Upcoming fights / Alex Steedman / 27 April 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Two of boxing's flashiest competitors do battle on Saturday night as Mayweather returns to the ring for a showdown with 39-year-old Mosley. Betfair bettors fancy Floyd, but what does Alex Steedman think?

He's got a million dollar smile, has beaten Oscar De La Hoya and was formerly considered the best of his craft. No I'm not talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr, rather his opponent this weekend, Shane Mosley.

Like Mayweather, Mosley is as flash with his hands as he is that smile but they differ in one important regard: Mosley has always pursued the challenges and the big fights; Mayweather has always gone after the big money by his preferred route. So this is a clash of generations as well as of boxing philosophies.

Ironically, the Americans are dubbing this "Who R U picking?" as if it is a 50-50 fight but a cursory look at the match odds reveals that at [1.3] and shorter, Mayweather is a strong and worthy favourite. He's still unbeaten and remains a brilliant fighter. Had he the talent pool of the 80s to pick from and a risk-free attitude to attend it, he'd be considered a great. But having retired twice on the back of wins over Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, Mayweather's return win over Juan Manuel Marquez in September just about sums him up. Defying nearly two years outside the ring he was mesmerizing at times but - and here's the rub - he was bigger, better and had his man down early yet still he pursued the path of least resistance. Fancy backing him to win by KO/TKO/DQ at [5.3]?

But what an athlete. Rarely does Mayweather emerge from a scrap marked in any way though he still doesn't throw as many punches as you'd expect from a man with his arsenal. Sore hands have dogged him throughout his career and that, as well as a less than cavalier spirit in the ring, explains just the Hatton stoppage among his five latest wins. Zab Judah and Oscar have given 'Money' most problems in recent years which underlines that a combination of speed, pressure and smarts is the way to get it done against this man. Pac Man with a better defence might be close to the thing but does Mosley fit the bill?

Certainly Mosley has the hand speed and he's clever in there with it, but he's not exactly Ricky Hatton when it comes to forcing a fight. In fairness, Mosley was more front-foot energetic when he posted a break-back-through win over Antonio Margarito last time but how much heed we pay to that given the 'hand wrap' scandal as well as the relative talent of the Mexican I'm not sure. I know Shane was looking old against Mayorga previously and he's just turned 39. So has he the legs to sustain the effort that would have carried old foe De La Hoya to victory over Mayweather had he not faded down the stretch?

We do know that Mosley is also a terrific athlete but as a pioneer of 'box fighting' in range he's more comfortable counter punching up close not chasing an elusive, sharp hitter like Mayweather. I do think Mosley is the puncher here (KO [6.6]) but it is difficult to see a scenario where he lands cleanly or often enough for that to tell. And although he probably fought the wrong fight against Cotto in 2007 (when Mosley wasted his speed as he loaded up to land the big punches), Cotto was able to out-box Mosley and he's a slouch compared to Mayweather.

Let's say without hesitation that Mosley isn't getting knocked out anytime soon and certainly not by Mayweather; 'Sugar' has never been stopped and he's been taking on bigger men for years. We do know that Mosley is up for this and a big effort is guaranteed but Mayweather is so slick, so quick and so good, if a little boring for some tastes. I don't anticipate edge-of-your-seat drama, rather a pattern of precision counter punching from Mayweather, just enough to persuade the judges of his superiority throughout.

And with Mosley's record and reputation, that will be enough to add a little gloss to the Mayweather CV. Call it basking in reflected glory of you like though I'm sure that wouldn't sit very well with 'little' Floyd at all. No, one gets the feeling that - no matter what he says - Maywether won't be satisfied until he has scratched the very public itch that is the People's Champion, Manny Pacquiao. Maybe there is a cavalier in Mayweather after all.

Verdict: Mayweather to win on points, 7pts @ [1.69], (scale 1-10)