ESPN Boxing

Don't want to spend the $59.95 (and likely even more to get it in HD) for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Miguel Cotto HBO PPV card on May 5? No problem.

I always advocate trying to get a few people together for a pay-per-view card to defray the cost by having each person chip in a few bucks, but that doesn't always work out. So if cash is tight, the solution might be to head out to the movie theater to watch it on the big screen, where you'll still get the entire event (in HD) as it would air on television, but for a fraction of the cost -- usually no more than $25 a ticket.

Golden Boy Promotions announced Tuesday that it has teamed with NCM Fathom Events to distribute the Mayweather-Cotto show in theaters around the country, as it has been doing for most of Golden Boy's major pay-per-view cards in recent years.

Mayweather's challenge of junior middleweight titlist Cotto -- plus Saul "Canelo" Alvarez's junior middleweight title defense against Shane Mosley and the other PPV undercard bouts at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas -- will be available in nearly 440 movie theaters nationwide. And sure enough, I looked it up and found that one of the theaters near my home in Northern Virginia is charging $18 per ticket, obviously much cheaper than the pay-per-view.

If you're looking for a theater near you, check out www.FathomEvents.com for a list of locations and ticket prices.

"I love the fact that people can see my fights in movie theaters across the country," Mayweather said. "Everyone knows, when I fight it is nothing but lights, camera, action. Seeing it on the big screen is going to give fans a great experience. I say buy some popcorn, candy and a soda and enjoy the show, because they are definitely going to get their money's worth."

Some of Cotto's past fights have been featured in theaters in his native Puerto Rico, but never before in the United States.

"This gives my fans across the country a new way to watch me in the ring," Cotto said of his U.S. following. "It is exciting. Now there is no way to miss this great fight."

The movie ticket price is also much cheaper than the closed-circuit ticket prices in Las Vegas, where it will run you $75 to watch.

Shane Mosley, the former pound-for-pound king and three-division champion, is 40 now. He is 2-3-1 in his previous six fights, and he has looked particularly poor in going 0-2-1 in his past three since his upset knockout of plaster-less Antonio Margarito in 2009.

The last time we saw Mosley, he was knocked down in the third round and lost a shutout decision to Manny Pacquiao in their massively hyped -- and even more disappointing -- welterweight title bout last May.

Since then, Mosley (46-7-1, 39 KOs) has kept a low profile. But now he says he is ready to return, that he is healthy and that his manager, James Prince, and attorney, Josh Dubin, have been approached by Golden Boy -- the fighter's former promoter before their falling out prior to rival Top Rank signing Mosley for the Pacquiao fight -- to gauge his interest in two potential bouts.

I talked to Mosley the other day, and he said he was asked a couple of weeks ago about his interest in a fight with junior middleweight titlist Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who holds one of Mosley's old belts. In recent days, Mosley said, he was asked about his interest in facing former junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan.

"They offered me a fight with Canelo and I was like, 'Yeah, I'll take it,'" Mosley said. "Then they came back to me and said, 'What about Amir Khan?'"

Mosley said that fight was also of interest to him, although not at the weight that was suggested: 145 pounds.

Khan, who lost his two junior welterweight belts to Lamont Peterson in controversial fashion on Dec. 10, wants a rematch first and foremost. But Golden Boy knows there are issues there and is looking ahead because Khan had talked before the Peterson fight about moving up anyway.

"I said, 'No way at 145.' I might do it if it was at 147. I was thinking 149 or 150," Mosley said. "It's possible, but I would want to be sure everything is right. It's interesting, but it depends on the setting, the weight, what type of money."

Of the two names brought to Mosley's attention, he said he prefers Alvarez, who has been mentioned prominently as a potential May 5 opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who soundly outpointed Mosley in May 2010.

With Mayweather and Pacquiao trying to finalize opponents, because it seems very doubtful they will fight each other next, everyone else in the hunt is jockeying for position, including Mosley.

"I haven't fought in a while and would have to make weight properly if I was going to fight Khan," Mosley said, adding that he weighed about 168 when we spoke a few days ago. "Now that I am healed properly, I can get back to work again."

Mosley said he injured the Achilles tendon in his left foot several weeks before the Pacquiao fight and that it hindered him badly in the fight. He said he had issues with his other leg also. The injuries have taken some time to heal, but he said he would be ready for a fight in the spring, which is when Alvarez and Khan are both expected back in action.

"I wanted to take some time off and heal properly," Mosley said. "I'm feeling a lot better and ready to go. I'm not hurt. If Golden Boy is willing to put their guy, Canelo or Amir, up to fight me, so be it. I'm excited to get back in the ring. I want to prove to everybody what happens when I am 100 percent."

I don't see the Khan fight happening and remain hopeful a rematch with Peterson will come to fruition. It makes too much (dollars and) sense not to happen.
When I asked Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer about Mosley's claim that he is being considered for the fights, he said only, "My full focus in on the Peterson rematch."

I think Mosley is a long shot, at best, to face Khan. Besides, it remains to be seen if HBO or Showtime would be interested in either bout. But I'll say this: As disgusted as I was with Mosley's performance against Pacquiao -- and it was a fight I killed even before it took place, and wound up playing out even worse than I had predicted -- I think Mosley, even at this stage of his career, would be Alvarez's toughest opponent so far. Alvarez has been very protected.

"I'm better than anyone Canelo [has] fought," Mosley said. "By all means, put me in with him and let me knock him out. To me, Canelo is a warm-up for me to another fight. We can definitely do that."