Sharmba Mitchell might have knew it going in, but if he didn't, it must have become clear to him during the first round of his welterweight bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last night at the Rose Garden in Oregon: "Pretty Boy" can punch.

Mayweather, 35-0 (24), displayed good ring generalship and power as he dominated Mitchell right from the start. The flashy Mitchell's southpaw, herky-jerky style must have reminded Mayweather of another fighter he beat, Demarcus Corley, although unlike "Chop Chop", Mitchell never came close to hurting Mayweather. On the contrary, Mitchell was hurt when Mayweather had him against the ropes in the opening round, and again when the two exchanged at the sound of the bell.

Mayweather landed right hands at ease, and dropped Mitchell with one in the third round. Mitchell moved and spun and landed more punches than Arturo Gatti did against Mayweather, but he was too accessible and it was really a matter of when, not if, he would collapse, as Floyd's speed and punching power appeared too much for the "Little Big Man".

The "when" came in the sixth round, as Mayweather had Mitchell close to the ropes and and dropped a straight right below the southpaw's ribcage. Then came the familar delayed reaction one experiences after being hit with a bodyblow, and Mitchell sunk to the ropes in obvious pain. Mitchell rose at the count of eight, but referee Richard Steele rightly waved the fight off. Mitchell offered token resistance to Steele's decision, but had he been allowed to continue he would have suffered a more thorough beating at the hands of Mayweather.

Mitchell falls to 56-5 (30), and as his star seems destined to fall out of the realm of potential big-name opponents, Mayweather's seems poised high above, overlooking his many lucrative options from his pound-for-pound throne. Mayweather name-dropped Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Winky Wright and Zab Judah, but negotiations and distribution of money have proved far more difficult than voicing opinions and calling out fighters.

Whoever Mayweather fights next will likely be a big-name pay-per-view opponent. Whether that means Judah, Mosley, or De La Hoya remains to be seen. Welterweight king Judah seems to be the most likely candidate, but there are also fighters at 140 that present intriguing matchups, like Ricky Hatton or Miguel Cotto. Stay tuned.