Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Looks to be Close to a Done Deal
By Gabriel Montoya, Max Boxing (Jan 21, 2010) Special to Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Chee, Doghouse Boxing)  
Wednesday afternoon, I received a call from a reliable source who informed me that a verbal agreement had been reached between Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in regards to their proposed May showdown with an official announcement coming as soon as Friday.

The major sticking and ultimate breaking point of the recent Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pound-for-pound showdown negotiations was the proposal of random blood tests leading during training camp and leading up to the bout. The Mayweather camp asked for random blood testing beyond the requirements of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s current drug testing protocols. Pacquiao’s refusal to agree to a 14-day-before-the-fight-cut-off-date ultimately led to him leaving the negotiation table and taking a fight with top contender Joshua Clottey to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX on March 13, in a pay-per-view telecast.

No such roadblock appears to exist in this fight. Speaking with Mosley via his website chat this past weekend, I asked Shane if he would submit to random blood tests to make a fight with Mayweather or any fighter.

“Of course I would submit to random blood testing anytime,” replied Mosley. “But right now, I’m not worried about Mayweather or Pacquiao. I’m focused on [Andre] Berto.”

Earlier this week, Andre Berto, a Haitian-American welterweight title holder, pulled out of his January 30 showdown with Mosley paving the way for the Mosley/Mayweather negotiations.

When asked to confirm the rumor, Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe said, “Ummm . . . no comment.” Just an opinion based on personal experience, but I’ve rarely heard him sound so cheerful.

Stay tuned as Maxboxing.com chases this breaking story.

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