Shane Mosley

Shane Mosley

Mosley ruins Mayweather's win over Marquez As it ended, with Shane Mosley in the ring seizing an unwarranted opportunity to provoke Floyd Mayweather, HBO's $50 pay-per-view felt like WWE's "Monday Night Raw." If only Mosley could've conducted himself with the class of Pretty Boy's valet, Triple H. "Tonight is not Mosley's night," Mayweather said later. "I don't get in the ring and grab the mic and take away another fighter's shine."

For once, Mayweather's resentment was well-founded, as the inauguration of Mosley's clumsy campaign for a payday obscured a brilliant performance. At 146 pounds, Mayweather only did what he was widely forecast to do, of course. He beat a game, though smaller man in Juan Manuel Marquez. (To harp on the weight disparity now seems willfully ignorant of all the praise Mayweather received for coming back against such a tough and formidable opponent). Some might even take exception with his failure to knock Marquez out. But these arguments miss the larger points.

First, Mayweather dispatched with the issue of his 21-month layoff. Turns out, it didn't matter. Second, he re-established himself as the most elusive fighter since Pernell Whitaker. Sure, people want to see a knockout. Still, according to CompuBox, Juan Manuel Marquez managed to land just 69 punches through 12 rounds. That, too, was something to behold. In fact, to see what Mayweather can do up close is to witness a craft that borders on art, a talent that shows better from ringside than on the small screen.