Denials aside, all signs point to Oscar-Floyd rematch

	Floyd Mayweather, Jr. says he'll retire soon. But could he resist a $20 million paycheck for a rematch with the Golden Boy? AP

LAS VEGAS -- Let the controversy begin.

In a fight that, at the very least, lived up to it's billing, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. eked out a split decision over former WBC Super Welterweight champion Osca De La Hoya. But that's only half the story.

Judge Chuck Giampa awarded the fight to Mayweather, 116-112. Tom Kaczmarek saw the fight 115-113, De La Hoya. And Jerry Roth gave the fight to Mayweather, 115-113.

Roth's card is easily the most interesting. He gave the final round to Mayweather despite De La Hoya clearly being the busier fighter. Had Roth scored the round for De La Hoya, the fight would have ended in a draw. SI.com scored the round for De La Hoya and the fight, 115-113 for Mayweather.

That said, the public will instantly clamor for a rematch. Mayweather says he will retire (he won't), while Oscar has maintained all along this will not be his final fight (it won't). Those close to Oscar don't believe it will be, either, which leaves only Mayweather as a multi-million-dollar payday opponent.

A rematch will eventually appeal to Mayweather. Despite his vows to ride off into the sunset, the prospect of a possible $20 million check will be too much to resist. We all know Floyd loves his money. And we also know Floyd gets bored very, very easily.

It will likely appeal to Oscar, as well. Clearly the 34-year old ex-champ tired as the fight wore on, a prediction Mayweather made (among others) in the days leading up to the fight. Perhaps the fatigue was a result of a training regimen that focused almost exclusively on power, a strategy designed by Freddie Roach. De La Hoya's jab was clearly the most effective punch of the fight, but from the eighth round on, it appeared that De La Hoya labored to throw it.

Can he get in better shape? Maybe. Those bones aren't getting any younger. But boxing may need him to return. The prospective fight floating around the MGM Grand Arena afterwards was a Mayweather-Mosley match; but that contest doesn't appeal to many people outside of the Mosley family.

I'd welcome a rematch. I may be in the minority, but I would love to see if Mayweather could withstand 12 rounds of De La Hoya's jab. But it would have to happen soon, say in September. No one will wait another year for this.