Music was blaring and the air of anticipation was palpable as the crowds milled expecting to see Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr., take the stage on the first stop of their three-city tour at the Nokia Theater.
The two are not expected to fight in the ring until May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but clearly both fighters are ready to get it on.
After a lengthy introduction made by Michael Buffer, the two sauntered onto the stage, both facing each other. The jawing, taunting and pointing soon escalated to shoving and pushing. Promoters from both camps had to rush onstage to prevent a full blown rumble from ensuing, no doubt to the delight of the audience.
There is no love lost between the two fighters, who have been circling each other for several years already. This is a much awaited pairing, despite the fact that the match only came after planned fights for both fighters with other boxers failed to materialize.
Mayweather was slated to fight Manny Pacquiao but this dissolved after troubled negotiations and Pacquiao’s refusal to take Olympic-style drug testing. Mosely was also anticipating facing off with Andre Berto in the ring, but this was canceled after Berto’s family suffered great damage during the Haiti earthquake in January.
Both players are expected to undergo random drug-testing, setting a new standard for safety in boxing.
