The Hottest Boxing Storylines for the Week of July 12

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Keith "One Time" Thurman stopped Luis Collazo on cuts on Saturday night just 20 minutes from his hometown in Tampa, Florida.

We assess One Time's performance and whether or not this moves him closer toward a challenge of pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. 

Then we give our take on the news that floated to the surface this past week and a couple of upcoming fights.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is back for a fresh opportunity to show that he can and wants to be a professional prizefighter. We look at whether or not this is the Mexican's last "last" chance.

Carl Frampton makes his stateside debut against a tough challenger on Premier Boxing Champions on CBS Saturday afternoon. Can the Irish star translate his fame in the United Kingdom and Europe into worldwide superstardom?

And then we close with the guaranteed mess that will be a highly entertaining fight between returning Shane Mosley and Ricardo Mayorga, as well as whether or not Chris Arreola makes sense as an opponent for Deontay Wilder.

These are the hottest boxing storylines for the week.

Is Thurman Ready for Floyd?

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Thurman got through a spirited challenge from Collazo to retain his welterweight title on Saturday night at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida, in the inaugural PBC card on ESPN.

The fight ended one second into the eighth round with Collazo, a former 147-pound titlist, pulling himself from the fight with a terrible cut over his right eye that he claimed was impeding his vision. 

Thurman secured his first knockout in more than a year with the stoppage of a former champion, but it was far from easy and had a dicey moment or two.

Collazo hurt Thurman badly in the fifth round with a body shot that left his foe shuffling around the ring to avoid punishment while he caught his wind. Collazo stung him a few more times, forcing Thurman to clinch in his most challenging round to date.

One Time recovered and dominated the balance of the fight against a tough but overmatched foe in front of a huge hometown crowd. He got the knockout he wanted and immediately took aim at the sport's biggest fish, calling out pound-for-pound king, Mayweather.

"I'm a young, strong champion, Floyd. Come get it," Thurman said, per Dan Rafael of ESPN. "I'm undefeated like you, baby. Come take my zero, baby! Come take my zero! I'm ready. I'm ready."

That comes against the backdrop of Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, outright dismissing just a few days ago the possibility of Mayweather meeting Thurman in the fall.

Does this fight change that equation, and is Thurman ready for Floyd?

The answer to the first question is probably not.

Floyd does what Floyd wants to do, and there are obvious reasons to not want to face Thurman at this time.

The second question is just as open. Thurman is a huge talent who has shown he can box as well as punch.

But this particular performance, especially given it came against a foe whom most expected him to dominate, doesn't move the needle all that much toward instilling confidence he can hang with Mayweather right now.

The good news, however, is that he fights in a division with Kell Brook, Shawn Porter, Marcos Maidana and Timothy Bradley, among others. It shouldn't be too hard to find him a significant fight next time out, and then we'll talk turkey on Floyd.

Last Shot...again...for Chavez Jr.?

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The last time we saw Chavez Jr. in the ring, he was bizarrely proclaiming that he felt he won the fight against Andrzej Fonfara, despite having been knocked down and quitting on his stool.

Yeah, it was that kind of night for the prodigy-turned-punch line with a famous last name.

Some argued—including yours truly—that it was time to pull the plug on a grand experiment that was mostly marked by a lack of discipline and shoddy commitment to the sport and culminated with a "no mas" moment in front of thousands of angry Mexican fans at the StubHub Center. 

To all those fans who spilled gallons of beer on his head on the way out the door, we have one thing to say: He's back...again.

Chavez Jr. returns to the ring as the headliner of a Showtime card Saturday night at the Don Haskins Convention Center in El Paso, Texas, against Marcos Reyes.

Reyes has a superb record, but he's fought mostly off-the-radar fights in his native Mexico against nondescript opposition. He has nothing to lose here, and a win over the son of Mexico's greatest fighter would provide some serious bragging rights and a possible launching pad for his career.

Chavez absolutely cannot afford a loss here. It would be a career-killer, or so you'd have to expect given how many chances he's already had and squandered.

He returns to the ring under the tutelage of Robert Garcia, who joins the chorus line of high-profile trainers—joining Freddie Roach and Joe Goossen—to try to get the most from the talented but often disappointing fighter. 

And this is really an all-or-nothing affair.

Chavez can't lose.

Well, he can, but if he values his place in the sport—always a concern—he'd better not.

Carl Frampton's Stateside Debut

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Frampton is an undefeated Irish sensation who holds a super bantamweight championship and recently inked a deal with powerful manager Al Haymon. He makes his American debut Saturday night on PBC on CBS against once-beaten Alejandro Gonzalez Jr.

The fight will take place in El Paso—not what one would call a real hotbed for fighters of Irish descent like Frampton—but it will be a good opportunity for the Belfast product to showcase his exciting style to American fans on network television.

Bleacher Report had the chance to sit down and discuss this and other matters with Frampton last week, and he was very clear about his reasons for signing with Haymon and coming across the pond to seek bigger fights.

Frampton wants to be a star.

That's the bottom line.

He's grateful for the fame he's attained in the United Kingdom, but the bright lights and big bucks of worldwide stardom were just too much to pass up.

And there will be plenty of both.

With Haymon controlling so many of the big names in the super bantamweight and featherweight divisions, Frampton should have every opportunity to turn himself into a marketable star with a large fanbase on the American East Coast.

But, first things first.

Mosley-Mayorga II

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Mosley knocked out Mayorga in the final round of a back-and-forth contest in 2008.

And, for some reason, they're set to renew acquaintances seven years later and with both fighters' best days so far in the rearview mirror that they're not even blips on the screen. 

Mosley has been making noise about wanting to return to the ring for some time now, and he broke the news on Twitter last week.

The 43-year-old future Hall of Famer tweeted a picture with Mayorga of the two men holding up the signed contracts. The fight will take place on August 29 at a venue to be determined in Los Angeles.

As if we needed any further proof that boxing is the literal theater of the absurd, right?

Mosley was once among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. He's won multiple world titles in multiple weight divisions and fought a who's who of elite fighters during his generation, including wins over Oscar De La Hoya (twice), Fernando Vargas (twice) and Antonio Margarito.

But those days are gone. 

He is just 1-4-1 over his last six fights, although three were against Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez, but he's been out of the ring going on two years and was forced to retire against Anthony Mundine in his last contest in 2013.

The Nicaraguan madman Mayorga has been active recently, winning two fights in a row after a three-year layoff, but his last high-profile fight was a loss to Miguel Cotto in 2011. His last significant win was over a badly faded Vargas in 2007.

So, yeah, this fight.

Let's not pretend we won't watch—for curiosity as much as anything—but one thing is for sure: The trash talk is going to be epic.

Arreola Next for Wilder?

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Chris Arreola is one of the more likable and honest fighters in boxing—the sort who you legitimately don't question when he tells you he'd be willing to die in the ring—and he has a big opportunity Saturday on PBC on CBS.

The two-time challenger for a share of the heavyweight crown faces little-known journeyman Fred Kassi, but that's just the appetizer to a tantalizing main course. 

ESPN.com's Rafael reported recently that Arreola, who lost title challenges to Vitali Klitschko and Bermane Stiverne, has been floated as a possible opponent for WBC champion Deontay Wilder in the fall on PBC.

Wilder recently defended his crown at home in Alabama against Eric Molina, and he's slated for a second defense on September 26 with an opponent and site to be determined. 

Arreola is the type of fighter who never cheats the fans. You know what you're going to get, and that's a tough, determined fighter who has often been his own worst enemy by coming into fights out of shape. But, even then, he's entertaining.

Still, given The Nightmare's ability to punch—and get punched—and Wilder's still somewhat untested chin, this one could produce some moments of entertainment and intrigue before one of the two big guys inevitably drops the hammer and ends the night.

And, with both Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury off the table, Wilder could absolutely do worse than the entertaining but limited Arreola.

Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites.