Is This the New Floyd Mayweather Jr?

In thoroughly disposing of Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last night, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has answered a lot of critics and shown a new side of himself that many thought they'd never see.  Is this the newer, more exciting version of "Money" Mayweather than fans have been waiting for?

Ever since Floyd Mayweather Jr. made the jump to welterweight in November 2005, he has been criticized for avoiding the best opponents available in order to protect his undefeated record.

Floyd "haters" have also complained about "Money's" inability to put on an entertaining show, always doing whatever is only necessary(no matter how boring) in order to win the fight.

While most boxing experts predicted Mayweather to win a decision against Mosley last night, few expected the way he would accomplish this.

First of all, contrary to the belief that he would run all night, Mayweather stood his ground against Mosley the entire fight, even backing up his opponent in the later rounds.

Secondly, many wondered whether Mayweather would be able to take a power punch from a true welterweight.  He answered that question in the second round when Mosley tagged him with a series of hard right hands that buckled his legs and almost knocked him down. 

To Mayweather's credit, he demonstrated incredible composure and wit by clinging onto Mosley and surviving the round.  More impressive was the speed with which Mayweather recovered from those blows, coming out seemingly fresh from the third round onwards and putting on a sublime boxing clinic for the remainder of the 12-round fight en route to an easy victory.

Thirdly, Mayweather was more than just a counterpuncher who took the occasional pot shot last night.  He pressed the action after the second round, continuously beating Mosley to the punch with lightning fast right hands and combinations, never allowing his older opponent to get off that big power shot he was looking to land.

Lastly, even though Mayweather had the fight in the bag leading into the final two-thirds of the bout, he didn't simply coast the rest of the way.  He kept at Mosley, being the aggressor and going on the offensive as the clock wound down.  Although Mayweather didn't exactly try and slug it out with Mosley in those final rounds, he did say he was looking for the knockout.

As Mayweather admitted after the bout, he was fighting out of his usual comfort zone.

"I came here to give the fans what they wanted to see, a toe-to-toe battle," Mayweather said.  "That's how I wanted to fight and what I wanted to give the fans.  It wasn't the same style for me but I wanted to be aggressive and I knew I could do it.  This is a fight the fans asked for a long time, and they deserve it."

Of course, this could be more of the same old Floyd PR talk, but no one can deny that "Money" showed some guts in the ring against Mosley, especially after the way he was tagged in the second round.  While it would be a stretch to compare the Mosley fight to the excitement that Manny Pacquiao brings to all his bouts (bar his last one with Joshua Clottey who refused to engage), Mayweather demonstrated last night that when he wants to be, he too can be an exciting fighter to watch.

The question now is whether last night's performance was a once-off, or will this be the beginning of a brand new Floyd Mayweather Jr. that, in addition to earning the big bucks, is also trying to be a fighter that pleases the fans?

If it is the latter, and in the unlikely event that a fight with Pacquiao can ever be made, boxing fans around the world are in for one heck of a fight.