Sergio Mora most likely September opponent for Shane Mosley

Lem Satterfield of FanHouse reports that of the names being mentioned, former junior middleweight titlist and "Contender" winner Sergio Mora is the most likely opponent to fight Shane Mosley in Mosley's September 18 comeback fight at Staples Center.

Mosley took a Friday meeting with Richard Schaefer to discuss options, one of which was renewing talks with welterweight beltholder Andre Berto. Berto and Mosley were set to fight in January, but the Haiti earthquake canceled the bout. The problem now is that Berto wants a 50-50 split, which Schaefer says Mosley won't take.

What of Sergio Martinez?

According to another source, "Shane is not ready to fight Martinez yet, and that's why he's going with Mora."

Mora is open to a 60-40 split for Mosley (which is generous of Mosley, if you ask me), and is willing to drop a scheduled fight in order to land a much bigger payday. Mora is currently set to face Juan Carlos Candelo on July 23 in what would amount to another tune-up fight. Mora returned to action on April 3 after an 18 month layoff to face undersized, out-of-shape club fighter Calvin Green on the Hopkins-Jones II undercard.

Personally, my biggest problem with Mosley-Mora is the fight will not be good, and it's nothing I much care about. Mora is an iffy contender at 154/160, and Mosley has never been particularly good at 154. Shane Mosley turns 39 in a few months and the clock is ticking. This is a weird sidestep for a guy who for the last few years has openly talked about only wanting money fights. Maybe he made enough off the Mayweather fight to go back to boxing business as usual. I'm not saying Sergio Mora has no chance to beat Shane Mosley, because Shane Mosley is really old and when Mora is actually focused, in shape, and ready to go, he's a really tricky fighter and a pain in the ass in the ring, which I mean in the most complimentary fashion.

But of the fights discussed right now, Mora is by far the least dangerous option. People might still like Mosley against Andre Berto, and truth be told I still believe that's the right fight for them both, but Berto is young, powerful and would be very energized for that fight, I'd guess. Martinez is bigger than Shane and has rocketed up the P4P charts in the last year, and his style is hard for anyone. Mora is powerless and would need to put on one of his best performances to beat Mosley. Sergio is taller than Shane (and taller than Sergio Martinez for that matter), but he doesn't fight big.

If Mosley-Mora goes ahead, and it appears now that it probably will, it will be part of a Golden Boy pay-per-view event centered around Mexican Independence Day. Saul Alvarez would also fight on the card, perhaps against Matthew Hatton, which has been rumored before.

It's also interesting to note that right now, Showtime is looking at September 18 as the date for a Juan Manuel Lopez-Rafael Marquez fight. That one could get bumped if Showtime feels too much of the audience will go in for the Mosley and Alvarez show, or they could just offer a far better fight for the price of a Showtime subscription and see if there are enough people out there willing to pass up the $40-50 PPV price tag.