Floyd Mayweather Signs to Fight Shane Mosley
By Scotty L of Predictem.com Boxing
Floyd Mayweather has signed to fight Shane Mosley on the first of May. After believing Mayweather-Pacquiao was finalized several times without ever coming to fruition, one is almost inclined to wait for something more official like a press conference to confirm that this fight is a go. All relevant parties involved have confirmed the signing, so it would be almost unfathomable if this fight did not materialize.
Obviously, the boxing world wanted to see Pretty Boy Floyd “Money” Mayweather fight pound-for-pound number-one Manny Pacquiao. Disputes arising from drug tests collapsed the negotiations. Pacquiao signed to fight welterweight contender Joshua Clottey instead. Mayweather seemed in a bad spot and it looked like he would have to sign to fight a lesser fighter. “Sugar” Shane Mosley was scheduled to fight rising young champion, Haitian-American Andre Berto, but in light of the earthquake in Haiti, Berto pulled out, with some of his family unaccounted for and his mind not on fighting.
As soon as Berto pulled out, boxing fans were unanimous in their urging of Mayweather and Mosley to make this fight. Negotiations apparently went smoothly, as Mosley acquiesced to Mayweathers call for Olympic-style drug testing. Unlike with Pacquiao, there are some grounds for Mayweathers insistence on elevated drug testing standards with Mosley, as he has admitted PED use during his ties with BALCO. Mosley claims he was duped into taking them and a lawsuit is pending.
Mayweather now comes out smelling like a rose. He gets a fight that will silence the growing number of fans who have long claimed he avoids tough challenges. In addition, he has cast a shadow on his only rival for the number-one pound-for-pound titleManny Pacquiao, who many felt looked guilty by refusing to subjugate himself to the will of Mayweather.
At the end of the day, Mayweather got out of a fight against the most dangerous fighter in the sport and instead gets a 38 year-old who will have been inactive for 16 months by fight night. This is no ordinary 38 year-old fighter, however. Sugar Shane Mosley is the WBA Welterweight Champion with a Hall of Fame resume already in place. In his last fight, he beat large favorite Antonio Margarito in a hallmark performance.
Its a little disappointing that Mosley couldnt build on that performance. 16 months out of the ring has a way of killing positive momentum. Mayweather himself has only had one fight since December of 2007, so perhaps that evens things out a bit in the inactivity department. Sugar Shane might be a bit more battle-tempered, having fought the tougher opposition as of late. He could also be the more battle-worn of the two.
Mosley is a difficult fighter to size up. He was killing everybody he fought at lightweight, then moved up and became the first guy to really beat Oscar De La Hoya. From 2000-2001, he was at the top. Amazingly, he only won one of his next 6 fights starting in 2002, with that win being a highly debatable rematch decision over De La Hoya. He dropped two decisions each to the late Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, sandwiching a no-contest with Raul Marquez. He was all but written off.
He rebuilt with a series of wins, including two knockouts over Fernando Vargas. He then fought valiantly in losing to undefeated Miguel Cotto. After a shaky-looking performance against Ricardo Mayorga, it looked like Mosley had officially begun the downward descent down the proverbial hill. He was considered an afterthought against the fearsome Margarito. There was a feeling of doom surrounding the fight for longtime Mosley fans. That made it all the more shocking when Mosley dominated every nanosecond of the fight, laying into Margarito with zeal for a ninth-round TKO. It wasnt even close. Later, it was revealed that Margarito had attempted to enter the ring with plaster in his gloves. Getting busted before the fight could possibly have taken his head out of the fight.
Nevertheless, that win put Mosley back on top. At his age, he decided it would be wise to pick his spot and get a big fight. That big fight didnt come right away. Mosley even uncharacteristically went into the ring after Mayweathers fight in September and challenged him in a heated exchange. With Mayweather tied up in negotiations, Mosley went ahead and signed to fight Berto in exactly the type of high-risk/low-reward fight he was trying to avoid.
Both men have said after the signing that they have wanted this fight for ten years. The boxing world agrees, but better late than never. We want the genuine good guy Mosley to get his last chance to stamp an exclamation point on his greatness. We want Mayweather to finally test himself against a standout in the talent-rich welterweight division that he has occupied for over four years. We get both in one fight.
Both are extremely quick-handed veterans of the highest order. Mayweather, undefeated at 40-0 with 25 knockouts, has won titles in 5 different weight classes. A strong consensus exists among objective observers that he has fought relatively weak opposition since 2002 for a fighter of his immense talent and standing. Mosley, 46-5 with 39 knockouts, has lost some fights, but his two wins over a prime De La Hoya and his throttling of Antonio Margarito give him a stronger list of victims. Regardless, there is palpable electricity in the air of the boxing world as we await this momentous match-up.
The early betting odds have Floyd Mayweather at about a 2.5 to 1 favorite. This will be the boxing-betting event of the year, with a slew of different and interesting proposition bets available that even the casual fan should find tantalizing. You can count on Predictem.com to provide a thorough breakdown and wagering analysis as we approach fight night.
Until then, good luck with your bets!
