Mayweather, one of the finest junior-lightweight and lightweight champions in recent years, defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight crown against Victoriano Sosa this Saturday in California. While Mayweather is in a different league from Sosa, it is evident the champion has other things on his mind.
It is also clear that the challenger has terrific punching power, as is showcased by the fact that 26 of his 35 wins have been knockouts. Sosa also dropped the tough-as-nails and still undefeated Paul Spadafora twice in an unsuccessful bid to win the International Boxing Federation lightweight world title three years ago.
Mayweather is already looking beyond Sosa and is planning to move up three weight divisions for a multimillion-dollar clash against Oscar de la Hoya, now trained by Mayweather’s estranged father, Roger.
When quizzed about his son’s chances against his new charge, Roger Mayweather replied that he would coach De la Hoya not to beat his son on a technical knockout, but to knock him out cold. Mayweather junior has not been as smooth a technician in the lightweight division as he was as a junior-lightweight and there have been questions of late about his punching power.
But he has remained undefeated, with 20 knockouts in 29 outings, including nine WBC world title bouts at junior lightweight and two at lightweight. Despite a change in style since firing his father three years ago, Floyd Mayweather remains a class act, and if he succeeds in moving up to the junior-middleweight division to face De la Hoya it will be one of the most exciting match-ups currently available.
Sosa could throw a spanner in the works as he will be going all out to be the first to put the hurt on the pretty boy. Sosa tends to fire on all cylinders for the first five rounds only, so if the champion can weather the storm he should knock Sosa out in later rounds.