There is still much discussion about when and if Manny Pacquiao will meet up with Floyd Mayweather in the superfight we’ve all been hoping for, but interestingly the result of Shane Mosley and Andre Berto’s January 30 fight could impact the significance of the bout.
Obviously with a fight of this magnitude simply being the winner is far more important than any belt that can be gained. The fight will likely be seen as determining the finest boxer of this generation, and it’s hard to beat that. Pacquiao’s recently won WBO belt is almost entirely incidental.
But there is also a chance that the fight could be for the Ring Magazine welterweight title. Right now the rankings of the venerable magazine have Manny Pacquiao at number one, Shane Mosley at number two, and Floyd Mayweather at number three. To be awarded the Ring Magazine title, which is now vacant following Floyd Mayweather’s brief retirement, it is necessary for the top two fighters in the division to meet. Or sometimes, in special circumstances, numbers one and three.
If Shane Mosley were to win his January fight with Andre Berto he would likely remain in his current position, and it is doubtful Ring would grant an exemption for Pacquiao/Mayweather. If, however, Andre Berto – currently Ring’s seventh ranked welterweight – were to score the upset it is unlikely he would move in front of Mayweather in the rankings.
That would mean that Pacquiao and Mayweather would have the top two positions, clearing the way for the fight to determine the welterweight Ring champion.
For Mayweather, he would become one of an exclusive group to regain his legitimate welterweight championship.
But for Pacquiao the Ring belt would hold even more significance. Pacquiao already has a record four linear/Ring titles at flyweight, featherweight, super featherweight, and junior welterweight. Winning the welterweight belt would give him five Ring belts, two more than any other fighter in history.
The victory would also give him belts in three of the original eight weight classes: flyweight, featherweight, and welterweight. Only a handful of fighters in history have accomplished such a feat, including Henry Armstrong, whom Pacquiao has recently been compared with. No fighter has ever done such a thing in non-consecutive divisions, as Pacquiao would be attempting to do.
i hope Shane Mosely is able to win his fight with Andre Berto, he is the only potential opponent worthy of fighting the winner of a Pacquiao/Mayweather superfight. But, if he were to lose, even more history could be on the line.
