By Lee Groves

This week’s slate of “thoughts” has a serving of yesterday, a smattering of today and a healthy heaping of tomorrow. So without further delay, let’s dig in:

Floyd Mayweather’s dominance of Shane Mosley deserves a bump up my pound-for-pound list – but he won’t be happy that he has company.

“Money” certainly lived up to his nickname May 1 against “Sugar Shane” as he weathered a second-round scare and swept the final 10 rounds en route to a commanding decision victory. He demonstrated near flawless technique, defensive prowess, superb countering and unusual aggression against the biggest and strongest opponent he has yet faced.

Yes, he answered a lot of questions posed by his critics. Yes, he did enough to earn a promotion on my personal pound-for-pound list. But did he relegate Manny Pacquiao to number two? No.

For the first time in memory, two fighters occupy my number-one slot in the P4P race. Why? Because that’s the most fair way to handle it. Simply put, Pacquiao has done nothing to lose his lofty status while Mayweather has presented a persuasive argument for supremacy. Therefore, until such time as they meet inside the ropes, they will share the honor.

The fact that Mayweather has regained the number-one slot in many eyes is tribute to how highly he was regarded upon his re-entry into the sport. It is rare that a fighter launching a comeback after nearly two years away is instantly granted the number-two spot by most observers, including myself. That’s because we remember how brilliant he had been over the years despite our many justified complaints about his choice of opponents.

In a way, Mayweather has been treated much like traditional college football powers when it comes to assembling pre-season rankings as they often are slotted into the top five based on past accomplishment rather than present merit. Granted, these teams eventually end up proving their worth on the field but their high starting position gives them an edge on the BCS chase that most other squads are not afforded.

Likewise, Mayweather was bestowed preference upon his return based on his form against Ricky Hatton in 2007 because they trusted that the man called “Money” had not been devalued in any way. His virtuoso performances against Marquez and Mosley proved those experts correct.

I do think, however, that giving Mayweather undisputed possession of the P4P title is somewhat premature. Yes, he looked great against Mosley but so did Pacquiao in dominating Joshua Clottey. Against Mosley and Clottey, Mayweather and Pacquiao used their superior skills to break the wills of their naturally larger opponents and the results were nearly identical as Pacquiao won by 10, 10 and 12 points and Mayweather prevailed by 10, 10 and eight points.

Because Pacquiao did what he was supposed to do in beating Clottey, he deserves to stay Number One. Because Mayweather showed us more than we ever could have expected against Mosley, he deserves to be elevated to Number One. That – along with the fact that both count basketball as a favorite pastime – is why I think Pacquiao vs. Mayweather should be called “One on One.”

In closing, the first fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali was so special because it pitted two undefeated fighters with legitimate claims to the heavyweight championship. Whitaker-Chavez was special because it matched two athletes with contrasting styles who could make a persuasive case for being his sport’s top pound-for-pound campaigner. Pacquiao-Mayweather will be special because it combines the best aspects of Frazier-Ali I and Whitaker-Chavez and in this pay-per-view world we live in it’ll probably make more money than those fights combined.

While we’re still on the subject of Pacquiao-Mayweather, here’s a suggestion that will make a special event even more so: Let’s schedule it for 15 rounds instead of 12.

For nearly decades the 15-round distance served as the ultimate proving ground for elite fighters. Back then rounds 11 through 15 were christened “the championship rounds” because they tested the physical and emotional mettle of challengers accustomed to fighting 10-round main events as well as the champions’ commitment to keeping their precious titles. Any weaknesses on either side were exposed for all – especially his rival – to see.

That all changed in early 1983 when WBC president Jose Sulaiman reduced his organization’s title fights to 12 rounds because of circumstances surrounding three fights staged between November 12-26, 1982 – Aaron Pryor-Alexis Arguello I, Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim and Larry Holmes-Randall “Tex” Cobb. The losers in each fight had absorbed severe punishment and in Kim’s case the results were fatal.

Because the common denominator was that the fights lasted at least 14 rounds, Sulaiman figured the 12 round distance was best. Following an initial outcry from the sport’s devotees – and some reluctance by the WBA and IBF – the shorter limit eventually became the norm.

If ever there was a fight that screams for a 15-round distance, Pacquiao-Mayweather is the one. Why? Let us count the ways:

First, this is the one fight whose stakes transcend mere title belts – even “Diamond” ones. The rewards not only are monetary (at least $30 million each to start) but also historic, for the winner will be remembered as the seminal fighter of his generation. This would allow the winner to stake his claim as not just a great but an all-time great.

The 12-round distance seems too short a course to travel for something so rare and so valuable. Therefore, a prize this great demands an extra special set of circumstances that will increase the likelihood for a full and accurate rendering of each man’s talents.

Second, the major rationale behind Sulaiman’s move was medical, that after a certain point exhaustion will rob fighters of their reflexes and their ability to shake off punches. Mayweather and Pacquiao are renowned for their almost maniacal devotion to training, so stamina should not be an issue. If ever two fighters are equipped to handle the demands of a 15-round contest, these two are.

Third, trotting out a one-time-only 15-round distance could be used as an additional marketing tool. Like baseball, part of boxing’s appeal lies in its rich history and the longer route will serve to stir the symbolic ghosts of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Henry Armstrong. Though this fight doesn’t need to be sold to the public, the old-school angle would still be of great use to Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank.

Finally, Pacquiao and Mayweather each have a history of ignoring the “importance” of sanctioning bodies. Each man correctly determined that personality and skill are the source of their drawing power, not the title belts wrapped around their waists.

Rather than fork over 3 percent of his purse to the WBA, Mayweather fought Mosley not just for the money but also the prestige a victory would give him. Meanwhile, between May 2004 and March 2008, Pacquiao did not compete for a “major” belt yet he was still able to enhance his reputation.

If both parties agree to the longer distance, the sanctioning bodies and the state commissions will be under pressure to toe a line they usually impose on fighters: Obey us or else.

Pacquiao-Mayweather is the one match everyone wants to see and that status grants the fighters and promoters a powerful hammer to hold over the sanctioning bodies. Would the WBO (whose belt Pacquiao holds) be willing to pass up a monstrous sanctioning fee to make a principled stand? Please. And what state would turn down the chance to host a bout that would produce a monstrous influx of cash into the local economy? If one state says no, there are many others who will say yes because, as we all know, money talks and everything else walks in boxing.

As long as the other standard safety precautions are in place (two ringside doctors, ambulances, etc.), there should be no reason why the classic championship distance can’t be restored for this fight. All that is needed is the willingness of both sides to ante up.

In conclusion, if the numbers from a scheduled 15-round Pacquiao-Mayweather fight are as large as we all think they will be, perhaps this will trigger a much-needed sea change in the boxing landscape. Perhaps there will come a day when the balance of power will lie not with those entities who award championships but with those who compete for them.

A tumble turned a rumble into a fumble.

Following a tepid first three rounds, the junior middleweight showdown between Paul Williams and Kermit Cintron began to heat up in the opening seconds of the fourth as both men unloaded several bombs that connected flush.

Then things got weird – and for a while frightening.

An awkward tangle along the ropes resulted in Williams spinning toward the canvas and Cintron careening headlong out of the ring and onto a ringside table. The Puerto Rican’s body knocked over a TV monitor and, given his body position, it was abundantly clear his night of fighting was finished.

During one point of the telecast it was suggested that Cintron would have five minutes to re-enter the ring. Perhaps so, but in most jurisdictions a fighter falling out of the ring is first given 20 seconds to return unassisted. Maybe Cintron would have been granted five minutes of recovery time once he climbed back into the ring, but not before. The ringside physicians, however, rendered that moot after calling for a stretcher.

I believe America’s litigious society had something to do with why the fight was stopped. The physician had reason to believe Cintron had suffered a punctured lung, so how could he in good conscience allow Cintron to continue, especially without having the facilities to confirm his diagnosis? He had to make an on-the-spot judgment and, like most responsible people in his position, he chose caution over risk.

What if he had acquiesced to Cintron’s wishes and let him fight only to discover later that the fighter had suffered internal injuries? That would be grounds for a lawsuit and the possible pulling of the doctor’s license as well as potential legal penalties against the state commission. Why would they risk all that just to satisfy an injured battler’s wish to fight on?

By protesting the decision, Cintron is following the fighter’s code that commands him to invest every ounce of his being to pursue victory, even after the fact. One can’t blame him or his promoter for trying to have the split decision against them overturned but when it comes to protests I refer to something I call the “Lewis-Holyfield I rule”: If the result of THAT fight wasn’t reversed, then this one won’t be either.

It was a most anticlimactic end to what was shaping up to be an interesting mid-rounds stretch. Williams surely wanted to validate his newly minted number-three pound-for-pound ranking while Cintron sought to erase the bad memories created by the two Margarito fights. Because the first three rounds sparked such robust boos – and because neither man has an easily defined fan base – I don’t think the money or the interest is there for a rematch.

Still, the nine-plus minutes of Williams-Cintron were revealing in this respect: Cintron showed that Williams’ breakneck work rate can be slowed by feints and sharp counters – traits the two men above Williams in the pound-for-pound rankings have in abundance. While “The Punisher” did nothing to harm his status, he didn’t enhance it either. That means encounters with Pacquiao and Mayweather will likely remain in the mythical realm.

E-mail Lee Groves at lgroves@hughes.net