Shane Mosley Will Fight Manny Pacquiao Next, Not Floyd Maywaether

Shane Mosley will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 7, 2011, according to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum via Twitter.

Arum said the fight will take place using the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.

The bout will be the first fight for Pacquiao (53-3-2) since November 13 of this year, when he beat Antonio Margarito at the new Cowboys Stadium. 

Many boxing fans and experts were hoping for a Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather fight, but Pacquiao has been unable to set up a fight with Mayweather. Mayweather has made it seem like he wants no part of Pacquiao, and who would blame him?

For now, Pacquiao will have to fight Shane Mosley (38-3-2), who lost to Floyd Mayweather back in May in a unanimous decision.

Mosley is bigger than Manny Pacquiao, and has little worries about his chances of winning. In an ESPN.com article written by Dan Rafael on December 22, 2010, Mosley shared his early thoughts on his upcoming May 7 bout with Pacquiao.

"I'm a bigger guy than [Manny Pacquiao] and he gets hit. And you saw how I hurt Floyd [Mayweather]. Manny is going to come forward and I will hit him on the chin at some point. His defense is not like Floyd's. Manny will come at me, and I will knock him out."

Mosley is full of confidence, but can he defeat Pacquiao? Probably not, but win or lose, Mosley will gain from this fight. 

Mosley told ESPN.com he has been guaranteed $5 million for this fight, and has the opportunity to make millions more from pay-per-view profits.

While a possible Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight would surely be the richest bout in history, Pacquiao will have to settle for Shane Mosley, and again attempt to gauge interest from Mayweather's camp.