Opinion: Mayweather's Search For Bankable Opponent Remains Futile

Undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is having difficulty looking for a bankable opponent after his failed negotiations with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in what could have been the biggest boxing event of the year.

The failed Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was originally scheduled for March 13 in Las Vegas but did not pushed through due to disagreement on blood testing protocol. Efforts to revive the negotiations by way of mediation did not materialize.

Realizing the futility of pursuing the long-drawn negotiations, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum wasted no time in looking for bankable replacement for Mayweather, Arum floated the names of Malignaggi, Foreman and Clottey who are under contract with his promotional outfit. In the end Joshua Clottey was chosen to be Pacquiao's next opponent.

The Pacquiao-Clottey match will happen on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas. In the meantime, the camp of Mayweather has not arrived at a decision on the replacement of Pacquiao for the March 13 fight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Mayweather has likewise floated the names of Paulie Malignaggi, Bradley and Cintron, among others as possible replacement for Manny Pacquiao who is now in Texas for the promotional kick-off announcement that will take him to New York and California. As the original fight date draws closer, news about the Mayweather-Mosley fight surfaced in the Internet.

David Mayo of Grand Rapids Press says:

Last time Floyd Mayweather agreed to something like the fight he is about to announce against Shane Mosley, it didn't work out exactly as planned. Then again, neither did the Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight, right? 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.

The success of the Mayweather-Mosley fight, if it does happen, depends on the outcome of the Mosley-Berto fight scheduled for January 30. If Mosley wins over Andre Berto who is from the earthquake-devastated Haiti, the Mayweather-Mosley fight will certainly make it to the box office. It would be a 'hard sell' if Mosley is defeated by the Haitian-American boxer.

At press time, there were unconfirmed reports that Andre Berto is withdrawing from the fight in deference to the Haiti earthquake tragedy. So what happens now if Mosley is defeated? Will Floyd Mayweather still fight Mosley despite of its 'hard sell' tag?

Boxing fans believe that the Mayweather camp is better off if he waits for the outcome of the Mosley-Berto matcht before making the formal announcement of the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

(original article appeared @ Digital Journal )