Victor Ortiz will be making his long-awaited return to the ring on December 14 as part of the Broner-Maidana Showtime pay-per-view event from Las Vegas, but he won't be facing Carlos Molina, as the IBF has declined to sanction that bout for Molina's 154-pound title.

So with the original plan scrapped, it now appears that Shane Mosley could step in to face Ortiz, according to BoxingScene.com. Ortiz-Mosley was discussed a bit earlier this year, but Mosley chose instead to go to Australia for a fight with Anthony Mundine. That fight fell through yesterday, when the promoters did not pony up the $700,000 owed to Mosley, who subsequently left Australia and canceled tomorrow's fight.

Mosley (47-8-1, 39 KO) is certainly past his prime, but the 42-year-old ex-champ put on a good fight earlier this year in Mexico against Pablo Cesar Cano, winning for the first time since January 2009. While I don't think there's really any question that he's a physically shot fighter, there is still a role in the sport for him if he's fit enough to pass medical exams and all that, and a fight with Ortiz (29-4-2, 22 KO) would be in the wheelhouse for that position. I'm not saying it's a good spot to be in, but it's not unfamiliar territory in the fight game.

The comebacking Ortiz, 26, hasn't fought since June 2012, when he had his jaw broken in a shocking upset loss to Josesito Lopez.