Report: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley to fight May 1

If this is boxing's version of "Plan B",  fans won't be disappointed.

With the proposed Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight all but a distant memory, boxing needed to come up with something to keep its fan base from futher deteriorating.

Problem solved.

According to a report on ESPN.com Mayweather and Shane Mosley have agreed to hook up on May 1 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand.

"All of the deal points have been agreed to," Mayweather's advisor Leonard Ellerbe told ESPN.com. "We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to. It's with the lawyers. Shane is a great fighter, one of the best of his era, and so is Floyd. It's going to be a great fight. It's a fight fans have wanted to see for a long time."

So what should fans expect? There are some who believe Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) is actually a better matchup for Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) than Pacquiao, who will fight Joshua Clottey at Cowboy Stadium on March 13. That is up for debate.

But what isn't debatable is Mosley's talent. Mosley, who took apart Antonio Margarito with a ninth-round knockout last January, has been angling for a fight with Mayweather for over a year.

In fact, Mosley interrupted Mayweather's post-fight interview in the ring after his easy win over Juan Manuel Marquez.

The Mayweather-Mosley matchup won't reach the level of interantional intrigue that Mayweather-Pacquiao would have, but true fans around the world will nonetheless enjoy the show.

Photo credit: AP