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Almost as soon as Shane Mosley finished knocking out Antonio Margarito in an upset Saturday to regain the welterweight title at the sold-out Staples Center in Los Angeles, talk turned to who would be the next opponent for the reinvigorated Mosley.
One name was on the lips of everyone: Floyd Mayweather Jr., the former pound-for-pound king and welterweight champion who gave up both mantles when he surprisingly retired in June. There isn't anyone who believes Mayweather is done for good, not when he's still young (he turns 32 on Feb. 24) and so good.
Besides, his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, recently told me that Mayweather had given him and another adviser, Al Haymon, the "green light" to explore potential deals.
The best one at this point probably is for a fight with Mosley -- if Mayweather wants to return before the end of the summer. The other big-money fight for him would be against Manny Pacquiao (if he defeats Ricky Hatton on May 2) in the fall.
Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy, promotes Mosley and has a good relationship with Mayweather and his team. Schaefer worked closely with them on Mayweather's two biggest fights, his victory against Oscar De La Hoya and his knockout of Hatton.
Wasting no time at all, Schaefer told me that he has been in touch with Haymon since Mosley's victory. Schaefer is a great businessman and is all about trying to make the biggest events possible. His track record in that department is outstanding, and when he puts his mind to something, he usually is able to deliver.
"I've had conversations with Al, but I don't really want to talk about it or say anything too specific," Schaefer told me the other day. "These negotiations, or if there are going to be any negotiations, are going to be conducted in a private environment."
Like most boxing fans, Schaefer would love to see Mosley-Mayweather.
"It has the potential to become one of the all-time great fights," he said of a matchup that has been talked about for years. "Floyd has a tremendous following now and has become a crossover celebrity. This would be his return to the ring. Combine that with the performance that Shane put forth against Margarito -- a sold-out Staples Center and one of the best ratings on HBO in recent times -- and you know you have a big fight. They have such distinct personalities. There are so many angles to the fight. Plus, it would be a great fight. This could be one of the truly big showdowns. It really gets my imagination going."
Schaefer said ultimately it would be up to Mosley and Mayweather. Mosley is, of course, interested in the fight. But Mayweather is a different story.
"It won't be me going in the ring. It will be Floyd and Shane, and we have to structure a deal to satisfy both guys," Schaefer said. "In that department, I am pretty good. But I respect that Floyd has never said publicly that he was coming out of retirement. Leonard said if the right offer came along he would consider it, but I think we need to hear from Floyd. This is a huge fight and challenge for both guys. I just want to continue our trend of putting the best against the best, which is good for the fighters, good for our business and good for boxing fans."
Like most people, Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promoted Mayweather for most of the boxer's career, said he believes Mayweather will return. Arum has his eye on a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in the fall.
He has his own theory about why Mayweather retired in his prime.
"I think there is something physically wrong with him," Arum said. "Even when he was fighting for me, something was up with his shoulder. They deny it, but that is what I've been able to pick up, that the doctor has advised Mayweather to rest. In other words, it's very harmful to the shoulder even hitting a punching bag, so he was advised rest and rehabilitation and hopefully it will come around. Otherwise, none of this retirement stuff makes sense, no matter how crazy Floyd is. Nobody of his ability leaves that kind of money on the table. If the shoulder heals and he comes back, he never has to admit there was a problem."
Ellerbe said there's nothing to Arum's theory and that Mayweather is simply enjoying himself in retirement, although he would consider a deal to fight.
"There's nothing wrong with Floyd," Ellerbe said. "There's nothing wrong with his shoulder. I don't know what Bob is talking about. Our phone isn't ringing with offers and we haven't called anybody."
I would expect that phone to start ringing soon -- with an offer to fight Mosley on the other end.
One name was on the lips of everyone: Floyd Mayweather Jr., the former pound-for-pound king and welterweight champion who gave up both mantles when he surprisingly retired in June. There isn't anyone who believes Mayweather is done for good, not when he's still young (he turns 32 on Feb. 24) and so good.
Besides, his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, recently told me that Mayweather had given him and another adviser, Al Haymon, the "green light" to explore potential deals.
The best one at this point probably is for a fight with Mosley -- if Mayweather wants to return before the end of the summer. The other big-money fight for him would be against Manny Pacquiao (if he defeats Ricky Hatton on May 2) in the fall.
Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy, promotes Mosley and has a good relationship with Mayweather and his team. Schaefer worked closely with them on Mayweather's two biggest fights, his victory against Oscar De La Hoya and his knockout of Hatton.
Wasting no time at all, Schaefer told me that he has been in touch with Haymon since Mosley's victory. Schaefer is a great businessman and is all about trying to make the biggest events possible. His track record in that department is outstanding, and when he puts his mind to something, he usually is able to deliver.
"I've had conversations with Al, but I don't really want to talk about it or say anything too specific," Schaefer told me the other day. "These negotiations, or if there are going to be any negotiations, are going to be conducted in a private environment."
Like most boxing fans, Schaefer would love to see Mosley-Mayweather.
"It has the potential to become one of the all-time great fights," he said of a matchup that has been talked about for years. "Floyd has a tremendous following now and has become a crossover celebrity. This would be his return to the ring. Combine that with the performance that Shane put forth against Margarito -- a sold-out Staples Center and one of the best ratings on HBO in recent times -- and you know you have a big fight. They have such distinct personalities. There are so many angles to the fight. Plus, it would be a great fight. This could be one of the truly big showdowns. It really gets my imagination going."
Schaefer said ultimately it would be up to Mosley and Mayweather. Mosley is, of course, interested in the fight. But Mayweather is a different story.
"It won't be me going in the ring. It will be Floyd and Shane, and we have to structure a deal to satisfy both guys," Schaefer said. "In that department, I am pretty good. But I respect that Floyd has never said publicly that he was coming out of retirement. Leonard said if the right offer came along he would consider it, but I think we need to hear from Floyd. This is a huge fight and challenge for both guys. I just want to continue our trend of putting the best against the best, which is good for the fighters, good for our business and good for boxing fans."
Like most people, Top Rank's Bob Arum, who promoted Mayweather for most of the boxer's career, said he believes Mayweather will return. Arum has his eye on a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in the fall.
He has his own theory about why Mayweather retired in his prime.
"I think there is something physically wrong with him," Arum said. "Even when he was fighting for me, something was up with his shoulder. They deny it, but that is what I've been able to pick up, that the doctor has advised Mayweather to rest. In other words, it's very harmful to the shoulder even hitting a punching bag, so he was advised rest and rehabilitation and hopefully it will come around. Otherwise, none of this retirement stuff makes sense, no matter how crazy Floyd is. Nobody of his ability leaves that kind of money on the table. If the shoulder heals and he comes back, he never has to admit there was a problem."
Ellerbe said there's nothing to Arum's theory and that Mayweather is simply enjoying himself in retirement, although he would consider a deal to fight.
"There's nothing wrong with Floyd," Ellerbe said. "There's nothing wrong with his shoulder. I don't know what Bob is talking about. Our phone isn't ringing with offers and we haven't called anybody."
I would expect that phone to start ringing soon -- with an offer to fight Mosley on the other end.
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