A convincing and unanimous points decision over "Sugar" Shane Mosley yesterday morning has inevitably led to calls for Floyd Mayweather Jr to sit down with his promoters to try and revive a proposed super bout with Manny Pacquiao. The fight that every boxing fan is calling out for was scrapped earlier this year after Pacquiao refused to bow to Mayweather's demands to Olympic-style drug testing, which examine blood samples, nearer to the fight instead of the mandatory 30 days as it is at present. Mayweather, 33, insisted in the ring after the fight that he was prepared to meet Pacquiao, but said he and his camp will stick to their guns on the issue of blood testing. "If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight, it's not hard to find me," he said. "If Manny will take the blood and urine tests, we can make the fight happen for all the fans." Whether the Filipino fight king is prepared to accept the Olympic-style testing, something both Mayweather and Mosley agreed to, is another matter. Currently occupied with a run at a congressional seat in the Philippines' House of Representatives on May 10, the "Pac Man" may find he no longer has the time to dedicate himself to months-long training camps, something he would undoubtedly have to do to face Mayweather in this sort of form.
Mosley retained his WBA welterweight title despite suffering the sixth defeat of his career at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas after Mayweather refused to pay the organisation's sanctioning fee for the bout. The 38-year-old became the 41st entry on the Mayweather win column as the judges had him ahead in all but one of the rounds. Mayweather showed more bite and aggression than in any of his previous encounters. Apart from clinging on after a callous straight right from Mosley midway through round two, Mayweather was at his imperious best against his fellow American. Mayweather seemed comfortable enough in the opening three minutes but Mosley rocked him with a right in round two, and another quick combination left the five-weight champion teetering again and close to the first knockdown of his professional career. After that, though, the performance was classic Mayweather the jab executed to perfection behind a peek-a-boo defence and an awesome display of the speed and power that arguably puts him above Pacquiao as the world's best fighter, pound-for-pound. Mosley looked increasingly tired as Mayweather's lightning raids helped him get comfortably on top. Mosley was hammered hard by a right in the eighth round when he appeared to be discussing a brief stoppage with his corner. Punches were raining down on Mosley by round 10 as Mayweather pressed for the knockout. A left in the 11th rocked Mosley's head back but his corner still opted to send him out for the last round despite the punishment he was taking.
Mosley had a decent showing in the final round but there was very little surprise when the contest went Mayweather's way on points. Mayweather said: "I gave the fans what they wanted to see. They wanted to see me moving, and coming forward and that's what I did tonight. "We should have pressed the attack a lot earlier and we could have got the knockout, but Shane Mosley is a tough customer and he is one hell of a fighter." Asked about the brief period in round two where Mosley appeared to get on top, Mayweather added: "That's all with the territory of boxing only the strongest survive. This is a contact sport, some time you are going to get hit with big shots. You just suck it up and keep fighting hard like a warrior."
* Compiled by Steve Luckings, with agencies