Manny Pacquiao will face an aging Shane Mosley on May 7th

By Steve Galindo III

   Manny Pacquiao, the world’s most popular fighter just made a very unpopular decision in selecting 39-year-old “Sugar” Shane Mosley as his next opponent. The two will meet for the World Boxing Organization’s version of the welterweight title on May 7th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Mosley fight marks Pacquiao’s return to Las Vegas. His last appearance in Sin City came in November 2009 when he defeated Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in a thrilling fight. Pacquiao’s last two fights: against Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito have been fought under the bright lights of Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

   Unlike NBA Superstar Lebron James, Pacquiao didn’t need to put on an hour long special to make this decision. But, like Lebron, Pacquiao choose the easiest path to riches and to a potential championship. For Pacquiao, the decision came down to three names: Shane Mosley, Andre Berto, and Juan Manuel Marquez. Although the majority of the Boxing public would have liked to of seen Pacquiao settle the score with his long-time Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez, the fact that Marquez fights under the Golden Boy Promotions banner ultimately took him out of the running. Golden Boy Promotions is engaged in a bitter feud with Top Rank Promotions which represents Pacquiao. In the case of Andre Berto, he simply has no name recognition, which is due in part to his reluctance to face top-tier opposition. Still, a fight against a hungry young fighter like Berto would have proved to be a much more intriguing bout than one against a past his prime Mosley.

            This is the second straight fight in which Pacquiao and his camp have come under scrutiny for their choice of opponent. In his last fight, Pacquiao came under fire for choosing to fight someone that had been deemed a “cheater” in Antonio Margarito. Prior to the Pacquiao fight, Margarito had been suspended for trying to use illegal hand wraps in a 2009 fight with Shane Mosley. The undeserving Margarito was ultimately given a fight with Pacquiao by virtue of being represented by the same promotional company. Despite the threats of a boycott by some in the media, the Pacquiao-Margarito fight went on to garner 1.15 million Pay-Per View buys. Fans might be a bit more reluctant to shell out sixty-bucks to watch the Pacquiao-Mosley fight. Pacquiao is once again facing an undeserving fighter in a fight that has no intriguing storylines.