Mayweather vs Mosley

Las Vegas, Nevada – A superfight several years in the making is finally set to take place in the welterweight division when it was announced Friday that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley have reached terms for a May 1 clash.

The announcement was made by Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather’s advisor on Friday. Although Floyd has yet to sign the deal, Ellerbe revealed that putting Money’s signature on the dotted line is only a matter of formality, as every possible term has already been ironed out.

Sugar Shane, for his part, has reportedly already signed the deal late on Friday. He was said to be agreeable to all major points and is looking forward to get on with the fight. The match would be a title fight for Mosley’s WBA Welterweight belt and would be held at the MGM Grand located inLas Vegas, Nevada on May 1.

Both fighters became available after their respective upcoming bouts fell through. Mayweather (40W-0L-0D, 25 KO’s) was all set to face reigning pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquaio on March 13 in what was being anticipated as the richest fight in boxing history. It hit a major bump when Mayweather demanded Olympic-style drug testing which Pacquiao refused.

Mosley (46W-5L-0D, 39 KO’s), on the other hand, was set to battle WBC Champion Andre Berto tonight for a unification match in Las Vegas. Berto, however, had to beg off from the match following the earthquake in Haiti as several of his family members perished in the tragedy.

The failure to realize their separate fights opened the doors for making the fight between two of the best welterweights to finally meet in the ring. It is a match which took quite a few years to make.

Is Mosley-Mayweather the next mega-fight?

Certainly, the bows to the record-setting Staples Center crowd were a treat, but it was minutes later in a quieter celebration that Shane Mosley received what qualified as the best ovation of all.

His beaming promoter, Richard Schaefer, hugged Mosley and whispered into his ear: "I will start having conversations with Team Mayweather tomorrow morning," Schaefer said.

And just like that, Mosley's intense wish to end his career on his terms, by remaining involved in what he calls "mega-fights," had come true.

Thirty-seven-year-old boxers don't always have that luxury, but Pomona's Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) earned it Saturday night, dominating Tijuana's Antonio Margarito. He won every round on one judge's scorecard and pummeled the younger Margarito to win by ninth-round TKO and gain his fifth world title by wresting the World Boxing Assn. welterweight title from the champion, who kept the belt for only this one defense.

"The only right word for this was spectacular," Schaefer said. "Shane told me, 'Believe in us,' and there was no question he believed in himself. He turned back the clock."

Producing an unexpectedly spirited, vibrant effort, Mosley possessed a hand-speed mismatch against Margarito and landed a steady, damaging barrage of overhand rights and left hooks while moving easily away from the champion's attempts to impose his formidable power.

He credited new trainer Nazim Richardson's guidance and training regimen in Big Bear and also had plenty of incentive to take frustrations out on Margarito. Mosley's marriage is ending, he's involved in two BALCO-related lawsuits over his past steroid use and he walked into the ring amid media speculation that he was nearly finished. "I have a chip on my shoulder to be competitive," Mosley said.

It didn't look as if it was more than eight years after Mosley's last fight at Staples, that upset over Oscar De La Hoya best remembered by the Pomona boxer's continued late-round ability to beat his then-rival Golden Boy to the punch. It looked more like eight weeks later.

"I was just getting caught," Margarito said. "Over and over."

Now, with no rematch clause obligation to Margarito, Mosley says, "whatever person steps in front of me is a mega-fight, and that's what I've always wanted."

He'd like to avenge a November 2007 loss to Miguel Cotto. Yet Schaefer asked, "How does [unbeaten] Floyd Mayweather Jr. sound?" Said Mosley: "Great."

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Mayweather vs Mosley fight in the works?

Mosley's foe withdraws due to Haiti tragedy

MANILA, Philippines - Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who was left without a foe when Manny Pacquiao chose to fight Joshua Clottey, has reportedly found an opponent.

The undefeated boxing star is said to figure in a match against fellow American Shane Mosley.

The stellar fight could be announced “as soon as Tuesday,” according to David Mayo of The Grand Rapids Press.

The rumored clash is planned to take place on May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was earlier reported that Mayweather would continue to fight on March 13, the schedule of his botched bout with Pacquiao.

Mosley was slated to fight on January 30 against Haitian Andre Berto at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

But Berto pulled out of the welterweight unification bout because of the devastation in Haiti where he lost some family members.

Pacquiao and Clottey, meantime, will formally announce their “The Event” fight also on Tuesday in Dallas, Texas. Their March 13 clash will be held at the Cowboys Stadium.

Mayweather and Pacquiao were supposed to face off on March 13 at the MGM Grand but talks crumbled because of their disagreement on the drug testing procedure. Pacquiao also sued Mayweather and some of his team members for alleging that the pound-for-pound king was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Next order of business

According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, the Mayweather-Mosley match is a mega bout that fans would surely watch.

“That is a super fight, and now my next order of business -- to see if we can put [Mosley-Mayweather] together… That is what I am going to be doing in the coming hours. The sooner the better if we can get this potential fight done,” Schaefer told Dan Rafael of ESPN.com.

“With Shane now being available and Floyd being available, that's a fight all fight fans and sports fans would embrace. This would be a huge showdown. Shane has wanted that fight for awhile. That's what I am going to try to do,” he continued.

Mosley, 38, is the reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight super champion. He has 46 wins (with 39 knockouts), 5 losses and 1 no contest. He defeated Antonio Margarito of Mexico via technical knockout in Round 9 of their bout last January.

The 32-year-old Mayweather, a former pound-for-pound king and World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion, has a 40-0 (with 25 KOs) record. He vacated the WBC welterweight title when he retired in 2008.

Mayweather made a winning comeback in 2009 when he beat Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez by unanimous decision in September.

Unfortunate situation

Mosley was said to be in perfect shape for his fight against the undefeated Berto (26-0 with 19 KOs).

Schaefer related, “I talked to Shane. Obviously, he shares the sentiment. He feels bad for Andre and understands. But at the same time he is disappointed because he is in amazing shape with two weeks to go, and now this fight fell out. He is not happy about it, but he fully understands the situation. We just wish the best for Andre Berto.”

“It's just a very unfortunate situation… This is unbelievable. Everyone has seen the pictures from Haiti and followed this devastating situation. We all feel very bad for Andre. We know where his focus needs to be and that is with his family and his people,” noted the Golden Boy CEO.

“As a result of this disaster, I am mentally and physically exhausted and therefore I have no choice but to withdraw from my bout," Berto said in an Agence France-Presse report.

Berto, the WBC welterweight champion, was raised in Florida but he represented Haiti in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

“I lost several family members to the earthquake and after two days without word, was relieved to learn that my sister, Naomi and her daughter, Jessica survived, but were left homeless,” he added.

"I have seen the pain in my parents' eyes as they attempt to understand what has happened to our homeland and recognize a place they once called home.”

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Mayweather vs Mosley fight in May?

Unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. could be facing WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley on May 1st, provided that Shane gets through his next fight against World Boxing Council welterweight champion Andre Berto in their unification bout on January 30th, according to the Los Angeles Times. Mayweather, instead of facing someone on March 13th – and end up competing with the Manny Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey bout at Dallas Cowboy stadium in Texas – Mayweather will wait on the winner of the Berto-Mosley fight.

Nothing has been confirmed about this from Golden Boy Promotions as of yet. CEO Richard Schaefer says he has “No comment” about the rumors. Mayweather had been considering Kermit Cintron, Nate Campbell and Paulie Malignaggi as a potential opponent on March 13th.

None of those opponents appeared to interest fans other than Cintron to certain extent. However, by opting not to fight on March 13th and compete with the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, Mayweather won’t have to risk having his fight not do well on pay per view.

It’s unknown what Mayweather will do if Mosley is beaten by Berto on January 30th. It’s a very real possibility that Mosley could lose to Berto, and given that Berto isn’t arguably as popular as Mosley as of yet, it might make a fight between him and Mayweather not a thrilling.

Mayweather was previously negotiating a fight with Pacquiao for March 13th, but the fight fell apart over random blood testing that Mayweather wanted.

Pacquiao and his promotional team Top Rank wasted no time in picking out former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey as a replacement for Mayweather. Pacquiao’s choice of opponent hasn’t exactly thrilled boxing fans either, but it might not matter because Pacquiao is a hot fighter right now and fans will likely purchase his fight in droves regardless of who he fights.

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Shane Mosley Bio

He's scaled every mountain there was to climb in boxing. He's fought his way to world championships at lightweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight, became known as the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing and has become a household name to boxing enthusiasts. It would be easy for "Sugar" Shane Mosley to be a content man. But Mosley will not be content until he climbs back to the top of the mountain again, which means winning another world championship at 147 pounds - an amazing feat for any fighter, but one in line with the hallowed "Sugar" name, shared by Mosley with the legendary "Sugars", Robinson and Leonard. Mosley has consistently overcome the odds since turning pro. Despite not having the hype around him afforded to some of his peers, Mosley came up the hard way, fought the best competition, won his fights, and eventually won three world titles, earning the 1998 Fighter of the Year award along the way.

By that time, casual sports fans would be calling Mosley an "overnight sensation", but "Sugar"'s road to the top was anything but smooth. Born in Lynwood, California in September, 1971, and boxing since the tender age of eight, Shane was a three-time National Amateur champion and a 1992 Olympic team member, in compiling an amateur record of 250+ wins. Upon leaving the amateur ranks, he was labeled a "can't miss" prospect for stardom.

Mosley showed brilliance in his professional debut, a five round blowout of former California State champion Greg Puente on February 11, 1993, and the future looked bright for this latter-day "Sugar". Unfortunately, promotional difficulties plagued his early career, and the boxing world would not take notice of Mosley until he brought a 23-0 record (22 knockouts) into the ring against IBF lightweight champion Phillip Holiday. Displaying speed, power, and ring savvy, Mosley thrashed Holiday over 12 rounds and walked away with a world title. He followed up this win with an 11th round knockout of tough Manuel Gomez.

Mosley's subsequent title defenses caught an unsuspecting boxing public by surprise. Knockout after knockout piled up, as did the accolades from the media. HBO commentator and world champion Roy Jones Jr. proclaimed, after Mosley knocked out John John Molina, "He's the best lightweight in history, maybe after Roberto Duran."

In 1998, Mosley defended his title five times, winning all by knockout. This amazing twelve months led the Boxing Writers Association of America to name "Sugar" Shane "Fighter of the Year". As BWAA president Chris Thorne said, "Sugar brought a lot of class to boxing in 1998. He deserves all accolades he's receiving."

These accolades later included being named the 13th best lightweight of all-time by The Ring Magazine. Mosley continued his reign of terror in 1999, defending his title two more times by knockout before difficulties making the 135 pound limit proved tougher than any opponent. While it would have been simpler for Shane to move up five pounds to junior welterweight, "Sugar" wanted to go to where the toughest opponents were: welterweight.

It was at welterweight that the most notable win of the first half of Shane's career occurred, when on June 17, 2000, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, he clearly outboxed cross-town rival Oscar De La Hoya and won the WBC Welterweight Title.

It was only the third fight at 147 pounds for Mosley, a move many critics questioned, and those critics weren't silenced even after resounding wins over Wilfredo Rivera and Willy Wise at welterweight. De La Hoya, though, found out what power boxing is all about on that night in the Staples Center before 20,000 rabid boxing fans.

Power boxing is the concept that Shane and his father Jack developed, taking advantage of Shane's superb conditioning and extraordinarily high punch output.

The fight with De La Hoya was close at the midway point, but Shane picked up the pace considerably in the second half of the fight. Many experts believe Shane swept rounds 7 through 12, but there was no doubt when the bout was over that Shane was the new King of the Welterweights.

De La Hoya declined an immediate rematch, so Mosley sought the best competition he could find. Antonio Diaz was one of the toughest men in the division, but Shane was better in every area and stopped him in the sixth round on Nov. 11, 2000. "Shane is good, real good," Diaz said. "He's the best I've ever seen."

The following March, Shane dismantled Australian Shannan Taylor, who had been highly regarded by the media. Many felt he would provide Shane a stiff test, but that was not to be. Taylor wasn't nearly as fast or as strong as Shane, who stopped him in the sixth round on March 10, 2001, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

He then cut down former junior middleweight Adrian Stone on July 21, needing only three rounds to stop the bigger man.

By then, he was universally regarded as one of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in boxing and was considered the best by a large number of experts.

Shane, who turned 30 on September 7, 2001, proved his champion's heart by calling out Vernon Forrest, who was the best available 147-pounder.

The two had been amateur rivals and fought a nip-and-tuck battle in the finals of the 1992 Olympic Trials that went Forrest's way.

When they met as pros at Madison Square Garden, they were considered the two best 147-pounders in the world.

Shane's power boxing allowed him to dominate the first round, but things turned in the second. An accidental head butt in the second round turned the fight around and Forrest went on to score a decision. Later in the year, Mosley was again unable to solve Forrest, in what will go down as one the best fight series of the year.

Mosley put his frustrating 2002 behind him though, and after a no contest with former world champion Raul Marquez on February 8, 2003, Sugar Shane returned to the win column in a big way on September 13, 2003, when he scored a hard fought unanimous decision over De La Hoya in their long anticipated rematch, earning the WBC and WBA junior middleweight titles in the process.

And though an easy win or two would have been a fitting reward for such a victory, Mosley kept his warrior's reputation intact by fighting the toughest possible opponent in his next fight, the much-avoided Winky Wright. The two boxing superstars would engage in two exciting bouts on March 13 and November 20 of 2004, and though Wright would win both fights via decision, many boxing observers believed "Sugar" Shane had done enough to win the rematch.

Undeterred by this chain of events, Mosley was back in the gym with new trainer John David Jackson (a former world champion himself) almost immediately. His new goal: to move back down to welterweight and dominate the division again.

The first step on that mission took place on April 23, 2005, when Mosley made a triumphant return to 147 pounds with a lopsided ten round decision over rugged contender David Estrada.

Another clear cut victory, this one over previously unbeaten knockout artist Jose Luis Cruz, came on September 17, and it was clear that these wins not only re-established Mosley in the division, but ensured an exciting run at welterweight in the coming months.

Shane defeated Fernando Vargas during the February 25, 2006 HBO Pay-Per-View watched by over 400,000 viewers. Shane won by TKO in the 10th round.

Most recently, Shane regained the WBA welterweight championship from Antonio Margarito on January 24, 2009 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Shane won by TKO in the 9th round.

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