that ends with a devastating knockout is usually a lot more entertaining than an even matchup that devolves into a tactical bore.

At some point soon, Golovkin may fight a big name. It might be Alvarez, or it might be the veteran Miguel Cotto. After losses to Mayweather and the unheralded Austin Trout, the versatile Cotto seemed to be on the downswing. But an upset over Sergio Martinez last June thrust him back into the middleweight picture. He will fight again June 6 in Brooklyn against another veteran, the Australian Daniel Geale, who was one of Golovkin’s recent victims.

Another who has fight fans excited is the featherweight Nicholas Walters, an undefeated Jamaican featherweight. He grabbed a world title with an upset of Nonito Donaire in a back-and-forth bout in which both men were rocked. He is to fight at Madison Square Garden on June 13, though no opponent has yet been announced.

Andre Ward, at 27-0 the best supermiddleweight for years, has been out of the ring since 2013 because of a long dispute with promoters. Ward, who some consider the best technical boxer in the world, finally returns June 20 against a British fighter, Paul Smith.

There are no bouts coming for some of the world’s other top fighters, including the junior featherweight king Guillermo Rigondeaux, the light heavyweight Adonis Stevenson and the junior lightweight Terence Crawford, but they all should fight again before the year is out.

There is plenty to watch in the months ahead. Or if you prefer, there’s always the possibility of a Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch.