"At 147 pounds, the man to beat is 'Sugar' Shane Mosley. Floyd will take that fight and will shut up all those who are saying he's a coward," stated Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer as he talked about the future plans of Floyd Mayweather Jr. now that the highly-anticipated March 13th clash with Manny Pacquiao is off.
Speaking to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, Schaefer made it clear that Team Mayweather is now considering other options moving forward. "If Bob's so strongly moving to the other fight, then we have no choice but to move on," Schaefer remarked.
And move on they must, as Pacquiao is now set to face former welterweight champion Joshua Clottey on March 13. The bout will take place at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and will earn the Filipino superstar a minimum of $10 million. "This place is absolutely sensational; the boxing fans will love it," Arum stated, referring to the $1.2 billion stadium that he's hoping to fill with at least 50,000 fans. Although no undercard has been finalized, it will likely be filled with other Top Rank fighters, including the return of the suspended Antonio Margarito. Although Clottey is coming off of a loss to Miguel Cotto, his selection as an opponent is still considered to be a dangerous risk and another tough challenge for Pacquiao.
Not to be outdone in the replacement opponent department, it appears Mayweather is now eyeing WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley. It's a fight that Mosley has wanted for a long time and a fight that should be relatively easy to make, but first, Mosley must get past undefeated WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto on January 30th. Provided he does, it's unclear as to exactly when a bout with Mayweather could take place, however, in a recent interview with FightHype.com, Mosley said he'd be ready to fight as early as April once he's done with Berto. Whether or not Mayweather still wants to take a fight prior to a potential showdown with Mosley remains to be seen, however, time is quickly running out to find another viable pay-per-view opponent in time for a March bout.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]