I used to watch a fair amount of boxing back in the days when it was prominently featured on Showtime and HBO. Eventually, it just kind of slipped off my list of things to do. Perhaps that was because Mike Tyson sort of slipped a bit too, or say a lot. Either way, about the time Tyson became irrelevant was about the time I stopped tuning into boxing.

Since that time, MMA has filled the gap. And that's not just for me personally, that's pretty much true for the entire sports landscape. In fact, MMA's gotten so big that people haven't just put boxing on death's doorstep, they've already buried it 6-feet deep.

But that may change, at least for a few months. Word out of Floyd Mayweather's camp is that the man who is "retired" at 39-0 as the best living boxer in the world, wants to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Janelle Mayweather, the boxer’s cousin, told family members he called her early Sunday morning — moments after Manny Pacquiao’s stirring win over Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday night in Las Vegas — and stated his hopes to fight again and reunite with his father.

“My niece said my son told her he wanted to fight Pacquiao next, and that he wants me to train him for the fight,” Mayweather Sr. said.

Just for the record, Pacquiao's camp has always said they'd be open to scheduling a fight with Mayweather.

Now, this isn't a classic heavyweight bout, but it would be the best matchup in boxing in literally the last decade or even the last two decades. Mayweather was considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world when he retired while Pacquiao currently holds that distinction.

This fight will also produce exactly what Mayweather loves: money. Yes, the jackass known for making it rain with fake Benjamins and turkeys loves money, and if he agrees to the fight, he'll have it dumped on his front lawn in truckloads.

This fight would also be extremely compelling for another reason. Pacquiao is a very classy fighter, and overall an incredibly swell guy. Mayweather, meanwhile, is a complete and utter sh**head who's about the most pompous piece of crap in the world. It creates a beautiful marriage of good versus evil on the grand stage, and a chance for someone to finally put Mayweather's cocky ass on the mat. By the way, guess who I'll be rooting for?

Will this fight save boxing? No, you need multiple epic bouts to bring boxing completely back from the dead. But this fight, if it happens, will at least resusitate it for a good long while.

Floyd wants to fight Manny Pacquiao [The Grand Rapids Press] via [You Been Blinded]