The Final Score: Okay Shane Mosley, your turn

Manny Pacquiao's fans are neither jumping in delight nor cowering in fear over the promise of Shane Mosley. Since we love Pacquiao so much, believe so intensely in his myth, we treat him like Muhammad Ali. Hence, we want Pacquiao to face his own Joe Frazier. It's the acid test no amount of slick marketing gobbledygook can fake. Mosley is no Smokin' Joe. But a big 2012 fight for our Colossus, ceremonial or otherwise, is still a fight. Weight issues and the rift between rival promoters aside, Juan Manuel Marquez seems the more intriguing choice. From a dramatic perspective, I think he really is. Mosley will be more determined to prove skeptics that he’s not old, that it wasn’t foolish for him to challenge Pacquiao out loud. Marquez, on the other hand, is dying to show the world that the entire Pacman legend is a farce. Deep-seated motivation makes a world of difference. Yet in boxing, fighting at the right weight, agreeing to an appropriate monetary share and the act of simply shaking hands to close a deal are never simple matters. Plotting the next steps of a living legend is neither as convenient. Bob Arum's task is not to feed Pacquiao to the lions. His task is to further lionize Pacquiao in the eyes of boxing fans. He seems to be running out of earth-shaking match-ups. I'm referring to duels which give odds-makers something to really think about. Otherwise, Pacquiao fans will again worry about opponents’ perceived advantages in size, reach and strength only to discover there was little to worry about in the first place. While the world wrinkled its forehead, Bernard Hopkins, 46, must have done cartwheels upon hearing the news. Hopkins wants Pacquiao to "man-up" and face slick, African-American fighters for a change. "Dear Pacman, stop avoiding black fighters." It probably wasn't the best way for Hopkins to say Pacquiao has run out of worthy non-American opponents. It probably wasn't the best way to say anything. Yet at the very least, crudely or not, Hopkins set up the thesis for Pacquiao-Mosley. Pacquiao fans still want Mayweather even if the possibility is remote. But Mosley is still a big name, even at age 39. Mosley may no longer have a lethal punch but he may still have significant pay-per-view draw. In turn, a highly-publicized, highly-watched Pacquiao-Mosley fight can dismantle Hopkins's initial, even foolish, claim. Pacquiao will no longer be unproven against African-American fighters. Gains will be more evident if Pacquiao dismantles Mosley before the eyes of another large global audience. The cycle starts. We're initially turned off. We still want Mayweather. But boxing will find a way to push our buttons again. It always does. As the bout nears, while apprehensions mount, when Arum makes Mosley larger than life, as soon as Sugar's reputation becomes our primary concern, even without Frazier on the prowl, we will worry for Pacquiao because he is our Muhammad Ali. In the end, we will fret. On fight night, we will watch. – GMANews.TV