30 little-known facts about Floyd Mayweather Jr.

11. Mayweather nearly got iced by Shane Mosley

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is surely well aware that a significant segment of his pay-per-view earnings come from fight fans desperate to see him knocked out. For those wishing to see Mayweather get iced, the high-water mark may have come in May of 2010 when a pair of vicious right hands from a faded Shane Mosley had Mayweather, in only the second fight of his comeback, reeling.

Although Mosley was obviously past his prime when he fought Mayweather, he still possessed tremendous power, timing and resilience. It should also be noted that Mosley was coming off a stunning and invigorating stoppage of Antonio Margarito. And early in the Mayweather fight, Mosley offered a glimpse of how at his peak, and perhaps at lightweight, he could have been consistently competitive against Mayweather.

In round two, Mosley cagily employed a probing left jab to Mayweather’s midsection, causing Floyd to drop his guard ever so slightly; Mosley immediately followed up with a crushing overhand right that made Mayweather dip backwards. In the above clip, though, Mayweather’s ring intelligence is on full display as he immediately clung to Mosley’s right hand, initiating a clinch just a split second after the punch had landed.

While it appeared that Mosley’s moment had passed, he landed an even more devastating right hand shot about a minute later. With Mayweather still groggy and lurching forward, Mosley, after resetting his distance, uncorked a looping hook that landed flush. Mayweather’s knees buckled and sunk towards the canvas, and he only managed to stay upright thanks to instinctive willpower. Mayweather was tagged again as Mosley lunged in, but he survived the remaining minute of the round and utterly negated Mosley’s offense for the rest of the fight.