Dallas Boxing Examiner | Matt Stolow
I'm glad a fight involving Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley is going to take place May 1st.
On paper this is a very difficult fight to pick a winner. But they don't fight on paper. These two are arguably two of the best American fighters in the past 10 years at any weight and any age.
After an exciting start in which both fighters will flash greatness, this fight will quickly settle down and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will win this fight in a route.
Floyd wants and really needs to make a statement to anyone who will listen and the 38-year-old Mosley will be the perfect fodder.
Floyd's strategic but simple game plan will make Mosley look all of his 38-years old. Mosley will have no answer for an in his prime Mayweather that has a chip on his shoulder.
This fight might even give Mayweather the upper hand in the next round of negotiating for a fight with Manny Pacquiao after Mosley is out of the way. At least Mayweather will think so.
Mosley will provide the serious tuneup and mental frame of mind Mayweather needs to prepare for Pacquiao that certainly Matthew Hatton couldn't.
Mosley has his pride. He'll attempt to make a good account of himself. But Mayweather is just at another level and in his prime pound-for-pound first or second best he can be.
I didn't particularly like the Mayweather manner of negotiation for Pacquiao. But Mayweather knows himself and he knew Juan Manual Marquez wasn't going to get him ready for Pacquiao and a March 13 fight with Pacquiao would have been to soon for him in his opinion.
So Mayweather waited until he got the tuneup (Mosley) and time needed (maybe six months) and wanted to prepare for Pacquiao the way he wants. In his mind Mayweather will feel the tables have turned and he now has the momentum going into the dangerous fight with Pacquiao.
This could be all that was needed to make the big fight happen. Maybe promoter Bob Arum didn't want to wait until after the elections in the Philippines and wanted to speed things up to March 13 and then take his chances.
If that is the case, then we will still have one hell of a promotion and fight on our hands and everyone is a winner as long as Pacquiao and Mayweather beat Clottey and Mosley respectively and maybe then an October Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight.
Source: Examiner.com
