Mayweather confrontation with Mosley could mean something, or nothing

By Brett Okamoto

Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009 | 2:15 a.m.

In the midst of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s successful return to boxing, there appeared to be a WWE moment.

As Mayweather celebrated with his team, WBA super champion ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley entered the ring and participated in what was perceived by some as a potentially scripted argument.

Blows were nearly thrown. A near breakout in the ring. The kind of thing that could really build up hype for a future fight.

Did it all mean that a date between Sugar and ‘Money’ is what’s next on the schedule, undoubtedly something that would disappoint the boxing fans who are foaming at the mouth to see him take on Manny Pacquiao?

Not necessarily.

It actually appears that Mayweather was simply reacting to what he saw as Mosley stepping in on a moment that clearly belonged to him.

“I just said that when it’s Shane Mosley’s time to shine, when I support them and go watch them fight, I don’t get in the ring and grab the mic,” Mayweather said. “I let it be their night.

“Tonight is not Mosley night. Mosley is supposed to be at training camp. Mosley don’t need to worry about what I’m doing.”

While it is true that Mosley is likely to fight Josh Clottey this December, it wasn’t long ago that the welterweight champion was openly campaigning to be Pacquiao’s next opponent.

The fact is, Mosley has had trouble landing the mega-deal that a fighter of his caliber usually lands, and his actions Saturday night were indicative of that.

“It wasn’t scripted. I just walked to the ring and asked the promoters if I could enter,” said Mosley of his sudden appearance after Mayweather’s win over Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. “I am hoping that the best will fight the best. That’s what the sport of boxing needs.

“I’m the No. 1 welterweight champion right now. Nobody can dispute that. So why not fight me?”

Mayweather’s manager and close friend, Leonard Ellerbe, said he was caught off guard by Mosley’s entrance into the ring.

Although he didn’t want to comment too much on it, Ellerbe said he thought it wasn’t a smart move.

“It’s like this, when you’re desperate, you’ll do anything,” Ellerbe said. “That was a coward, desperate move on his part. He goes about things the wrong way. If you’re looking to make a fight with Floyd, trying to go up there and upstage him? That (expletive) never going to work.”

To understand the reasons behind the scripted feel of what happened Saturday regarding Mosley, it’s important to remember that he is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

Before Mayweather reached the post-fight press conference, Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya's still-unpolished promoting skills made it obvious that the Mosley-Mayweather matchup is the one Golden Boy is looking for.

“Mayweather proved he’s back and he’s bigger and better than ever, so what fight do people want to watch next?” De La Hoya said. “Who do they want to see? Mosley has a strong case, let me tell you.

“Mosley and Floyd are in the position to be part of history and create the mega-fight — the Super Bowl of all fights. Those are the two best fighters on the planet now.”

Now there are some, many really, who would use the same description for a potential matchup between Mayweather and Pacquiao.

When asked which fighter would carry the most promotional value as Mayweather’s next opponent, Ellerbe did not seem to think it was Mosley — at all.

“I would think it’s the winner of that fight in November,” said Ellerbe, referring to a Nov. 14 fight between Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. “Clearly, attraction-wise, it’s not Shane Mosley.

“I don’t know what it is, because Mosley is a very good, likable fighter. He just doesn’t have the ability to connect to the fans. The only way you can make the sport bigger is to attract younger fans to the sport and we are looking for creative ways to do that.”

It’s these kinds of tidbits that point more towards the potential Mayweather opponent everyone is hoping for.

And although it wasn’t seen via live Pay-Per-View telecast like the Mosley confrontation was, the Pacquiao camp gave its own way of calling Mayweather out.

Shortly after Mayweather’s hand was raised, Pacquiao’s head trainer Freddie Roach delivered a message to media members through his public relations team.

“Floyd, congratulations on beating the best lightweight in the world,” Roach’s statement said, taking a dig at Mayweather’s decision to face a fighter that had to move up in weight class.

According to Mayweather and Ellerbe, people just needs to calm down.

Everyone, from fans who are desperately hoping for a matchup between the current and former pound-for-pound champions to 38-year-old welterweight champions hoping for the big-name opponent, will get what they want.

Sooner or later, they say, Mayweather will get around to beating every good fighter out there.

“When all is said and done, he’ll fight them all,” Ellerbe said. “It’s like the old saying, ‘He beat this guy, but what about this guy?’

“He’ll fight them all, one by one, in whatever order they come in. We will fight the best guys out there.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.