Floyd Mayweather and the World Welterweight Crown

In the most recent display of what is becoming an almost Ali-Cosell relationship, ESPN’s Brian Kenny and Floyd Mayweather briefly touched on the topic of the Welterweight championship. Mayweather went after a previous Kenny assertion of Mosley as the ‘real’ champion right now, referencing his 2006 win over Carlos Baldomir. The inference was that Mayweather, having defeated the lineal champion of the division at that time, should somehow still be seen as the champ at 147 lbs.

Does he have a point?

The obvious answer is no. Mayweather (39-0, 25 KO) retired after his lone title defense, versus then-Jr. Welterweight Ricky Hatton. Even accepting no one took his retirement seriously, his management made quite public his vacating of the WBC and Ring Magazine belts. When he steps in with World Lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KO), he will be a few months shy of two years off. There is no case to be made for him as the current Welterweight champion.

There is a case to be made that no one else can be until he has his say.

Upon his return, the most fair answer to the question ‘who’s the champ?’ is, simply, no one.

While he may have the strongest claim, even recognized as the rightful champion by the Cyber Boxing Zone already, the WBA titlist Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) finds the claim in a single win over Antonio Margarito earlier this year. Margarito of course was riding the high of a career-best win over the man who appeared heir apparent to Mayweather, Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KO). Margarito, tainted by an attempt to load his gloves prior to the Mosley loss, finds the validity of his Cotto win under a cloud. Cotto was the last man to beat Mosley and has, post-Margarito, added a WBO belt and a win over top Welterweight Joshua Clottey.

Follow the bouncing ball and it ends at high-level parity and plenty to argue about. The easiest answer to crowning a new outright Welterweight champion, based solely on recent results, remains a rematch between Mosley and Cotto, a fight not in the sights of anyone at the moment. Cotto is locked in for a showdown with World Jr. Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in the fall; Mosley’s slate remains open.

And Mayweather complicates the road to easy answers.

There have been occasions in boxing’s history where champions have retired their crowns only to return later on. While new men had laid claims in their absence, conquering the man who had been king conferred the direct lineage, and legitimacy, of the championship. Three of the most notable examples happened at Heavyweight.

Jim Jeffries, Joe Louis, and Muhammad Ali all retired at the top of their class but none could stay away from the ring. They were replaced by Jack Johnson, Ezzard Charles, and Larry Holmes, all men who the public questioned as successors and then resented after the newer, fresher models thrashed the vain attempts of old idols to find their youth again.

Sugar Ray Robinson, like Mayweather, also went through a brief retirement though under different circumstances. Enjoying his second reign as Middleweight champion, he attempted to lift the Light Heavyweight title from Joey Maxim and famously collapsed ahead on the cards with heat stroke. Robinson decided to become a traveling dancer and when the money turned out to be less than desired, the ring called him home.

A two-plus year layoff meant ring rust and Robinson embarked on a shaky six-fight comeback featuring a tough loss to Tiger Jones and an off the floor decision over rugged Rocky Castellani. His name still being what it was, it was enough to merit a shot at the man who replaced him, previous rival Carl “Bobo” Olson. Olson didn’t have a chance to legitimize his claim as Johnson or Charles had at heavyweight, stopped brutally in two frames.

Unlike any of these legendary names, and their equally storied replacements, Mayweather returns to a title still vacant after his absence. With schedules being what they are, a win in September puts Mayweather firmly back in the mix at Welterweight. Should Cotto lose to Pacquiao in their catch weight affair, Mayweather could be considered as high as second in the division.

The biggest money would be in Mayweather-Pacquiao.

Mayweather-Mosley might be easier to make before it happens.

A fight long talked about in boxing circles, it could provide Mayweather the rare opportunity to take years off and return to reclaim his crown without anyone causing a definitive skipped beat between reigns. If Mosley could take the win, even in the shadow of a Cotto win over Pacquiao, he could make firm his claim in the same fashion Holmes did a generation ago.

There’s plenty of road to travel before any of these scenarios become truly relevant but they are worth considering as they impact the top of one of boxing’s most storied classes. Floyd Mayweather is clearly not the Welterweight champion of the world today, but it may be there can’t be one at all without him going forward.

Source: http://www.boxingscene.com/index.php?m=show&id=21249