by James Slater – Whether or not 33-year-old modern day ring legend Floyd Mayweather Junior manages to defeat “Sugar” Shane Mosley in their highly intriguing battle on May 1st, the boxer known as “Money” will not go home with the WBA welterweight title in his possession. In a surprising development, it has been announced how the WBA title that is currently the 38-year-old Mosley’s personal property will not be contested by Mayweather – due to how the 40-0 star has refused to pay the WBA’s sanctioning fee..
According to Fightnews.com, this means that if Mayweather wins on May 1st, the WBA title will become vacant, but that if Mosley wins he will retain the belt. Okay, though a somewhat surprising development, this news does not alter the significance or the enormity of the fast approaching super-fight one bit. Fans will still look at the winner of May 1st’s winner as the best, or at worst, the second-best, 147-pounder on the planet (Manny Pacquiao will inevitably await the winner!) Fans have long since grown weary of the various alphabelt organisations and their frequent crazy rules and decisions. It seems Mayweather also has had enough with at least the sanctioning fees side of the governing bodies.
As has been the case with other top-name fighters in the past – such as Marco Antonio Barrera for a famous example – boxers have said no to paying sanctioning fees before. Floyd Jr, a good business man, knows the May 1st fight will still be a massive affair, and that the rewards for winning it will be great; WBA belt on the line for him or not.
As fans know, beating other great fighters is how a fighter builds his legacy; not by winning a plethora of alphabelts. In any case, Mayweather (and Mosley too come to it) has already won enough hard wear to fill at least two trophy cabinets. What will it matter if he leaves the MGM in Las Vegas without one more belt to add to his collection?
What will be interesting (or utterly confusing to the casual boxing fan) will be what happens to the WBA strap if Mayweather does indeed win next month. Which two fighters will fight for it? Could Mosley even benefit from his very next fight off a loss being one that contests a “world” title?
If this were the case, and if “Sugar” won the WBA belt for a second time, who could truly look at Shane as a “world” ruler; especially if his loss to Mayweather (if he does lose, which is by no means a definite) is a comprehensive, maybe even stoppage loss?