If Floyd Mayweather taught us anything on Saturday night, after derailing WBA welterweight champion (a belt that is now vacant due to Mayweather?s refusal to pay the $675,000 sanctioning fee) Shane Mosley with a virtuoso performance over twelve rounds it is quite simply: jealousy is a punch not even ?Money? Mayweather?s shoulder can roll.
Immediately after Bob Arum pulled the plug on negotiations between Mayweather and the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao last winter media pundits and all of press row clamored for Mayweather to finally take on a legit welterweight threat. This buzz was heightened when Andre Berto pulled out of his January 30th showdown with Mosley after an earthquake to his native of Haiti struck causing unforeseeable damages.
Mosley, despite being two years shy of 40 and having not fought in over a year, was coming off the destruction of then champion Antonio Margarito in a fight no one believed he could win. Now, with the path wide open for a Mayweather-Mosley bout, everyone believed this was the fight to be made; accepting any form of a substitute would be despicable.
This past Saturday, in front of over 15,000 fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, every critic who felt Mayweather ducked and dodged his way to comfy welterweight ranking got their wish.
Aside from the second round, which saw Mayweather pull straight back, giving Mosley the opportunity to land a massive right hand that wobbled the Grand Rapids, Michigan native for one of the few times in his career, followed by a second overhand shot just above the ear later in the round that staggered Mayweather and nearly dropped him, there wasn?t much to smile about if you were like the masses, expecting the size and strength of Mosley to dominate Mayweather and hand him his first professional loss since turning pro in 1996.
Instead Mayweather was Mayweather ? well, sort of. Mayweather left his track shoes (the one?s he wore against Carlos Baldomir that you can still read about on message boards to this day) at home, choosing rather to stand in the pocket right in front of Mosley and exchange punches for every round after the second — that?s ten straight, for those lacking in mathematical precision.
Mayweather pushed the action, even walking down Mosley during the latter part of the fight. Mosley fought on par with the predictions of Roger Mayweather and Floyd Sr.; he didn?t throw much of a jab and fought jittery throughout the entire night. When Mosley finally got the courage to throw something meaningful he was reminded with a snapping right hand counter or quick left hook that sent his head bouncing back like a bobble head doll.
Going in to the bout nobody expected Mayweather to stop Shane Mosley. Nobody with half a brain anyway. But it almost happened, and quite possibly could have happened had Mosley sold out and gone for pay dirt instead of understanding mid way through he wasn?t going to pull the fight out and would rather opt for losing a decision.
If Mayweather hoped to soak in the glory of beating Mosley, he had better think again. Immediately after putting on, perhaps, the best performance of his hall of fame career the questions were stirred over to Manny Pacquaio, and if a drug testing procedure can be agreed upon to give boxing fan?s the sport?s biggest fight in eons.
One has to wonder, however, if Mayweather will get any credit for beating Shane Mosley in the meantime. This is the same Mosley that Freddie Roach wanted nothing to do with when approached with the possibility of his bread and butter, Pacquaio, stepping in to the ring with the Sugar man.
Mosley is also 38 years old and was inactive for over a year. His last win came against Antonio Margarito, the same Margarito that Mayweather opted against facing for reports of 8 million dollars, instead fighting the recognized, yet vastly unknown, Carlos Baldomir. So either Mayweather ducked Margarito because he didn?t want to fight a legit welterweight champion (or maybe he didn?t want his career in ruins, ala Miguel Cotto?), or he just beat the man who beat the man, thus making him the man. Maybe fight scribe Steve Kim can clear that up.
I can?t buy in to the notion that Mosley ?got old overnight? as many people will attest to. Even with most of press row expecting a Mayweather win (when haven?t they?) the truth to the matter is Mosley wasn?t effective because Mayweather outsmarted him en route to a dominating victory. Mosley is still a top draw in the division who will give any fighter not named Floyd Mayweather fits.
And now comes the issue with Manny Pacquaio. If egos can be pushed aside, I can honestly see Mayweather opening as an underdog, despite the performance he put together last Saturday. Most critics will point to the second round and note if a 38 year old Mosley can stun Mayweather, Pacquiao can certainly get the job done.
I?m not going to call them a liar, either. Pacquaio is a special fighter who throws combinations from many different angles. He?s the only fight that means anything to Floyd Mayweather right now, and for good reason ? because he?s just that damn good. But if I look at it earnestly, it?s hard to imagine Pacquaio blowing Mayweather out. Yes, I get the Filipino star took out Ricky Hatton and Oscar De la Hoya in a much quicker and menacing fashion as ?Money.?
But hell, weren?t both of those fighters considered shot before Mayweather spanked them? I certainly remember hearing that. So why in God?s name are we feeding Pacquaio?s victories over common opponents to the public with a silver spoon? It?s all perception. That?s the best guess I can come up with.
Imagine if Mayweather beats Pacquaio handedly ? much the way he did Mosley. He gets buzzed, maybe even dropped, but ends up winning a clear cut decision. How long before there?s an outcry complaining that Mayweather was too big for Pacquaio ? because, while I can?t say Mayweather beats Pacquaio (I see it as a 50/50 fight), I can tell you right now Mayweather is going to make Pacquaio look real small. I don?t believe size alone wins fights, so the bout is still compelling and I consider it a pick-em bout. But you know damn well there are people who will feast on that if a Mayweather victory happens because of the pure hate that the mere mention of ?Money Mayweather? generates to the masses. And hey, everyone?s entitled to an opinion. Factual or not.
And let us say Pacquaio beats Mayweather. Let us assume he blows him out ala Tyson-Tubbs from Tokyo. Then what? Does Mayweather suddenly become a glass chinned underachiever who cherry picked his way to the top of the sport? Does he become exposed?
It?s an interesting argument, because for every critic that demoralizes Mayweather?s career accomplishments with one hand, he or she must then downgrade the significance of what would certainly be Pacquaio?s career-defining win.
Which way is it? Are fighters like Mayweather and Pacquaio good enough by today?s standards or aren?t they?
It?s all perception.
This, to some extent, makes the sport what it is and will make for a very interesting year, none the less.
