Feel Like Money

It’s a little overdue, but my day job has had me in the Cobra Clutch just like Sgt. Slaughter had The Iron Sheik back in the day. But I make time for boxing and this Saturday it will all be worth the effort when Floyd Mayweather Jr. (aka “Pretty Boy” aka “Money Mayweather) and “Sugar” Shane Mosley collide in a much anticipated 12 rounds of boxing.

Now if there’s a fighter that I’ve covered exclusively in my years as a sports writer there’s no doubt that Mayweather Jr. (40-0-0, 25 KOs) ranks right at the top. Maybe it’s his smooth and calculated demeanor or the complete and utter disregard he has for his opponents, but let’s get one thing straight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. can make the sport of boxing look so effortless.

Or maybe he’s just that easy to hate. Maybe that’s why you just want to watch for the next thing that comes out of his mouth, whether you like it or not. I’ll compare this phenomenon of intrigue of that running parallels to Howard Stern in yesteryears.

For the rest of us judging Mayweather exclusively by his ring talent, opinions can become exhausting to discern. Is he a master craftsmen at his art, firing combinations faster then his opponents can duck and dodge? Does his fights feel like they’re being dragged through the mud in slow motion? Is it true that when Mayweather has a chance to end it, he would rather the show go to the scorecards? And more importantly, can “Money May” really be considered one of the elite boxers in history, maybe right at the top?

All of these questions are valid to ask, but let’s stick to the story at hand. Who really has the best chance at victory this weekend?

Mayweather may be a whole lot easier to dissect in regards to being the better boxer in Saturday’s squabble. So let’s shift attention to Shane Mosley (46-5-0, 39 KOs). Best put, Mosley has the slimmest of chances and I believe that slim just got rolled over by the fat dude.

What I’m saying is the 38-year-old Mosley has stepped out of his league. Don’t get me wrong, Sugar Shane has had a great run in his professional career but there’s several events that diminish his odds of actually claiming victory.

First, it was back in 2004 that a younger Mosley lost back-to-back contests against an arguable, lower grade fighter in Ronald “Winky” Wright (no diss to Winky but common’, Mosley was better throughout his career). More recently trouble with Ricardo Mayorga (not necessarily the cream of the crop but a fight which went down to the wire in favor of Shane), and a win against a demoralized, Antonio Margarito (thanks to his stunt with padded gloves) kind of skews where Mosley is at or heading towards the tail end of his career.

And then there’s just the gifted talent that Mayweather holds over Mosley. Sharp and lightning quick jabs, defense with the old school shoulder roll and that brimming confidence are all elements not to be overlooked.

Vegas books have installed Mayweather as a $4.00 favorite (and some spots rising to $4.50) for a good reason. He is, hands down, the more dominant and skilled fighter.

While I don’t predict a knockout I will say that this bout ends in heavy favor on the scorecards for the undefeated Mayweather.

Whether you hate him, love him or just could care less about Floyd it's undeniable that he brings intrigue to a sport stagnated in popularity (U.S. fan base speaking). He sells out arenas and puts PPV programming into homes across the globe better then any other fighter out there today.

As Mayweather said in HBO's special, 24/7, "I'm in the check cashing business." Simply put, he looks like money and who doesn’t like money?