Manny Pacquiao: Why Shane Mosley Is a Boring Third Choice At Best

Looks like Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley are going to fight in May.

Mosley's adviser is set to meet with promoter Bob Arum today to finalize a May 7 fight, according to reports. Exciting, huh? Which sounds more compelling: this fight or watching a Carolina Panthers game? The Long John Silvers/Rentacouch.com/Fight Against Scurvy Bowl may draw better numbers.

Boxing's pound-for-pound best fighter can't face Floyd Mayweather Jr. next, and now boxing fans are about to be force-fed a cheap, boring, meaningless alternative. Pacquiao will be his normal, respectful self. Mosley will say he could still hurt Manny. And Arum will do his best to tell you why $55 is a sound investment to make in May. Those of you who are convinced are probably the same ones who think the Shake Weight is a great way to tone up.

Let's consider this. Mosley's last two fights were a draw against Sergio Mora and a unanimous decision loss to Mayweather. It wasn't even close. Two judges scored the fight 119-109 for Mayweather and another had it 118-110. And Mosley is supposed to fare better against Pacquiao because why exactly?

Somehow, he seems to be a much better alternative than Juan Manuel Marquez or Andre Berto. Marquez fought Pacquiao to a draw in 2004 and lost a paper-thin decision in their 2008 rematch. A fight with him would also bring in Hispanic fight fans. Berto (27-0) is a young rising star in the sport but only hardcore fight fans know who the 27-year-old is. An unknown fighter won't help sell this fight is the excuse that will be thrown out. Right, it's probably too much to ask HBO to market a young, sharp-looking fighter like Berto and draw in new fans.

But the 39-year-old Mosley? Bring him on!

Here's where it gets more confusing. Arum seemed skeptical about a Mosley-Pacquiao fight back in September in a story that appeared on SI.com. He didn't watch his fight with Mora, due to observing the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, but read how Mosley was "huffing and puffing for air in the fourth or fifth round."

"I've always considered Shane to be a nice guy but this is what happens to fighters when they age," Arum said in the story. "It's like (Bernard) Hopkins, he still knows how to fight but who wants to pay to see him now? His fights are not very scintillating. What you see with Hopkins we're beginning to see with Mosley."

So what changed? And do you really think Arum believes this will draw in huge pay-per-view numbers?

As much as he is to blame for this, some blame rests with Pacquiao too. He is the pound-for-pound champ and a tremendous ambassador for the sport, but he's doing fans a disservice by forcing them to settle for this. They just endured two fights with guys named Mo and Stan this year, and all they want is a showdown between arguably the two best fighters of this generation. They should be treated to some excitement, something entertaining.

Instead of giving them steak and shrimp, he's providing bologna sandwiches.

That's sad, but in the end it's the fans who choose to get suckered in. Give me one thing that makes this fight exciting, one way that Mosley has an advantage over Pacquiao. Boxing relies on hype and buildup, feeding off the anticipation from each passing day.

You're just not going to find a lot of it for this fight.