Is Floyd Mayweather Jr returning to the ring?

A source says he's sparring and trying to plan a return to the ring on July 11!

According to an article I read on ESPN by Dan Rafael, former pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr has been in the gym sparring and is itching to make a return to the ring. Mayweather has not seen action since December of 2007, when he knocked out Ricky Hatton in 10 rounds to retain the WBC welterweight championship of the world. After a rematch with Oscar De la hoya had been scheduled for September 20 of last year, Mayweather humbly announced his retirement from the sport of boxing.

Such news is reassuring to read, but I would like to hear it or read it from either Floyd Mayweather, Jr or his advisor and close confident Leonard Ellerbe rather than just a source. There are so many sources out there these days, right down to a simple cab driver or security officer, who has absolutely no legitimate projection of an athlete's future business endeavor. I for one would like to see Mayweather in the ring again, primarily against against Miguel Cotto, welterweight champion Shane Mosley, or most preferably - current pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. As I have noted previously on numerous occasions, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is a huge event, staging a potentially exciting fight, for millions of dollars in what could be the greatest payday for both combatants.

There is not one serious boxing fan who would not want to go to Las Vegas to attend that fight live or pay to see it on PPV. Regardless of who would win or lose, it is definitely the type of fight against the caliber of opponent who could push Money May to the edge of his physical and mental ring abilities. Mayweather would not be able to pot shot and run his way to a decision. Pacquiao is simply too fast and throws too many punches. Whoever were to emerge victorious, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather is certainly a fight worth watching. Mayweather's been in a few boring fights, but I have rarely ever seen Pacquiao in a dull fight (one-sided or competitive) and nobody has ever tarnished Mayweather's undefeated record.

The source claims that Mayweather has been discussing a July 11th date with HBO for his return to the ring, which Mayweather would prefer to have on HBO World Championship Boxing, but there are a couple monkey wrenches that conflict with those plans. HBO would have to come up with a license fee in order to put Mayweather's summer comeback fight on HBO, or else that event might also air live on PPV.

The other obstacle would be a conflict of dates, as July 11 is the date currently being negotiated for a proposed cruiserweight title fight between IBF champion Tomasz Adamek and former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins. However, Main Events and Golden Boy Promotions, the respective promoters for Adamek and Hopkins, have not yet committed to that date, so it remains questionable whether or not Mayweather's return engagement would fill that time slot.