According to boxing writer Kevin Iole on Yahoo, a super fight between undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr and WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley is imminent. The welterweight title fight is on the cusp of being signed, sealed, and delivered for May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV. Mosley was originally slated to face undefeated WBC titlist Andre Berto tomorrow night, but Berto who is of Haitian descent, understandably withdrew from the contest almost two weeks ago due to the tragic loss of his loved ones in the Haiti earthquake disaster.
For the past couple months, Mayweather and his team were in heated negotiations for his highly anticipated showdown with pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao, but that mega fight eventually collapsed over controversial disagreements on drug testing. Pacquiao declined Team Mayweather's request for USADA Olympic-style drug testing that included random blood tests, but Mosley has stated that he is more than willing to comply with such a request. Those who follow boxing are well aware that Mayweather and Mosley have been long time rivals, ever since the late 1990s when Mosley was a lightweight title holder and Mayweather was champion at super featherweight. At the time, both boxers were undefeated.
To his credit Money May has remained undefeated as a professional, having won world titles in several different weight classes from 130lbs all the way up to 154lbs. Mosley, on the other hand, has suffered a few set backs in decision losses to the likes of the late and great Vernon Forrest, who gave Mosley the first loss of his professional career in January of 2002, Winky Wright, and Miguel Cotto. Mosley resurrected his career a year ago when he won the title with a memorable and arguably career-best performance, a scintillating 9th round TKO of Antonio Margarito.
Twelve years later, both combatants still remain two of the best pound for pound fighters in the world today. Many would argue that this showdown is long overdue. Credit to Mayweather for agreeing to face a foe as formidable as Mosley, as he deserves praise for his selection of opponent following the fall out of the Pacquiao fight, circumstances for which many observers vilified and blamed the undefeated pugilist from Las Vegas. Having been off for over a year, this commentator thinks it would serve Mosley well to have a tune up prior to the Mayweather fight. In all fairness, Mayweather facing Mosley would competitively weigh heavier than Pacquiao meeting Joshua Clottey, who lost to Miguel Cotto in his last fight, on March 13.
Expect a press conference in New York City to officially announce the fight, possibly as early as next week.
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