By Jordan Buscarini
For months the anticipation for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley to step into the squared circle and do battle for the WBA Welterweight Title has been building. Perhaps a tiny bit of that anticipation has drifted away today as Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer announced that Mayweather will not be fighting for the title on May 1st. The reasoning you ask? Mayweather did not want to pay his WBA sanctioning fee. “We are currently discussing with the WBA, for Shane, that Shane would be defending his belt. But for the purpose of this call, it’s basically a non-WBA fight.” Schaefer told Fanhouse.
Is this a big shock? Yes, somewhat, but for Mayweather this turns out to be a very smart business move. So before the decision by Floyd to not pay his sanctioning fee is labeled arrogant and bad for the sport, let’s break down why this is a wise decision for the undefeated prize fighter.
If Mayweather was to become the WBA Welterweight champion, he would be forced to make a mandatory title defense against a chosen opponent by the WBA. The decision to not pay his sanctioning fee simply means Floyd Jr. can fight whomever he wants, wherever he wants, after the Mosley fight regardless of the outcome. This gives Mayweather more leverage in negotiating talks with other high profiled prized fighters, including Manny Pacquiao.
Floyd Mayweather’s resume’ is already impressive; he holds a 40-0 record with 25 wins by knockout, he’s won six championships in five different weight classes, was Ring Magazine’s pound for pound king for three straight years, and upon his initial retirement he held the WBC Welterweight championship. In reality, it makes no sense for Floyd to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to obtain the WBA Welterweight crown and be forced into mandatory title defense or be stripped of the title that cost him a fortune to wear for one night. In the grand scheme of things a win over Shane Mosley is much more important to Floyd’s legacy than is adding the WBA crown to his resume’.
From a fans perspective this provides a possible let down, because a title fight always carries more weight than a non title fight, regardless who is facing off in the ring. But Mayweather has made it perfectly clear that he does not fight for titles, he fights for paychecks. Do I find this arrogant? No not at all, regardless what you believe, every prize fighter in the sport of boxing today looks for the paycheck first. Do not buy into the P.R. moves of Shane Mosley when he says it’s not about money, because sadly, in professional sports, it is about money. Once again Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be embracing the role as the villain, but he is only speaking the truth, and the truth is something most people do not want to hear.
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Jordan Buscarini graduated from Southern Utah University in 2010 with a degree in broadcasting with a minor in journalism. Is currently the Sports Director at Castle Country Radio in Price, Utah as well as the host of the Daily Sports Show “Drive Time Sports”