V8: Mayweather, Mosley, Pacquiao, Williams and more!

Mayweather Returns....(Wow)

Floyd Mayweathers' return to the sport was quite a solid one. The size issue has been made a big deal, (and maybe for good cause), but with the skills he displayed, I'm not so sure it would have mattered. Bigger or smaller, the true issue in this fight came down to skills, not size. Marquez was a consensus top 5 P4P guy, not Tommy Chucker, the 'neighborhood sucker'! Corrales (RIP) entered the ring 16lbs heavier than Floyd and it didn't help him at all. Oscar was bigger, but it didnt help him at all. Bigger or smaller, if you can't land a hit, there's no way to win. Now that Floyd has gotten this victory out of the way, we should find out exactly what we want to know, as there are only 3 people we'll settle for seeing him face. Pacquiao, Cotto, or Mosley. A win over either man solidifies everything we always questioned about the 'Money' man.

Shane Mosley Destined or Desperate?

After the Mayweather/Marquez fight, Shane Mosley stepped into the ring and along with Bernard Hopkins, appeared awfully desperate in trying to state his claim for a shot at Mayweather. The act itself wasn't sad. What was said was the fact that a man who has been absolutely standup his whole career, has suddenly gotten desperate, going to the media to do the same things we've jumped on Mayweather about because he can't get his way. Few remember, but years ago after he (Mosley) defeated Vargas, he was asked about a fight with Mayweather and the money was in place, but he said instead, he wanted to go get some "dental work" done and that he would "let Floyd face Margarito first" and he would look to face the winner later. Now, the tables have turned, and Mayweather doesn't need Mosley, yet Mosley feels Mayweather should jump to his cadence. No question this is the fight most of us want to see. But no question also, this is a business, and like any businessman, the objective is to get the profit that exist against either the sports P4P king, Pacquiao, or Cotto (if he beats him), then go to clean up the 'scraps' around the division. Mosley let what could have been his last shot slip away. His talent made him destined (for bigger things). But his failure to seize the moment has indeed left him desperate. We'll have to see how it turns out.

P4P Changing of the Guard?

Mayweather's return has made a wide number of people around the sport question whether or not it's time to hand back over the P4P mantle. The irony here is that his win over Marquez - as brilliant as it was - is probably not the best way to gauge that. We saw Floyd absolutely embarrass Marquez - a man who Pacquiao failed to defeat decisively in two attempts; however, we saw Pacquiao send ODH out with a TKO, and destroy Hatton in 2rds. Truth be known, both of these men have made a strong case for their position as the sports P4P king, and we really won't know, technically, until they get a chance to square off. That would be a great fight to see, but first, Pacquiao has a 'big' job ahead of him. Literally, considering that he's facing arguably the biggest welterweight around, (not including Clottey or the absent Williams and Margarito). We'll see what happens.

Is Paul Williams still an option at 147lbs?

With all of the recent noise being made at 147 with the return of Floyd Mayweather jr., one can only wonder how things would be if the welterweight division was still home to Paul Williams. Williams is the only man to defeat Margarito, who was the only man to defeat Cotto, who is the only man to defeat Mosley (in recent years). Of all the men in the thick of things, Williams is the only one who - hands down - poses a true threat to Mayweather, and any other fighter campaigning in the division. It isn't to say none of the others could defeat Mayweather, but clearly, 6'3", with an 82 inch reach, and over 100 punches per round would give Mayweather less time to think (in the ring) and more things to think about (outside of it).

Trinidad Retires...

After a long, illustrious career, Felix "Tito" Trinidad has apparently decided to call it the quits. His Father was reported as telling a local news source over in their native Puerto Rico that there's "nothing left to show" for the former champion, and that he "hasn't been in the gym sense the Roy Jones Jr. fight back in January of 2008. After such a great career, it was very unfortunate to see the Puerto Rican only enter the ring when the "money was right". It took a guy who was one of my all-time greats and made him look pretty bad to see him get absolutely embarrassed in fights where it was pretty clear he had barely even trained properly. Against Jones he would outclassed by a bigger man, but against Wright, it was such a landslide that it didn't appear he even landed 40 punches the whole fight. Hopefully he can now walk off into the golden sunset for good and and not be coaxed into chasing the green waterfall! Best wishes to Tito.

Mayorga to MMA

Nicaraguan badboy Ricardo Mayorga has apparently decided that he wants to go natural. He learned how to box as a kid, but that was after he had learned how to fight and had polished his skills on the streets of his native country. After years of fighting with gloves on and not getting the desired results, Mayorga has decided to take them off in an effort to do more damage (pun intended) by taking a trip to a sport where nearly anything goes. We've seen him stand in the center of the ring and let sluggers like Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad pound on him. They were Boxing greats, but those gloves they used were also far more padded. I'm not quite sure if he can do that in the MMA world, but it wont matter if it's a pair of Reyes gloves or not, this time. A flush shot from a 5oz glove could definitely mean lights out!

Juan Manuel Marquez: From Dogged, To Kats(idis)

Juan Manuel Marquez has been summoned by the WBO to face Michael Katsidis in a fight that would no doubt be a great one. After such a long fight camp and such a long night at the hands of Floyd Mayweather jr., Marquez won't have much time to lick his wounds, as this potential Katsidis showdown will need to take place in only a few months. Some have began to openly question whether or not Marquez should still be fighting, but my response would be "don't let the Mayweather results fool you". Marquez was absolutely outclassed and possibly outsized, but there aren't many men in the sport who could do to Marquez what Floyd did. Katsidis definitely isn't one of them. So it'll be a great fight, and a great gauge to see what he still has left in the tank. Lets get it on, fellas!

Clottey/Martinez???

Joshua Clottey had been scheduled to face Shane Mosley, but it appears (for whatever reason) that Mosley and GBP have changed their minds. Whatever the reason, it all leaves Clottey searching for work, and for the first time I could ever remember, more and more guys are starting to call Clottey out, like his skills have suddenly evaporated or something. In the last week we had Kermit Cintron call him out, now Sergio Martinez. Clottey has never been anyone's 'cupcake' fight, and considering that his back is up against the wall, I would expect a more dangerous Clottey now than ever. The Martinez fight probably won't happen due to the fact that he's demanding Clottey come up to '54, but if it does, I hope these guys know what they're asking for. After Mayweather and Hopkins, this is arguably the best defensive fighter in the game, and he can crack! Hope these guys know this!

(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, Youtube (VIVEK1251), Twitter (VIVEK747), Facebook, and Myspace).