Mayweather vs. Mosley proved definitively that Floyd is simply on another level to the majority of fighters in his weight class, and that he can beat bigger fighters when occasion demands.
There were other questions raised last night though despite the dominant victory, the most prominent of which is what comes next for both fighters.
Because of his inextricable link to the outcome of the fight, divisional and pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao is also affected by the result.
Next for Mayweather
In his post fight interviews, Mayweather stated that he was open to fighting anyone, including Sergio Martinez and Manny Pacquiao, so long as his testing demands were met of course.
The Martinez fight is an intriguing prospect, and would truly prove Mayweather isn’t scared of fighting bigger, stronger men. Martinez is a small middleweight, but would provide an intriguing challenge for Mayweather, who looked to be the stronger man last night against Mosley. Martinez’s skill and speed would potentially make for an epic bout against Mosley, and although currently Martinez isn’t a huge draw, the fight could also be a big seller.
Never having been the most active of fighters though, it might be another year before we see Mayweather back in the ring again whoever he fights. Pacquiao and Top Rank will be looking for a quick turnaround in their negotiations, probably for the fight to happen before the end of the year. Mayweather might not want to fight again as soon as that though, especially with the kind of money he is thought to have made form last night’s drubbing of Shane Mosley.
“The ultimate goal it to try to find a fighter than can beat me. There’s a lot of young tough fighters out there that I take my hat off to, that I want to see do well”-Mayweather post fight
Next for Shane Mosley
Last night Mosley was simply outclassed by Mayweather, which might have been due to his age or simply a lack of comparable skill to Floyd. After his loss, many are already calling for Mosley’s retirement, but losing to Floyd Mayweather isn’t something that necessarily means he is completely shot as a fighter. Against come forward type fighters, Mosley would probably still have a lot of success, and even at 38 remains one of the bets fighters in the division. Bouts with either Andre Berto or Joshua Clottey are still winnable for Mosley, and he has already proved that he can handle fighting at a bigger weight.
Mayweather insinuated that Mosley needed the kind of big fight he got last night because he was short of cash. Even going to far as saying that Mosley took a loan from Oscar De La Hoya because he was so short of cash after his divorce. If there is any truth to this, then after yesterday Mosley should have more than enough money to retire if he doesn’t really feel he has it anymore.
“I will go back home and look at the tape, take it slow when I get home and we’ll see what happens.”-Mosley post fight.
Next for Pacquiao
As much as everyone wants the Mayweather fight to come next, Floyd having won last night doesn’t really change anything with regards to the negotiation difficulties they encountered the first time. Pacquiao reiterated last night during his commentary for Philippines television that his stance towards the testing issue remains unchanged, and is still at 24 days cutoff. During the negotiations Mayweather and Golden Boy would agree to 14 days and no more. There is room there for a compromise, as Freddie Roach suggested perhaps 17 days would appease both parties, although whether either will move from their current stances isn’t yet clear.
Outside of Mayweather though, Antonio Margarito still seems like the most likely match up for Pacquiao in the fall.Margarito returns from his suspension this month against Robeto Garcia in Mexico, and will try to regain his U.S licenses from there. Despite being heavily criticized in the media for his actions though, it looks likely he will eventually fight in the United States again. A Pacquiao vs. Margarito showdown in the Cowboys stadium looks like the most likely next big bout of the year.
“For me, as long as the drug test is not done close to the match, I’ll agree because if they’ll get blood from me close to the match, it will be a disadvantage for me because I’m smaller and he’s big.” -Pacquiao speaking on Philippines radio last night.
Angus, Pittsburgh: “Martinez vs. Mayweather would be a lot better than Pac vs Floyd. I think Martinez has the skills and speed to catch him as well”
Frank Cullins, Pittsburgh: “Mosley needs to stick to beating up on guys who can’t box because he was outclassed last night. I still think he would beat Berto so he doesn’t need to retire just yet”
Brandon Sellers, Pittsburgh: “Pac and Mayweather agreed to fight a long time ago, all the speculation and testing talk now is juts to hype the fight up”
