Los Angeles – If one believed the spin emanating from 626 Wilshire Boulevard regarding Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley’s intriguing match-up on Saturday night, the victor could be considered the best welterweight in the world.
After all, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Cronies +are quick to point out that Floyd Mayweather holds a split decision victory over Oscar himself and is undefeated, while Mosley is the owner of two De La Hoya victories and a one-sided destruction of the once feared and avoided welterweight Antonio Margarito.
Mayweather and Mosley are clearly world-class, elite fighters, two of the best America has produced during the last two decades, but their appearance in a boxing ring does not give the victor of the struggle automatic dibs on the welterweight throne.
A Filipino phenom stands in the way of Mayweather or Mosley’s potential claim to boxing’s 147 pound landscape.
Remember Manny Pacquiao Golden Boy Promotions?
In case you forgot, he is the man who Oscar tried to lure away from Top Rank with a brief case full of cold, hard cash before the competing promotional firms decided to split the Filipino’s promotional rights.
Pacquiao is the one who made De La Hoya quit on his stool, while Mayweather and Mosley could only snatch victory from the jaws of defeat via judges’ decisions.
While Mosley was defeated by Miguel Cotto over twelve rounds and Mayweather never stepped in the ring with the dangerous Puerto Rican, Manny Pacquiao beat the Boricua from pillar to post last November.
Pacquiao is the man Mosley was willing to fight at any weight in search of a pay day and Mayweather dodged by putting up requests for Olympic style drug testing never seen in boxing.
Mr. Larry Merchant, HBO Boxing analyst and longtime fight man, summed it up best when I questioned him about the winner of Mosley – Mayweather and their viability of being proclaimed the best welterweight in the world.
Merchant quickly responded, “I think one of them is going to have to beat Manny Pacquiao.”
