Hey, Mayweather, why not Paul Williams?

Let's be honest. If Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. stick to their guns and keep their next bouts both scheduled for March 13 after blowing the opportunity to make a mega-fight together that night, Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey is more appealing than a one-sided Mayweather showcase against either Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell.

So, here's an unasked-for suggestion to Mayweather: Why not continue the game of one-upmanship with Pacquiao and make a more competitive fight than his by selecting Paul Williams as your next opponent?

"If we were asked, I'd go pick Paul up, and we'd be there as fast we could get there to sign the contract," Williams' promoter Dan Goossen told The Times.

The ever-punching Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) against the defensive wizard Mayweather would be a classic match-up. Williams, who last year posted middleweight victories over Winky Wright and Sergio Martinez, has fought as low as 147 pounds as recently as June 2008 and is an HBO fighter like "Money" so it would appear easy to facilitate.

Is Mayweather interested in Williams? His promoter, Richard Schaefer, was not immediately available for comment today, and neither was his advisor, Leonard Ellerbe. 

Mayweather routinely questions the name recognition of opponents he doesn't want to fight, but how could he do that with Williams and then select either a Malignaggi or Campbell?

Mayweather-Williams makes sense, but, of course, as we've seen with the crumbled Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations, that doesn't mean the fight gets made.

-- Lance Pugmire   

Photo: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Credit: Frank Franklin II, AP.