The Boxing Blockbuster Is Not Dead: Photos From Saturday's Mayweather-Mosley Show

They only happen once or twice a year, but even in the year the 2010, with a 1,000 different voices touting the sport's demise, there's just nothing like a bigtime boxing match.

The press conferences, the electricity beforehand, the celebrities, the fight... Nothing's better. And this past Saturday, we got one of those nights. Two big-name fighters, all sorts of back-and-forth during the buildup, a sea of celebrities ringside, and for me, about 1,000 people crowded into a bar, buzzing for about three hours straight—before, during, and after the fight. The whole experience is what makes boxing so special.

On its own, the hype can feel contrived and formulaic, the fights are often one-sided and monotonous, and afterward, the attention immediately turns to… the next fight, hoping that perhaps a stronger opponent can test someone like Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

So separately, yes: Each component of a bigtime pay-per-view fight is a least a little bit absurd. But together, somehow, it still works. Even as the individual boxers have lost the sex appeal they enjoyed in past decades, Fight Night remains an irresistible pastime. From start to finish, it’s a spectacle unlike anything else in sports.

And Sunday morning, trying to relive some of Saturday night’s glory, I wound up going back through some of the photos from Mayweather-Mosley to entertain myself.  But why should I be the only one to enjoy the awesome photos provided by Getty Images? Some of what I found is below.

For full coverage of the fight, check out SB Nation's excellent boxing blog, Bad Left Hook.

ROGER. Is there anywhere else in the entire world where Roger Mayweather would be considered an authority worthy of a podium and microphone? I mean... On anything?

But as far as boxing minds go, Roger Mayweather seems to be legitimately elite. He also struggles to form sentences, and is currently facing charges on battery strangulation, among other accusations levied by a former female boxer he was training. And... That's boxing royalty. Crazy.

Of course, we got to know him best on...

HBO's 24/7. There's no better promotional tool in all of sports than HBO's boxing reality show. It gives casual boxing fans everything they could possibly need to know about the fighters, framing the personalities in big time matchups better than a hundred press conferences ever could. You get to the fighters, the trainers (Roger!), the families... Basically, it takes a sport that looks completely inhumane to outsiders, and makes us care about the guys involved. No small feat.

So with a show that can't possibly cost more than $10,000 to produce, HBO's able to generate interest in even the most lopsided fights around. It's genius.

And so what if Floyd Mayweather comes off as a money-hungry sociopath? He also comes off as one of the most breathtaking (and hardest-working) athletes in all of sports. You may think Floyd Mayweather's a terrible person, but you have to admit: athletically, he is simply NOT human.

THE WEIGH-IN. Not much to add here except that it's one of the goofiest traditions in sports—two world famous stars in their underwear, asked to stare each other in the eyes for cameras. Also: there are 18 different entourage members in about five square feet up there. Seriously, count 'em.

UMM... "OH MY GOD. Is... Is that Ricky Hatton?"

"Yes, yes it is. Ricky's been having some 'eating issues' since the Pacquaio knockout."

"Uh, okay... What's he doing at Mayweather's weigh-in?"

"Well, you know, there's usually a buffet at these things..."

(speechless)

FIGHT NIGHT IN VEGAS. After weeks of press conferences and trash talk between both camps, it all came down to a Saturday night. And remember: All the stars come out for a big fight... See and be seen, y'all. Not to mention, Las Vegas brings it to a whole 'nother level. Prostitution's legal there, you know. Oh, look! Paris and Nikki Hilton!

HATERS JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. You see, Will's laughing hysterically about their early-90s rap career. And, well, Marky Mark still doesn't get what's so funny about that. GOOD VIBRATIONS.

YEAH... SORRY YOUR BIOPIC WAS JUST OKAY. Can you imagine how bizarre it'd be to meet a guy that you spent 12-18 months impersonating for that man's biopic? Mr. Ali looks skeptical.

FOXXIFIED. "Yeah. Look at Will acting bashful over there. I was smart. I waited till Ray was on the other side before I Foxxified his life. No awkward small talk over here..."

(licks his lips like Denzel) "Just ballin like Bundini baby."

"And I'm not hatin' on Will. He was the perfect skin tone for Ali. Had to play him. Born to play him. Yessir. Can't fight fate. But lemme ask you: Which one of us do you think is going to play OJ?"

MEES-APPROPRIATION. "I don't like what you're implying here. So you're saying it's NOT official state business to attend a blockbuster fight in Las Vegas? ... ZEES IS AMERICA."

(Obligatory link to Pumping Iron)

And now, with the Star-Spangled Banner...

WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE APPROPRIATE AT A TYSON FIGHT. Chris! Breezy! My man. A word of advice. There are a lot of publicists out there. Fire whichever one suggested you make a public appearance at a boxing match, less than a year after you publically beat your world-famous girlfriend, Rihanna.

That said, Roger Mayweather was definitely feelin' it.

As for the fight... It started off with Sugar Shane blitzing the favorite.

CAN MOSLEY SHOCK THE WORLD? The pre-fight electricity is always good for these big pay-per-view fights, but when the underdog comes out swinging, it goes to another level. And make no mistake: for a second on Saturday night, it looked like Sugar Shane might actually beat Floyd Mayweather. If nothing else, it looked like an even matchup of two guys with insane quickness.

(And while we're on the subject of the actual fight, that's why—even after meeting MMA—boxing remains at the top of my list for morally ambiguous bloodsport. Because the speed in that ring was just out of this world. Say what you want about the people that run boxing, but the boxers themselves are still some of the most breathtaking athletes in the entire world. MMA has a few guys like that, but on the whole, the eye-popping athletes—the Mayweathers, the Pacquiaos—still reside in the boxing ring, and boxing as a sport provides a much more transparent staging ground for fans to experience that athleticism. That's why it works. Anyway, back to the fight...)

WHOA. Put it this way: the first round went to Mosley, but we were still in the ceremonial, "Oh hey, this guy has a shot!"-phase of things. When he walloped Mayweather in the second, there were real questions about whether Floyd would make it out of the round.

As you can see above, Shane Mosley hit Floyd harder and cleaner than anyone's hit him in a long, lonnnng time. And afterward, as Floyd staggered around and desperately blocked any further assaults, he had the whole crowd wondering whether this might actually end in an upset.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? Not so much. For all the symbolic triumph of Shane's second round flurry, it brought out the best of Floyd. And "the best of Floyd" is also the best boxer on earth.

LIKE PUNCHING A GHOST. When Floyd's paying attention, it's just about impossible to hit him.

CLOCKWORK. Then, give him an opening, and he'll nail you with his insanely accurate jabs.

MOSLEY: DONE. A few more rounds of this routine, and Sugar Shane was done. He couldn't hit Mayweather, and Floyd, master tactitian, just keep nailing him anytime Mosley exposed himself.

CHAMP. After some hiccups during those first two rounds, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. won the final 10, and reminded us why he's considered the boxer alive. And just like that, it was over. Now, then...

Who's ready for Mayweather-Pacquiao?