Golden Boy Promotions working on Mosley fight

Oscar De La Hoya's decision to meet Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September in a rematch of their 2007 fight has created a void for Cinco de Mayo weekend at the MGM Grand Garden.

Traditionally, a major boxing card takes place in Las Vegas that first weekend of May. Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer, said he's looking to bring former welterweight champion Shane Mosley to town to fill the void left by De La Hoya.

"I'm working on Shane for May 3 as we speak," Schaefer said Thursday. "We'd like to be part of a card at the MGM that weekend."

Mosley (44-5, 37 knockouts) last fought Nov. 10 when he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Mosley, 36, said he planned to fight in 2008, so the May 3 date would work.

Possible opponents are Paul Williams (33-0, 24 KOs) or Kermit Cintron (29-1, 27 KOs). There was speculation that Antonio Margarito might be Mosley's opponent, but Schaefer said that won't happen.

Schaefer might be the busiest person in boxing at the moment.

He is trying to finalize the rematch between De La Hoya and Mayweather, expected to be contested in mid-September in Las Vegas or Southern California. He has been putting the finishing touches on an April 12 fight at Mandalay Bay between light heavyweights Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe.

Now Schaefer is trying to get a fight for Mosley.

"There's a lot of moving targets at the moment," Schaefer said. "But we hope to get a deal for Shane done shortly."

• NO MMA BAN -- At this point, there is nothing precluding Mayweather from becoming a mixed martial arts fighter before he meets De La Hoya in September.

Schaefer said he has not asked for a clause in the contract that would keep Mayweather out of the octagon. Mayweather has indicated he would be willing to compete in MMA as part of Mark Cuban's HDNet Fights company.

"We haven't thought that far ahead," Schaefer said of possibly seeking a clause in the contract to protect the September fight.

Mayweather's senior adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, didn't want to comment specifically on his fighter's fledgling MMA career as it pertains to meeting De La Hoya.

"All I say is that Floyd's involved in a number of things outside of boxing," Ellerbe said.

• LATEST ODDS -- World middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik remains the betting favorite for his Feb. 16 rematch against Jermain Taylor at the MGM Grand, according to odds posted at Station Casinos. Pavlik, who opened at minus-170, is minus-185, with Taylor at plus-160.

Manny Pacquiao remains a minus-185 favorite over Juan Manuel Marquez in their March 15 super featherweight title fight at Mandalay Bay. Marquez's price opened and remains at plus-160.

• HARD ROCK CARD -- Kendall Holt, the WBO's No. 2-ranked super lightweight, will face Ben Tackie in a 10-round bout to headline a Top Rank card Feb. 7 at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Casino.

Holt has not fought since a controversial 11th-round technical knockout loss to WBO champion Ricardo Torres on Sept. 1 in Colombia.

Holt had knocked down Torres in the sixth round but claimed he was struck by an object thrown from the stands. Also, Holt said someone from outside the ring grabbed his legs in the 11th round. He protested the outcome, but the decision stood.

Holt is 22-2 with 12 KOs, and Tackie is 29-8-1 with 18 KOs.

The fight will be televised on the Versus Network (Cox Cable 67).

The undercard tentatively includes super welterweight Vanes Martirosyan (18-0), middleweight Donnie Orr (11-0) and light welterweight Angel Flores (9-2), who will be looking to atone for his six-round unanimous decision loss to Geoff Spruiell on Dec. 20.

Top Rank also has announced that Pacquiao's younger brother, Bobby, will fight on a March 13 card in Las Vegas. The site and opponent have not been determined.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.