Floyd Mayweather's Plan B? Shane Mosley; fight expected to be announced this week -- Grand Rapids Press

By David Mayo, The Grand Rapids Press

Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley could announce as soon as Tuesday that they have agreed to a megafight. It isn’t Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao. But it’s the closest possible thing to it.

As if to underscore this really is going to happen, within hours of the unconfirmed Mayweather-Mosley rumors flying Monday, Andre Berto -- who was supposed to fight Mosley in a big welterweight fight next week -- announced he had to withdraw, due to the tragic events in Haiti, from whence his family hails.

We are not making light of those events, yet this is a common occurrence in boxing, that one fighter receives a sizable “step-aside” payment to abdicate a fight to which he is entitled, usually with some agreement for a future big fight as part of the deal.

This was Plan B all along, Mayweather vs. Mosley, just like the Mayweather camp said during the failed Pacquiao talks. They couldn't make the single most desirable fight in boxing. So, at some point this week, they will announce one of the most long-sought fights instead.

To those who relentlessly insist Mayweather picks the lowest-hanging fruit for opposition, despite ample years of contrary evidence, here is yet another answer.

To those who questioned why Mayweather balked when Mosley confronted him during a mid-ring interview after his September comeback victory, here is your pipe-down response: Mayweather vs. Mosley, May 1, presumably in Las Vegas.

Mayweather-Pacquiao couldn't be made because of Pacquiao's fear of needles and blood work -- forget, momentarily, the tattoos and a bloodsport career -- so it's on to Mayweather-Mosley.

There won't be a competing fight on March 13, Mayweather vs. Fill In The Blank, in a pay-per-view showdown against Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey, as had been threatened.

Instead, consumers in a balky economy may have to decide whether to buy a Mayweather fight or a Pacquiao fight, although in that effort, Mayweather landed the first solid counterpunch between them, as well as a keenly timed interruption to Tuesday’s press conference in Dallas, where Pacquiao-Clottey will be announced formally.

To the casual boxing fan who only will pay $50 to watch one fight or the other, the choice is obvious.

Mosley, meantime, was supposed to fight Berto on Jan. 30, in a welterweight unification.

Berto has family in Haiti and if his withdrawal from the Mosley fight was predicated purely on post-earthquake devastation, and does not involve a seven-figure lump sum, that is perfectly understandable.

Nevertheless, this is an age-old formula, and with Mayweather-Mosley on the horizon, it is plausible that Berto -- who was raised in Florida but fought for Haiti in the 2004 Olympics -- was encouraged to abandon the Mosley fight for reasons beyond emotional pain.

Mayweather and Mosley share a rivalry with history.

In 1999, when Mayweather fought his first hometown title bout at Van Andel Arena, Mosley did TNT commentary. Mayweather said he wanted to fight Mosley. Mosley’s father, Jack, said they only would accept the fight for $10 million, at a point when neither fighter even commanded a seven-figure purse.

For years thereafter, they traveled divergent paths. When Mosley moved up to welterweight and twice defeated Oscar De La Hoya, fighting Mayweather was not in his equation. After Mosley lost twice each to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, a Mosley fight made no sense for Mayweather.

In 2006, when Mosley reclaimed his career with a victory over Fernando Vargas, Mayweather-Mosley was as natural as Mayweather-Pacquiao today.

But in the mid-ring interview after the fight, Mosley declared that he would take a vacation instead.

Only within the last year has the fight made business and athletic sense for both men.

Mosley is 38 and nit-pickers will focus on that fact. But he hasn't lost his daunting speed.

Mayweather will be 33. There isn't much difference.

There also isn't much difference between Mayweather-Pacquiao and Mayweather-Mosley. The former will get made eventually, and the latter right now.

As boxing alternatives go, this response was as comprehensive as they come.

E-mail David Mayo at dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo

Source: mlive.com