On Saturday night, when the two welterweights collide in a fistic war at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, it will mark 50 fights between them that have been shown on Home Box Office, the main television home of major fight nights in the United States.
Both fighters’ careers were launched on HBO in 1997, and they have been involved in a glut of high profile mega-fights. The criticism with this contest is that it should have happened sooner, although Mayweather claims that Mosley was offered the challenge four times previously, but turned those offers down.
Giant fight nights are often precursed by a glut of trash-talking. This one has been different. Good Guy v Bad Guy has been easily moulded with motormouth Mayweather, and the more reserved Mosley. Yet there has ensued – apart from one moment when they snapped at each other with some pushing and shoving at a press conference several weeks ago – great decorum between the two camps in the lead-in to this contest. 
Mark Taffett, head of HBO sports, explained the pulling power of the two protagonists: “They have 12 world titles between them in their respective careers. This is a classic All-American showdown. It is destined to be one of the greatest pay-per-view events outside the heavyweight division.
“Floyd Mayweather, in his last six fights, has generated $5.5 million pay-per-view buys. That is £292 million of revenue. In his last fights, he averages 48.6 million dollars in pay-per-view revenue per fight, making him top of the all-time list. This is also the biggest promotion ever for HBO.”
It is consumerism gone beserk, aided and abetted by an outstanding HBO 24/7 documentary series looking inside the lives of the two long-serving American ring legends.
In marketing terms, it has been a huge success, around the banner ‘Who Are you Picking?’ The contest has split America, the West Coast supporting Mosley, the East Coast with Mayweather.
The Hispanic communities are said to be siding with Mosley, who has a business relationship, as a partner with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. If that sounds cosy, Mayweather also has a bi-lateral business relationship with Golden Boy, with Mayweather having his own promotions company. Both fighters reside in Las Vegas, and victory will means bragging rights on the street across the neon city, the world's fight capital.
In recent weeks, in spite of the collapse of the much-anticipated match-up of Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, this change of opponent for Mayweather has reached mega-fight proportions, with 1.5 million per-per-view buys expected from American homes. In the UK, Sky Sports 1 are screening the contest.
A voting poll on who the public are picking as the winner, has received upwards of 750,000 online votes, with a split down the middle. 51 per cent say Mayweather. Forty-nine per cent go with Mosley.
The experts suggest that a points win over the championship distance for Mayweather is on the cards. I would agree with that view, though Mosley will be sharpened for the fight of his life. He has looked powerful and precise in recent outings, but the issue is whether, at 38, it has come too late for him against boxing’s defensive genius in Mayweather - 33, but still remarkably fresh.
Mayweather talks like he fights. Slick. "Be smart, be sharp and fight hard. May the best man win. I am pretty sure that Shane feels deep in his heart and deep in his soul he is going to win.
"I just happen to be an athlete that's God gifted. There are some athletes that are just different, like Kobe, Lebron, Kevin Garnett and then there are athletes who are just talented. I'm pretty sure Shane is in good shape. I don't think he is in better shape than me.
"My father taught me my defense and no one can break through it. I just know if a punch is coming, I can feel it. And I know what my opponent's going to do.”
Mayweather has also launched a personal attack against what he believes is drug-taking in the sport. “I brought USADA in to keep the sport on an even playing field. Everyone knows this is done for the betterment of the sport. After I get blood taken, I'll go in and box 12 or 13 rounds, no problem whatsoever.
"I'm the biggest thing, because numbers don't lie. The proof is in the pudding, I take less punishment, I land the highest percentage and I work the hardest. As far as drawing power and superstardom, me and Shane are not on the same level.
“It doesn't stop May 1. Mayweather Promotions is the past, present, future of sports and entertainment, period. HBO, we will be family forever.”
When HBO talk of him as their cash cow, little wonder he considers himself an adopted son of the cable giants. Mosley, hugely popular in the United States, added: "I hope Mayweather is ready for this. This will be one of the great fights of this decade or maybe even history. It's going to be a great fight.”
The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer could not be happier with the oxygen of publicity the contest has generated.
“The world is talking. The world is asking 'Who R U Picking?' I have never seen the kind of activation that we have seen in the last couple of weeks. We have almost 100 million online impressions, activations on entertainment platforms, urban sites, it really is an unprecedented kind of response. There have been 750,000 votes online. It is shaping up to be as we expected a dead even race. A dead even fight.
“That is what these two great athletes are all about fight after fight, fighting the best and that is what you can see this coming weekend. We are already at an eight-figure gate. It is great to have these two athletes here again. It is a thrill for us all and we appreciate you both.
"We have already sold almost 3,000 closed circuit seats and it shows the interest in this fight. About six, seven, eight months ago I told you, before the Mayweather-Marquez fight that we would break records. I said we would do 1 million buys and you all laughed at me, but we broke 1 million.”
Schaefer believes the fight could break all pay per view records – the record is 2.25 million pay-per-view buys for the fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather, in June 2007 – and could reach 4 million buys on the night.
That is unlikely, but if the contest continues to gain momentum as it has been doing, upwards of 1.5 million buys is possible. What the public will expect is a contest which lives up to those expectations.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
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