It resulted in a mismatch, but prizefight sage Larry Merchant took extra care and gave Floyd Mayweather Jr.?s regal resurgence a different label.
Always sharp and straight to the point, Merchant congratulated Mayweather for his ?clearly decisive? win.
That was kind and tame, considering how Shane Mosley himself later confirmed that it was Mayweather?s classic all-around skills that rendered him totally ineffective, except for a brief moment in the second round of the 12-round contest.
* * *
The great thing out there at MGM Grand over the weekend was the way Mayweather managed to beat his old, over-cautious self.
He boxed gallantly, aggressively while not leaving anything to chance.
Sharp and clear-eyed, he put up a two-fisted shooting show in making Mosley appear terribly overrated.
Ever nimble, Mayweather was also a floating phantom of delight, a sight that must?ve made ringsiders wonder if he had helium, not plain oxygen, in his tank.
* * *
So, was Mayweather simply too good that the bout failed to live up to expectations?
Looked like it. But fans became truly desperate when the chance for the dream bout between Mayweather and Filipino super hero Manny Pacquiao turned slimmer than ever.
OK, Pacquiao is officially recognized as the world?s pound-for-pound king, but the debate on who?s truly the best boxer on the planet has also turned grimmer.
In fact, many Americans at MGM Grand on Saturday must?ve started to insist after the Mayweather-Mosley bout that the best boxer in the world today doesn?t reside in Sarangani, Philippines.
* * *
It?s like this: While they were trying to break the impasse on the controversial, bloody drug testing, there came one offer that could help rechart the aborted dream bout.
A group of wet-market fans yesterday said Mayweather, for all that he has proven lately, must be given a title of his own.
It?s a little corny, but they also claimed that one happy reality surfaced following the Mayweather-Mosley slug-out.
They said that a new boxing galaxy, similar to the one ruled by pound-for-pound king Pacquiao, has suddenly emerged.
* * *
They call this the Punch-for-Punch Kingdom.
As can only be expected, its leadership has been awarded to Mayweather, following his well-rounded stand against Mosley.
Actually, pound-for-pound and punch-for-punch can be one and the same.
However, there?s this offer to stage one unification fight.
With this wild pitch comes the call for a single powerful body, maybe the Nevada State Athletic Commission, to supervise the championship by providing all pertinent rules.
In the first place, why should Mayweather dictate the championship terms when all he holds is only half of the galactic diadem?
