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Mayweather vs Mosley Photos

2010-05-02T01:28:00.000-07:00

Source: Examiner.com

Analysis from ringside: Mayweather crucifies Mosley

2010-05-02T01:23:00.000-07:00

International Sports Examiner | Marv Dumon

RINGSIDE - Las Vegas, NV

As predicted, Floyd Mayweather, Jr (41-0) dominated Shane Mosley (46-6) in a one-sided decision win at the MGM Grand Arena in a welterweight title showdown.

Round 1 >

Ringside view. What an entrance. Actors on stilts in costumes, with fake money being thrown into the crowd! Incredible atmosphere. People are laughing.

Floyd grapples Shane and comes out with an effective left hook. Mayweather is making Mosley pay for coming forward. Shane is throwing a reach jab into Floyd's middle section.

In this round, Mosley looks hesitant to jab, and looks aware of getting countered. Floyd is clearly faster than Mosley.
Round 2 >

Right hook by Shane clearly hits Floyd, who is now getting hit with swarming combinations. Mayweather is wobbled on the knees and appears hurt. Floyd is uncomfortable.

The crowd is very loud, yelling "Mosley, Mosley, Mosley!"
Round 3 >

Mayweather's left jab is backing down Shane, who now appears hesitant to punch for fear of being counered.

Round 4 >

Mosley is clearly getting outpointed in this fight. Mayweather continues to counter Mosley, and now has no conviction in punching. Mosley simply feinting and moving, with little punches. Mosley won the second round, Mayweather has won the rest.

Round 5 >

Mayweather throwing more punches, is boxing, and is countering Mosley. Shane looking uncomfortable. Mayweather's foot movement allows him to move away from harm. Mosley is now confused.

Round 6 >

Mayweather is simply hitting Mosley flush in the face. When Mosley comes forward, Floyd releases his right hand with unbelievable speed. Five rounds to one for Mayweather.

Round 7 >

Mayweather can fight backwards. Mosley cannot fight backpedalling. Sugar Ray Leonard was able to fight backwards. Mayweather is able to tie up Mosley at will. Tremendous grappling skills. This is embarassing. Crushing right hands from Mayweather. The crowd is loud. Very loud.

Round 8 >

A modern crucifixion. Crowd yelling "Money, Money, Money!"

Round 9 >

Floyd Mayweather simply grappling and holding Mosley to prevent any effective attack. Mosley can't do anything about it. Floyd has been in control.
Round 10 >

Nine rounds to one, Mayweather. Hitting flush with right. Crowd reacts loudly. Mosley's hands are down, he knows he is getting a beating in front of the world.
Round 11 >

Read rounds 1 - 10. Repeat. Dominance.
Round 12 >

The crucifixion is almost over. The bell rings, some people are relieved. Mayweather and Mosley embrace and smile. Floyd goes to Nazim Richardson, who refuses to look at a smiling Floyd, and refuses to shake "Money's" hand.

Source: Examiner.com

As the MGM Grand heats up for Mayweather-Mosley, celebrities make their presence felt

2010-05-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

Boxing is unique in that the majority of the fan base is made up of people with die-hard enthusiasm for the sport and you rarely see much mainstream attention turned to the sweet science. It takes a fight of great magnitude to get the everyday public’s full attention and such is the case with tonight’s Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley bout in Las Vegas, Nevada.

All one had to do was take a stroll through the main lobby and casino of the MGM Grand earlier today to get the full impact on how heavily tonight’s contest truly is. Fight week in Nevada is always full of excitement but there seems to be a special aura in the air this time around. People have come out in droves to attend the event, both fans and celebrities alike, and by the time the bell rings for round one the atmosphere will be likely be out of control.

Many boxing luminaries are in Sin City this weekend for the fight, many of whom are connected to either Mayweather or Mosley in certain ways. Among the list of pugilists include Fernando Vargas, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns, Ricky Hatton, Marco Antonio Barrera, Mike Tyson, Andre Berto, Sergio Mora, Joe Calzaghe, Oscar De La Hoya, Alfredo Angulo, and Erik Morales, among others.

Earlier today in the media room of the casino both Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz were in attendance for a press conference to announce their July 31st rematch. In February of last year Marquez stopped Diaz in the 8th round of a high-octane affair that was considered by many to be the fight of the year. Even in acknowledging the importance of their second bout both men seemed to realize that tonight belonged all to Mayweather and Mosley.

People from the worlds of entertainment and other high-profile sports have had a lot to say on the contest as well. Mayweather-Mosley is the type of fight that is a rarity because of the attention it has attracted and we can only hope the fight lives up to the hype.

Source: Examiner.com

Mayweather vs Mosley Online Live Streaming

2010-05-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley Official Weigh Ins

2010-05-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Collapse of megafight clears way for Mayweather, Mosley

2010-05-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

It began with a pro wrestling moment. Boxing fans hope it ends with one of the sport's best moments in years.

Shane Mosley has waited years for a chance to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. He tried goading Mayweather into fighting him in September, crashing Mayweather's victory interview with HBO after his return to the ring against Juan Manuel Marquez.

But the reality is, it took many unforeseen circumstances to set up tonight's welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand Garden.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) was set to face Manny Pacquiao in a March 13 megafight at the MGM Grand. Each fighter stood to make a reported $40 million. But when Pacquiao refused Mayweather's demand to submit to Olympic-style random drug testing, the fight fell through.

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), meanwhile, had plans of his own to fight in Las Vegas. He was to face WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay. But Berto pulled out three weeks before the fight when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, where he has family.

That left Mosley and Mayweather with an opportunity to finally meet, and both fighters were available. Both were in the gym. The coveted Cinco De Mayo date at the MGM Grand was open. Mosley, who had admitted to using steroids in 2003, was willing to do what Pacquiao wouldn't, agreeing to random drug testing.

HBO quickly got on board. The money got worked out, with Mayweather to make $22.5 million and Mosley $7 million. Their long-awaited confrontation was realized.

Now, the question is, can Mayweather remain perfect? Or does Mosley cap his Hall of Fame career by being the first pro to defeat Mayweather?

Both fighters made the 147-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in, with Mayweather weighing 146 and Mosley 147. Mosley's WBA welterweight title is not at stake, but he's out to prove he can still fight at age 38.

"I will knock (Mayweather) out," Mosley said. "I can see he's getting a little more nervous, a little more scared. I noticed it at the press conference (Wednesday) when we faced each other."

Mosley usually doesn't get caught up in that kind of hype. But this is a big-money fight with bigger implications to both fighters' legacies. It was also out of character for Mosley to climb into the Grand Garden ring Sept. 19 to challenge Mayweather, who had just returned from a 21-month absence to rout Marquez.

It was a WWE moment. And Mayweather, who has done work in pro wrestling, was not amused by Mosley crowding the spotlight.

"Don't go disrespecting me!" he yelled at Mosley while trying to conduct his postfight interview.

Mosley has his version of what happened.

"People forget I work for Golden Boy (Promotions), and I had a right to be inside the ring after the (Marquez) fight," he said. "I came over to Floyd because he called me over to the conversation."

Mayweather insists the incident is not fueling his fire for this fight. But it's hard to imagine he's not using Mosley's supposed disrespect as motivation.

"The ultimate goal was for him to be disrespectful," Mayweather said. "I'm not trippin', but a riot could have broken out over something that small."

No skirmishes came about, but the seed was planted for tonight. Now that Mosley finally has what he wants, can he take advantage of the opportunity?

"We've got a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C," he said. "If Plan A works, we won't need to go to B or C."

Mosley obviously declines to divulge that plan. But he has the speed, power and experience to make Mayweather fight. He also has Naazim Richardson in his corner, a trainer who knows how to plan for an opponent.

Richardson said the key to beating Mayweather is to force him to fight.

"You hit (Mayweather) the first time in the face and he's going to turn into a dragon," Richardson said. "He's going to be breathing fire. So what you do is step on his tail and hit him in the stomach."

But will Mosley be able to get through Mayweather's defense often enough to hurt him? Mayweather, who appears to have gained some upper body strength to offset one of Mosley's assets, said each fight brings its own set of challenges.

"You prepare different ways physically depending on who you're fighting," Mayweather said. "Mentally, it's always the same -- you want to be focused on what you're supposed to be doing. I always want to look better than the time before.

"Whatever Shane tries to do, I'll be ready. It could end in a knockout. If he comes in, it could end in a knockout. The key is for me to be smart, use my jab and do what I've always done."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.

Source: lvrj.com

Long-awaited showdown Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley tonight

2010-05-01T03:56:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Matthew Aguilar

LAS VEGAS -- For the first time in his career, Floyd Mayweather Jr. may be going into a fight where he does not have supreme physical advantages.

Mayweather, who will meet WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley tonight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, is smaller, shorter, and probably not as physically strong as his opponent. And some think the psychological implications of that quandary could result in the first loss of Mayweather's unblemished pro log.

As the two stood eyeball-to-eyeball after Friday's tension-filled weigh-in, there is little doubt that Mosley plans to utilize every asset available -- physical, psychological or otherwise.

In a fight dubbed, "Who R U Picking?" Mosley is forcing the boxing world to think before answering "Mayweather" automatically.

Sugar Shane came in at a ready 147 pounds, a pound heavier than Mayweather's 146 -- pounding home the point that he is the natural welterweight in this fight.

"The key to the fight is my speed and power," said Mosley, a native of Pomona, Calif., who has a won world titles in three weight divisions in a 46-5 (39 knockouts) career. "I've always had power, even when I was a lightweight. But I can also knock people out in this weight class."

Not that Mayweather, 40-0 (25 KOs), appeared anything less than his ultra-confident, brash, cocky self. He got in Mosley's face after stepping off the scale, staring directly into Mosley's eyes as if to say, "don't think this undefeated record is a fluke."

Mayweather

-- abs glistening -- looked ripped, exciting the 6,000 fans on hand at a raucous weigh-in. "Money" has won world titles in four weight divisions and is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing.

Boxing insiders who think this will be one great fight found that the weigh-in only reinforced that belief.

"I had a great camp and I put in a lot of hard work," Mayweather said. "My (trainer) uncle Roger (Mayweather) and my dad (Floyd Mayweather Sr.) did a great job. The key to this fight is the jab. I've got to do what I've always done -- establish the jab and fight a smart fight."

When asked whether there is a chance he could reverse roles and turn aggressor, Mayweather said, "this fight could end in a KO if he comes in."

Adding to the weigh-in tension, Mayweather manager Leonard Ellerbe and Mosley began to shove each other while the fighters were staring each other down.

It's proof that -- after a whirlwind media tour and 11 years of familiarity -- these guys really don't like each other.

Although "Who R U Picking?" is one of the best fights in the game, boxing fans still have an eye on Manny Pacquiao, the man who many consider the best fighter in boxing. Mayweather-Mosley became a reality only after Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations broke down in January.

If Mosley wins, he will almost certainly fight Pacquiao this fall. If Mayweather wins, boxing fans hope the two camps reopen negotiations for what likely would be one of the biggest fights in boxing history.

Source: elpasotimes.com

Bold Predictions in Breaking That Timex of Silence: Can Mosley Really Beat Mayweather, Jr.?

2010-04-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

By Granville Ampong
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 01 May 2010

Unless Mayweather plays dirty that which he would not and unless Mayweather chooses to engage a toe-to-toe battle that which he would not, the best decision Mosley could get over the "boxing scientist" from the board of judges and from referee Kenny Bayless would be a DRAW or a DISQUALIFICATION, which borders to almost zero probability.

SIDE BAR EXCLUSIVE FOR PHILBOXING.COM: LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Sugar Shane Mosley (46-5-0) will try to debunk, if not nullify, Floyd Mayweather ,Jr.'s story of a "boxing scientist" and put an end to his undefeated professional record of 40 wins, inclusive of 25 knockouts, this Saturday, May 1, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, live on HBO Pay-per-View telecast, beginning at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time/6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

But, it's not going to be easy for Mosley. Mayweather, 33, has transformed himself into a ring master whose schemes and bad intentions, each chance he timely counter-attacks and surgically targets his foe, whisper of infinite possibilities to win, at least against retirable Mosley, 38, whose battery-operated Timex quartz may have just been low at reading.

Nevertheless,the best of Mosley may not be seen anymore in the ring of madness than just unwarranted aggression to force Mayweather, Jr. on a toe-to-toe combat. His stinging left hand, though unorthodox contrary to what he claims himself to be, that stunned Fernando Vargas twice by knockout in a devastating fashion in 2006, has diminished its tonicity and may need something more than just training and unlimited salad refills at the Olive Garden- guaranteed as chlorophyll-rich to boost oxygen transport for power, almost of equal potency as with Procrit(Epoetin alfa), that man-made form of a protein that helps one's body produce red blood cells, that he once had - all to compete the speed of Mayweather, Jr. and the latter's "DANCING WITH THE STARS" antics.

For therapeutic and experimental purposes, Mosley might need Mestinon, a prescription medicine for an auto-immune neuro-muscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis, which may help improve his voluntary muscles to quickly respond during his fight or flight encounters in the ring, only if well-managed at a series of controlled dosages, according to a neurologist who discloses this golden tip on the condition of anonymity. He said Mosley's reflexes can become faster and may be faster enough to equal the speed of Mayweather, Jr., intimating that he is slower than the latter by two seconds or more. Mestinon, he said, also gives one a momentary freedom from fatigue. But, the problem is that such agent can be classified as a stimulant, for this purpose, and should be listed as one of the prohibited performance enhancement drugs, if it is still unrecognized by the Athletic Commissions across the U.S. and so as by the U.S. Anti-doping Agency.

ADVISE FOR MOSLEY: Find the #1 food you should eat to boost your reflexes and enjoy it before you break your Timex on an impending crash on fight night, and maybe, just maybe, Laura Bush can help you break that Timex from silence, which she did on her latest book "Spoken From The Heart", of frustration as you chase Mayweather around, hopelessly, within that 20 x 20 feet canvas of madness.

Hm...enough for that! Mosley can do better, for sure, on Mother's day.

Well, unlike the 2010 Kentucky Derby favorite, Eskendereya, who is out with leg issue, Mosley can chase Mayweather, Jr. all night long, knowing the availability of 'Iron Man 2' toys at Burger King. Yes,it's going to be a long night chasing for nothing, except that he'll just get hit a lot at almost every opening he makes when he throws his punches.

If one were to assess Mosley's power when he fought against Antonio Margarito, an impressive trail would be seen.

But, Margarito was simply out of focus during which time he got caught of using illegal wraps just before he first attempted to enter the ring on that fight night with Mosley. Margarito blew up his mind trying to compensate what was lost: the power of such illegal wraps.

On the other hand, not to undercut his determination, Mosley's knockout win over Mayorga in the twelfth was not that impressive either. Judge Pat Russell scored 104-105 in favor of Mayorga even at the time of the stoppage, and Judge Nelson Vazquez scored it close, 105-104, to his favor. Ironically, a less popular judge, Tony Crebs, had it, in fact, wildly to his favor, 107-102.

So what is more of Mosley?

Margarito and Mayorga are only at B minus level compared to Mayweather,Jr.'s power, speed and ring intelligence.

Unless Mayweather plays dirty that which he would not and unless Mayweather chooses to engage a toe-to-toe battle that which he would not, the best decision Mosley could get over the "boxing scientist" from the board of judges and from referee Kenny Bayless would be a DRAW or a DISQUALIFICATION, which borders to almost zero probability.

Meanwhile, among the prospects of the welterweight division, Mosley, Mayweather, Marquez, Margarito, Mayorga, Malinaggi and Morales (whose comeback fight is at welterweight) - all these M's, only one smaller man, the new "AMERICAN IDOL" who has the eyes of Bruce Lee, could bolt upon their might as their common exponential denominator, that is Pound-for-Pound King Manny Pacquiao, whose new light in the realm of Philippine politics has bought him a promising brand to his name: Congressman Emmanuel D. Pacquiao.

Conversely, Mosley definitely wants a shot against Pacquiao more than what he dreams of against Mayweather, Jr. Nonetheless, that chance may happen only after a Pacquiao-Margarito Fight at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium before the close of this year, regardless as to whether he wins over Mayweather, Jr. tomorrow night.

But, as for this sundown of Black Sabbath, who are you picking?

Source: PhilBoxing.com

MAYWEATHER-MOSLEY WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND PHOTOS

2010-04-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 01 May 2010

The official weigh-in for the Mosley-Mayweather fight was held early this afternoon at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with the members of the public as witnesses to the event.

The weigh-in was supervised by the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Mr.Keith Kizer.

The results are as follows:

Sugar Shane Mosley - 147lbs. vs Floyd Mayweather Jr. - 146lbs

Saul Alvarez - 150lbs vs Jose Miguel Cotto - 149lbs

Daniel Ponce de Leon - 125lbs vs Cornelius Lock - 125lbs

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Email this article Mayweather Weighs 146, Mosley Is 147

2010-04-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Michael Woods

No surprises at the weigh in for Saturday night's welterweight clash between undefeated Floyd Mayweather, who's seeking to grab pound for pound top billing and wider acclaim as an all-time great, and Shane Mosley, seeking the signature win as his career winds down.

The 33-year-old Mayweather weighed 146 pounds. Mosley, age 38, was 147 pounds in the weigh in held at the MGM in Las Vegas, the site of tomorrow night's tussle. Some will recall Mayweather spurred some drama when he came in heavy for his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez last May. The contract called for the fighters to weigh 144 or less, and Mayweather weighed 146 pounds, and had to pay off JMM for the extra poundage.

Tommy Hearns appeared, and greeted the crowd. He said every time he sees Ray Leonard he flashes back to 1989, and asks Ray if he wants to fight one more time. Joe Calzaghe, Marco Antonio Barrera, Joe Calzaghe, Andre Berto, Sergio Mora, Juan Manuel Marquez and Ricky Hatton were also in the house, according to Michael Buffer, who emceed with comedian George Wallace. Berto said he thinks Mayweather will take it, and said he'd like to fight whoever wins.

The main undercard for the big bout is a Saul Canelo Alvarez-Jose Miguel Cotto clash, Alvarez scaled in at 150 pounds, while Cotto weighed 149 pounds. Regular readers know I'm not a fan of the less than stacked undercards that we are given. This one might be a barn burner, but call me greedy, what about another title fight, or even two, for the premium price people will be paying? Go the UFC route, and give people a bunch of compelling bouts, instead of using PPV undercards as resume builders/infomercials for the rest of your stable. It's a no brainer, from my perspective, but from a short-term cost perspective, this makes sense to the promoters. You will never, ever, convince me of the validity and soundness of this practice.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Floyd Mayweather Vs. Shane Mosley: The Ultimate Guide

2010-04-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Written by Tim Starks
Friday, 30 April 2010 11:30

Don't follow boxing very often, but you want to know the gist of Saturday's mega-fight between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley? Follow boxing all the time, and want one place that rounds up all the links about the welterweight showdown you could ever want? This Ultimate Guide to the May 1 pay-per-view bout is for you, no matter what kind you are.

As The Queensberry Rules has been covering the fight all week long, we'd be remiss not to point you to any of the six blog entries we've written this week. We analyzed the meaning of Mayweather-Mosley; considered what could be the most pivotal weapon Mosley brings to the fight; examined how Mayweather and Mosley stack up against one another, both in the physical and more mental departments; broke down the gambler's angle on the fight; and provided our final preview and prediction.

If you're looking for a shortcut with highlights of each man's career, HBO's succinct videos are the easiest way, and they'd get you pumped for the fight too. One flaw -- they left out any mention of Mosley's losses, but so be it. For a complete tally of each fighter's records and biographical data, BoxRec gives them to you here and here. For a longer-form look at each man, particularly his personality, you can catch the glossy award-winning informercial that is HBO's 24/7 series (plus each man's most recent fight, in full) here, with the final 24/7 episode to air on HBO Friday night and reruns of every episode on the various HBO channels airing all weekend long.

So let's say you wanna watch the fight. Contacting your cable or satellite provider is one way, and it'll cost you $55 or if you're a high-definition person, $65. If you do it that way, don't forget about the Tecate rebate of up to $30 with a purchase of that surprisingly not-bad beer, Or you can check it out in one of 415 movie theaters around the country. The last Mayweather fight did pretty well in the theaters, so you might want to buy your tickets ASAP. They're $20 each. Assorted bars around the United States air events like this. Actual tickets are still available (more on that later), but if you're in Vegas and don't have $800 to throw around, you can go the cheaper closed circuit TV route.

Usually I do separate previews for the televised undercard, but I now will only do them for undercards that are worth half a damn. This one isn't. So here's your undercard preview. 1. The best fight of the lot is probably a featherweight bout between Daniel Ponce De Leon, a knockout artist, and Cornelius Lock, a Mayweather family protege with some skills who was in the best fight on the last Mayweather pay-per-view, a knockout win over Orlando Cruz. It's a pretty decent match-up, but if this is as meaningful as an undercard fight gets, it's bad news; a win probably puts the victor in the "contender" category. 2. Welterweight Saul Alvarez, a popular 19-year-old Mexican prospect who's some how red-headed, looks to have a promising future and he is taking a good developmental fight for him at this point in his career, a bout against tough Jose Cotto. He's the brother of Miguel but he isn't as talented, Jose, but he was only OK as a lightweight and shouldn't be too difficult for Alvarez two divisions higher. 3. Hector David Saldivia fights Said Ouali in a welterweight title eliminator, which is an indictment of sanctioning organizations such as the WBA the likes of which we get every week. Saldivia's the typical South American fighter -- glossy KO record, unknown opponents. Ouali put up a game but losing effort last year on Showtime against Selcuk Aydin. Who knows what we'll get with this fight, given Saldivia's inscrutable record.

Incidentally, some providers are airing additional undercard bouts before the show starts. Free boxing! Worth checking out, even if the additional bouts aren't too spectacular on paper. See here for details.

You can watch the weigh-in live on Friday, if you want. It's usually on ESPN's website, for starters, but also may appear on ESPN or ESPNews or something of the sort. Doors open for the weigh-in at 1 p.m., but expect something on the airwaves at closer to 3 p.m. PT. These things are usually very corny ceremonies with various half-celebrities coming out to shout things designed to fire up the live crowd, then you see some dudes in their underwear, and unless there's a controversy like a fighter not making weight, they aren't very informative. But to each their own.

It's no longer a surprise when the top papers do takes on the big fights, but it's often good writing. ESPN's Fight Credential has a ton of coverage, including a blog about what's going down on the ground in Vegas this week. The Wall Street Journal's always excellent Gordon Marino has a top-to-bottom rundown, including a bit of "what comes next at welterweight" drama, i.e. Manny Pacquiao. USA Today has been all over the fight, but this "Mayweather and Mosley are opposites" angle is one they go to first. The New York Times takes separate looks at Mayweather and Mosley, with the Mosley look especially good. The Los Angeles Times has done takes on both men, too, but sometimes I gotta pick just one, so here's their "last words" article. The New York Daily News' Tim Smith crushes on Mayweather some, but he's a good boxing writer and he's done a number of articles on the fight -- this one's the most boxing-focused. The Washington Post's entry is less-than-stellar, alas, using a success story in boxing to explain why boxing soon shall die (never mind that we're always worried about the "next" American superstar) -- but it does focus on the interesting American vs. American angle, so there you go. I'll add others here as they pop up.

How big is the business of this fight? You might not be able to tell from the ticket sales, but then, Mayweather fight tickets are usually ridiculously overpriced. Golden Boy Promotions chief Richard Schaefer predicts it could sell 4 million pay-per-views, which almost everyone thinks is stupid, but we all thought he was stupid when he predicted Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez would do 1 million, and he was right. Leave your prediction on PPV buys below in the comments section, if you have one. (And no matter what the pay-per-view profits are, each guy will do OK for themselves -- Mosley is guaranteed $7 million to Mayweather's $22.5 million. Final figures should be a good deal higher.)

P.S. For those of us who have been cured of our Celebreality addiction, you may not know that Floyd Mayweather is a running figure in a show about a member of TLC, a pop act relevant in the 1990s. Chili, I don't care if you are Crazy, Sexy or Cool, but if you need someone to comfort you when Floyd stands you up on your next date, I'm here for you.

Source: queensberry-rules.com

Mayweather Mosley 24/7 Episode 4

2010-04-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

Shane Mosley – Doin’ Work The Right Way

2010-04-30T01:02:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Thomas Gerbasi

At Big Bear Lake, Shane Mosley isn’t “Sugar Shane” – boxing superstar and future Hall of Famer. He’s just Shane, and after ten years there, the conversations with the locals are the kind you have with your own neighbors, with the exception of the fact that the soft-spoken Mosley is a prizefighter.

“Hey, getting ready for another fight?”

And that’s it. No hour-long heart-to-hearts giving Mosley the secret formula to beating Floyd Mayweather this weekend, no prying into a personal life that has gotten more than enough press in the lead-up to the biggest boxing match of 2010, and no mention of anything that happened in 2003 unless it’s about someone falling into the lake that year or one of the members of the local bowling league rolling a perfect game.

“They’ve known me for years and I’m kinda like a local up here,” Mosley told BoxingScene.com. “Everybody knows where I live and they all know me.”

As one of the locals, Mosley is protected from the outside world to an extent and free to practice his trade without the distractions that come with life at his home outside of training camp – Las Vegas. “Sin City” is the polar opposite of Big Bear, California, just like Mosley is the polar opposite of Floyd Mayweather. While “Pretty Boy Floyd” excels in the midst of chaos and seems to live for it, Mosley appreciates the peace and the quiet that comes before one of the biggest fights of his life.

“I think that’s why I’m up here in Big Bear a lot,” he said. “It’s because I’m at peace. I can be by myself in my room, I can look at TV, and do what I want to do. I don’t have to worry about the outside distractions.”

There have been enough of those leading up to Saturday’s showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, most of them coming in the form of pointed barbs from the Mayweather camp. Yet if these verbal jabs were designed to rattle Mosley or get under his skin, round one will go to the pride of Pomona, California.

“I don’t think that he can get under my skin,” said Mosley. “I’ve been through a lot worse than that as far as mental torture, so I don’t think he can get under my skin.”

Mental torture? A quick rundown of the 52 fight career of Mosley will show that there was some verbal jousting with opponents like Ricardo Mayorga, Fernando Vargas, and Vernon Forrest, but nothing that would really constitute mental torture, at least not to us on the outside. So Mosley clarifies.

“That was back around the time when I was losing,” he says with a chuckle, referring to the 2002-2004 season when he was only able to muster a 1-4, 1 NC record. Granted, his four losses came to Forrest (twice) and Winky Wright (twice), but still, four losses to anyone can put a dent in your earning potential and ego. What makes it worse is when those closest to you start to question whether you still have what it takes to succeed in the hardest game.

“When you have inside people talking crap to you all the time,” said Mosley, “that can be mental torture.”

Since the second loss to Wright in November of 2004, Mosley has resurrected his career, winning seven of eight fights, with the only defeat coming via a close 12 round decision to Miguel Cotto in 2007.

In his most recent bout, in January of 2009, he destroyed heavily favored Antonio Margarito in nine rounds, a performance many applauded not just for the nuts and bolts of the systematic dismantling of the Mexican champion, but because Mosley did it in the eye of a personal storm that included a separation from his then-wife Jin, his involvement in the BALCO performance enhancing drugs scandal from 2003 that was still rearing its head, and the fact that he was breaking in a new trainer in Naazim Richardson after splitting with his father Jack a second time. Most would have broken – Mosley excelled, seemingly finding peace in the midst of war.

So if you think a little trash talking from Mayweather is going to rattle the 38-year old, then you don’t know Shane Mosley.

“When you get ready for fights, you don’t want to be emotional and you try not to have things weighing on your mind too much,” he said. “That’s the most important thing about boxing and about being a fighter – you have to have a clear mind and just worry about the boxing at hand. I’ve never really gone into a fight angry at a fighter. Maybe I’ll be angry about certain things, but not at the other fighter. We’re just doing our jobs; we go in there and fight, and we’re living our lives, wanting to be the best.”

Plus, no one likes being ignored, and the more Mosley deflects Mayweather’s attacks, the more it apparently unnerves the pound-for-pound great. Mosley believes that by engaging, he’s entering Floyd’s world, and when he does that, the master chess player from Las Vegas will have gotten an edge on him that will be hard to overcome.

“I think that’s where Floyd gets the upper hand on fighters,” he said. “He’s already a mental wreck, so he brings you into his game and then you can’t fight the way you want to fight. With me, I don’t think about hating the fighter; I think about winning.”

Mosley isn’t the first fighter to say that, and he won’t be the last. He is one of a small group that actually means it though. I’ll qualify that by saying that there are fighters who think solely about winning, but only because a win will guarantee a bigger payday down the line. But fighters are liars by nature – they tell themselves that they feel fine when they’re hurt, they tell their bodies to keep moving when the natural response is to shut down, and they say it’s all about the love of the game when the bottom line is, there are much easier ways to make a buck than by torturing themselves mentally and physically in the name of sport, and they know it.

But there are some mavericks, like Mosley, who still have that competitive spirit that makes them get up every morning to train and compete, and it’s evident in some of the statements that he makes. In the lead-up to this fight, the three division world champion speaks of proving himself as the best in the world. It’s a place where he has already held court, and that’s a claim only a select few can make, yet doing it once or twice before isn’t enough.

“I’d like to prove myself at this point in time,” he explains. “I know I’ve already proved myself as far as being the best, but I have a personal goal within myself to be able to beat anybody and be at the top of my game. So I just want to prove that I’m the best, even at this time.”

Two fighters keep him from that type of recognition: Mayweather, and the current pound-for-pound boss, Manny Pacquiao. Depending on the outcome of Saturday’s bout, Mosley could leapfrog the Filipino icon should he dismantle Mayweather in dominating fashion, but to most observers, if Mosley wins, it will be in a fight that is anything but one-sided. And even if you’re picking Mayweather to score the victory, you are probably conceding that Mosley will push the Michigan native harder than he has ever been pushed in his perfect 40-0 pro career.

“When everybody puts that “but” or “what if” in there, that means it’s a great fight,” smiles Mosley, and he also believes that the pundits are right; that he will be the man who will force Mayweather to bite down on his mouthpiece, stand his ground, and not box, but fight. Of course, he’s not the first Mayweather opponent to make that claim, so what makes his assertion any different.

“If you look at the guys that he’s fought, they’re a lot lighter and a lot smaller, and the guys that I’ve fought were a lot bigger than me in the last couple of fights, so you can just see the difference,” said Mosley. “He’s been pushed a little bit but he hasn’t fought the top big guys. I fought big guys and knocked them out. That’s the difference. When I get in the ring, I see the difference right away between smaller guys and big guys when I spar with them.”

In other words, Mosley, who is more acclimated to life around 147 / 154 pounds, is expecting to be the bully on Saturday night. He laughs.

“I’m gonna be the bully, the matador, I’m gonna be everything.”

He’s going to need to be. Because in spite of Mayweather’s bluster and ‘bad guy’ persona, when you take that away, he’s still perhaps the most gifted fighter of this era, someone who makes what he does in the ring look effortless. Mosley, on the other hand, has always given the impression that he’s the type of guy that puts on his hard hat and goes to work when the bell rings. Despite his natural gifts, Mosley’s fights end up exhausting not only the participants, but those watching from the safety of their seats. They are comprised of 36 minutes or less of constant motion, with bursts of intensity followed by a close quarters wrestling session and then more action. Conversely, Mayweather’s bouts are like those seen in a video game. A flick here, a push there, and nothing happens that isn’t already programmed into his mind and his fists. When it’s all over, you shut down the console and it’s off to the next game – no marks, no blood, no sweat.

So can boxing’s blue-collar battler beat the computer-like calculations of its most pristine talent? Las Vegas will be on lockdown for as long as it takes to find out, while in Big Bear Lake, the lights will be off in Shane Mosley’s cabin, but there won’t be a panic. The folks there will simply say ‘don’t worry, Shane’s just gone to work.’

Source: boxingscene.com

Mayweather Just Might Need That Rematch Clause

2010-04-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Ron Borges

For all the skill and style that Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley will bring into the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night in Las Vegas, the most important thing they will bring is their minds.

Although there will be moments of intensity and unfriendly fire, the best fight yet made this year will be decided more by the man who can think fastest than by the one whose feet move fastest.

At 38 years old, Mosley well understands this. Throughout his career, the defending WBA welterweight champion has been quick of foot and nimble of mind, often taking over late in fights because he was able to make the last adjustment to his opponent’s varied attempts to attack him and exploit his weaknesses.

Against an opponent as skilled and intelligent as Mayweather, all Mosley’s physical and mental powers will be tested and if they are found to be waning or aged then the mental aspect of things will be of less import because at that point the powers of the mind would become more survival skill than one source of a road to victory.

But if Mosley proves to be what many in boxing think he will be (which is to say the toughest test of Mayweather’s career), then the powers of analysis and lucid thinking while under duress will come into play as the fight’s determining factor.

Mayweather is a skilled boxer with unusual quickness and hand speed but he also comes to the ring armed with an uncanny understanding of defense. This is not simply the art of not being hit. It’s the art of hitting you and then not being hit in response.

A fighter is most vulnerable when he is most offensive. Mosley and Mayweather both understand this and Mosley knows how patient Mayweather can be in his efforts to avoid opening himself up to such vulnerabilities. That’s why Mosley’s trainer, Naazim Richardson, put it well when he said the key elements of this fight are not simply an analysis of who possesses faster hands or quicker feet.

“Floyd is an exceptional athlete but when we sit down to the chess board I don’t see your queen moving faster than my queen,’’ Richardson said. “Your rook can’t take extra moves that my rook can’t take. Bottom line, I feel we’re bringing athletes that both have great attributes to them into the ring and they’re both going to have to make adjustments throughout the fight.

“Timing is just one of your problems you’re going to face dealing with Floyd Mayweather but if you sit there and try to depict everything (before the fight) you’re going to have to face with him who’s going to spar like Floyd Mayweather?

“You’re lying to yourself if you say you’ve got somebody (in sparring) that fights like Shane Mosley. No you don’t or they’d be somewhere getting ready for their title fight. That fighter fights like Floyd Mayweather? No he doesn’t or that guy would be a legend already. He wouldn’t have time to be in your camp working with you.

“All you can do is train the athlete to be best of their ability and then bring him in and have him follow your game plan to the best of his ability. I feel as though Shane will be able to execute everything we’re working on and then Floyd will need to make adjustments as Shane will have to make adjustments throughout the fight.’’

Who makes them most successfully will prevail because while Mayweather has the advantages of youth and probably of superior quickness the latter is not likely to be so starkly different between the two of them that it turns this fight into Mayweather-Gatti II.

That night Mayweather was so vastly superior in technique and speed that the fight was not even an argument. Debating societies have more furious sparring sessions than Mayweather had to deal with in that fight. That is not likely to be the case this time so long as Mosley keeps his head and doesn’t allow his own penchant for aggressiveness to overwhelm him or blunt Richardson’s plan of attack.

“Patience is something that Shane has and the thing about it is not only patience but Shane has the professionalism that just sees through things,’’ Richardson said of dealing with Mayweather both inside the ring and at the press conference podium. “What you have to do with professionals at this level is whatever is necessary to be done to be successful in this endeavor. That’s the bottom line.

“If Floyd Mayweather turned into a dragon in the middle of the ring then Shane has to step on his tail and hit him with a body shot. Whatever comes to pass, he has to endure it, deal with it, make the adjustment and then execute.’’

Against someone as skilled and slick as Mayweather that’s a tall order. It’s why he’s 40-0 with 25 knockouts and the owner of world titles from 130 pounds to 154 pounds. Such a past makes him undefeated, however it does not make him unbeatable, a point Mosley has made throughout the lead up to this event.

But to do what no one else has done will require of Mosley more than the physical. It will demand a sense of mind control and constant mental readjustments, things he’s shown in the past and believes he still possesses in enough abundance to have his hand raised once again Saturday night.

“You have to beat Floyd with your mind as well as your power and speed,’’ Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) explained. “He knows I have the advantage in punching power. He’s not going to just walk in and trade with me so I have to use my mind to out think him.

“The jab will be important. Oscar used it again him well and his arms are almost as long as mine so that will be important. You’ll see a lot of speed and power but there are different ways to break through his defense. In this equation I have the long arms and the speed.’’

If he also has the mind and the focus Shane Mosley may remind Floyd Mayweather before Saturday night is over that including mandatory blood testing wasn’t the only smart thing he did while negotiating this fight. So was getting himself a mandatory rematch clause.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Coldwell's Corner 29: Mayweather-Mosley a fight to face Pacquiao

2010-04-29T18:21:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
LOT TO GAIN: The winner should nail an even bigger fight

It’s Showtime! Floyd Mayweather v Shane Mosley is here this weekend and I can’t wait! I’m also going to be absolutely gutted while watching it on tv as I was supposed to be there in person; George Groves was due to box on the undercard but circumstances wiped that out.

So two of my favourite boxers of the past few years are finally getting it on. It’s a huge fight with so much on the line for both fighters. There’s a lot on the line for the sport too; it’s another superfight that needs to deliver. Two of the best fighters of the past decade colliding… if they deliver a good fight, it’ll be a great boost to the sport. If the fight is a bore, it becomes a massive let-down.

I can’t actually see this being anything other than a cracker. Mosley is going let his hands go, and with speed and tenacity, even when taking the role of a counter-puncher, he makes for an exciting fighter. I think Floyd will want to put on a show in this fight, to prove to the fans that he can outspeed and outsmart the older speedster and heavier puncher.

This is also a massive shop window for Floyd to raise his value in future negotiations for the superfight against the Manny Pacquiao. Despite how he acts, I think Mayweather loves the public adoration and that it’s not just about the cash. He’ll be wanting the fans to view him as favourite going into the blockbuster against Manny. He has a huge ego and knows that the fight with the Filipino will be one of the biggest in history, so whatever the differences and controversies, I think that fight is the one Mayweather really wants. I think that fight is the reason he chose Shane Mosley as an opponent. Everything Floyd does is for a reason.

Beating Mosley in impressive fashion puts the heat on Pacquiao. It builds up Floyd’s status going into the fight both financially and in the eyes of the fans.

Mosley sees this fight as the one that will bring him the recognition and respect that he feels (rightly in my opinion) has been lacking throughout his illustrious career. Forget the Oscar De La Hoya wins, the stunning performance against Antonio Margarito , this one is THE ONE. Floyd Mayweather is the superstar of our generation, an undefeated, multi-weight champion and probably the best since the Sugar Ray Leonard era. If Mosley becomes the first man to beat Floyd, people will view him in a totally different light. He’ll become THE MAN. No doubt the fight with Manny Pacquaio will be his.

To be honest, I don’t see any other fight that is big enough for either Mayweather or Mosley after this one. It’s got to be the Pacman. I don’t see Mayweather jumping in with a Paul Williams. He’s all wrong for Floyd. The risk for the money that would be on offer isn’t enough for me to think Mayweather would look at that.

Who else is out there that “Money” would see as worthwhile or that he could get up for? For Mosley, he’s 37 and a victory would propel him into whatever fight he wants. And being 37 and after the career he’s had, I can’t see him wanting to go after anyone other than Manny.

Mosley could just ‘age’ at any time, he’s had off nights before and so could well be beaten by one of the other contenders out there. He’d surely want to cash in and take the biggest fight out there next. Mosley is far easier to deal with than Team Mayweather so I really do think a Pacquiao fight would be made without a problem.

Whoever wins on Saturday night, I really hope it’s a cracker. I don’t know who I would rather see win so I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the fight.

Source: boxingnewsonline.net

Shane Mosley Searching For Justice Against Floyd Mayweather

2010-04-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
by Lee Payton

The last time Welterweight Champion Shane Mosley fought he made a man pay for trying to bring a weapon inside the ring with him. On May 1st he'll be looking to give Floyd Mayweather a taste of some more harsh justice.

His crime? You might assume that the old pug just wants to shut Floyd up, but that's not what this is about. He has been around too long for Mayweather's classless comments to have much effect. Shane sees through the fits and the ready-made responses. I don't think it's in him to beat someone up just because they're insecure.

It goes much deeper than that. Mosley has always wanted to prove that he's the best fighter in the world, and that competitive spirit has cost him. Losses lowered his stature in the game and made him face the fact that he's not invincible. That may be the toughest pill to swallow for a great fighter, but that kind of suffering is a part of the sport for fighters unafraid to take the hard road. Shane has always accepted that and has continued to try and fight the most threatening men he could get his hands on.

Star-divide

While Mosley will always have the respect of fight aficianados for his willingness to take anyone they've also seen him come up short before, which is why he is more than a 3-1 underdog going into this one. Floyd has never officially lost, but for years now fans and writers alike have been waiting for it to happen. Some want to see what he has on the inside to get a better idea of just how good he really is, while others just want to see witness his fall.

Sure, Shane lost to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, but before you can even begin to consider how Mayweather would have fared against them you have to recognize and accept that you're playing the mythical match-up game. As Mosley has pointed out, Floyd never would have signed a contract to fight those guys.

Mayweather has no problem admitting that he's all about self-preservation. Obviously, that's a great outlook once the bell rings, but I think his record illustrates his safety-first approach just as well. Not since the two bouts with Jose Luis Castillo in 2002 has he fought an elite fighter still in their prime, yet in the last 5 years he's seen the type of fame, fortune and acclaim that has eluded Mosley. That has to annoy the proud pug from Pamona, California.

How can the rewards at the end of the smooth, open road be more abundant than what is supposed to be waiting at the end of the dark and dangerous path? In my opinion, one fighter has proven more than the other, even if he has tasted defeat in the past.

Mayweather is in a position to fight anyone in the world, and yet, he picked (or picked on) Juan Manuel Marquez, a great fighter, but significantly smaller and likely on the downside of his career. He chose an opponent he would feel safe against after "retiring" for a year and a half or so. It was a good deal for the fighter who prodes himself on being a businessman. Easy money for "Money". Just the way he likes it.

Part of the deal that went along with getting the Marquez fight was that he would sign a contract to be part of Golden Boy Promotions for awhile. Mosley is a partner in that promotional company, so when the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight fell through he had to get in there with Sugar Shane. Some would say that he was forced into taking a tougher fight than he had hoped for, and the fact that he was looking at names like Kermit Cintron, Nate Campbell and Matthew Hatton seem to support that theory.

In order to get the fight he always wanted, Shane had to agree to random blood tests, a first in the history of the sport. Floyd swears that he just wants to clean up boxing. An impossible feat, but fair enough considering the fact that Mosley was linked to Balco in 2003. What's not fair is screaming about steroids every chance he gets. Throughout the entire promotion Mayweather has used "the steroid defense" to cope with the fact that he's actually fighting someone who has a chance to hurt him. The man has taken the necessary tests. That's all he can do.

Well, not quite. He can also take Mayweather's precious zero forever. A clean win over Mayweather would put an end to the childish insults and the roid accusations while scoring one for a true throwback.

That would be justice.

Source: theboxingbulletin.com

Mosley likely to get Mayweather out of comfort zone

2010-04-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Chris Iorfida

The welterweight superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley on Saturday in Las Vegas has few peers in modern history when it comes to overall athletic ability and boxing skill level.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockout) and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) bring a repertoire to the table that may have only been matched in the last 20 years by the matchups of Roy Jones-Antonio Tarver, Jones-James Toney and Mosley's first bout with Oscar De La Hoya.

Luckily for boxing, which suffers enough self-inflicted blows, there will be another such fight not too far down the road if power puncher Manny Pacquiao takes on the winner.

Mayweather and Mosley have been potential opponents for over a decade. If it's happening a few years too late their take-home pay certainly won't reflect it - both will gross double-digit millions after the box office and pay-per-view numbers.

On paper it doesn't look like a pick'em fight. Mayweather at barely 33 is 5 1/2 years younger than Mosley.

It also begs the question: How can a fighter with five losses be reasonably expected to knock off an undefeated guy?

But nearly all fighters, even the all-time greats, lose at some point in their career, and not so often to other undefeated fighters. Tarver had two losses when he starched Jones, and Bernard Hopkins also had two career defeats when he belted Felix Trinidad.

Mosley has also consistently fought a superior level of opposition than Mayweather, raising the odds he'd lose, and has only been beaten by three men.

He was beaten twice each by Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, rangy, physically strong fighters. Their traits are largely dissimilar to Mayweather's.

Forrest and Wright were also able to defeat Mosley because they landed enough hard right hands to earn his respect.

It's an open question whether Mayweather can do the same. Mayweather has a sneaky right hand, but it's been a long time since he seriously hurt an opponent who wasn't coming up in weight to face him.

There's a big difference between wobbling Ricky Hatton or a blown-up Juan Manuel Marquez and hurting Mosley, who's only been in serious trouble in precisely one of 51 fights.

The most vexing fight on Mosley's resume is his 2007 loss to Miguel Cotto. To some degree it looks worse now because the Puerto Rican has suffered drubbings to Antonio Margarito and Pacquiao.

But Cotto was undefeated at the time, fighting in a New York venue in front of countrymen who've always buoyed him beyond the level of his performances in Vegas. Here again, Cotto's late round success only came after he got Mosley's attention with some hard shots to the head and body.

To hear some recount it, you'd think Cotto outboxed Mosley for several rounds. In truth, it was for about two rounds, it involved heavy amounts of bicycling and occurred because Mosley had stung him earlier in the fight.

Mayweather is in another universe than Cotto when it comes to boxing ability, but he doesn't run. He uses his legs, sure, but by degree. He bends his torso, leans back, tucks his chin behind his shoulder and moves laterally.

He's there, but not there, for most opponents. But most opponents aren't Shane Mosley.

Layoffs

Much has been made of the fact that Mosley will be coming off a 16-month layoff, the result of a scuttled bout in January.

The argument is that for such a mature fighter, that time off will be detrimental in terms of timing and ability to let punches go in the ring. It's a valid point.

But Mosley has fought twice since Mayweather called it quits for a time after a Dec 2007 fight with Hatton (a bout that came just weeks after Mosley fought Cotto).

Mayweather's only activity since then was in September against Marquez, who was fighting 10 pounds over his best weight. The fight told us absolutely nothing about where Mayweather's at in terms of being able to go 12 hard rounds against a bona fide, top-flight welterweight. It was a stroll in the park.

You can also make a case that at Mosley's age, and given the tough battles he's been in, it's a good thing for him to essentially be fighting once a year.

In Floyd's corner

Despite the fact that Mosley brings a blend of speed and power that Mayweather hasn't seen before, there'll be a distinct speed difference in the ring. Mosley is more busy than fast, and Mayweather faced a quicker foe in Zab Judah.

It would stand to reason that the fighter who's going to be the one to defeat Mayweather will have to employ a hard jab to keep him off balance and prevent him from setting or getting off first. De La Hoya did it with some degree of success in the early rounds of their fight and then completely abandoned it.

But Mosley's jab isn't usually among his primary weapons. He often buzzes with it to establish an area of comfort and to parry incoming fire instead of attacking with it.

Mosley, despite his athletic gifts, was never among the game's defensive best. Mayweather should be able to tag him fairly regularly with the right hand without great difficulty.

Most importantly, Mayweather is one of the best defensive fighters of all time and one of the best counter-punchers of all time.

In Mosley's corner

Mosley was, is and may forever go down as one of the best bodypunchers in the game. In the fights where Mayweather has had the most difficulty establishing space and countering, it was because Jose Luis Castillo and to a lesser extent De La Hoya, focused on the torso.

Mosley will be the harder, if not cleaner puncher, and he will be the physically strongest Floyd has faced. He also knows the tricks of the trade and only on a couple of occasions has shown his opponents too much respect.

While Mosley has been discouraged in the past, it's usually come against fighters who've possessed some degree of power. If Mayweather's punches are more a nuisance than truly hurtful, Mosley will continue to find a way to win until the final bell, something that can be said for only a few of Mayweather's opponents since he's left 135 pounds.

Mosley has displayed the mentality of a warrior. We've never seen over a prolonged period if Mayweather can dig deep through great adversity.

Remember the judges

De La Hoya's aggressiveness was only moderately effective against Mayweather, but four points was the widest margin on any scorecard in that much ballyhooed fight.

Mosley, meanwhile, was rewarded in his second bout against De La Hoya for punches that looked and sounded harder than his opponent's even though it appeared as if he was being outboxed much of the time. If Mayweather relies on a peck-and-poke strategy, he too could get himself into such a predicament. Most of the judges in Nevada like aggression.

There exists the possibility that Mosley will get old overnight or come out too respectful - a strong start is a must for him - but more than likely the judges will have the fighters separated by just a point or two at the halfway point. They usually do in fights between great fighters, and Mayweather himself usually contributes to this by fighting at a methodical pace.

Mayweather's fights are often snoozes but I don't think this one will be. He's dissuaded other opponents with just a few right hands and a web-like defence, allowing him to fight at a casual pace.

But they've been smaller men and not of the calibre of Mosley. The type of performances Mayweather gave against De La Hoya, Judah and Hatton were good, but he'll need another level against Mosley.

So there's a strong chance we'll be quite entertained - either Mayweather will be upset, or he'll have to fight at an activity level we haven't seen in a long, long time.

Source: cbc.ca

CAN MOSLEY UTILIZE SIZE TO BEAT MAYWEATHER?

2010-04-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
April 29th, 2010 By Jarrad Woods

MEGA-BOUT NOW JUST TWO DAYS AWAY!

New York, NY- Saturday’s welterweight (147 lb) match up between the Ring magazine’s #2 and #3 pound for pound fighters, Shane Mosley (46-5 39 KOs) and Floyd Mayweather (40-0 25 KOs) will answer many questions for the boxing purist and the armchair fan alike. Mainly, whether or not Floyd is as good as he believes he is. If Mayweather beats Mosley, particularly in a dominating fashion, who can still claim that Floyd’s skills have not been tested?

DOES FLOYD AVOID/DUCK ‘SIZABLE’ FOES?

When most detractors speak disparagingly about Floyd Mayweather today, many of them say that he has yet to face an elite welterweight. This is underlined by the assumption that Floyd is a ‘cherry picker’ and is avoiding the toughest challenges, particularly in his own division. The truth is, Floyd did face Oscar De La Hoya at jr. middleweight (154 lbs), a division higher than welterweight, resulting in Floyd’s only split decision victory. But is size the difference between Floyd winning or losing or is it simply business that has kept some fights from happening?

ODDSMAKERS SAY SIZE IS NOT AN ISSUE

Given that Mosley will be the perceived bigger man in this bout, it’s strange that the odds-makers are currently showing Mayweather as a 4-1 favorite over his seemingly toughest opponent. According to Emanuel Steward, most of his HBO colleagues, including Jim Lampley, Harold Letterman and Larry Merchant have Floyd winning the bout. The truth is Mosley is much more of a long shot to win because he simply doesn’t look great against technical boxers.

OSCAR FIGHTS WERE ‘TECHNICAL WINS’ FOR SHANE

The closest Mosley came to defeating a prime technical boxer were his victories over De La Hoya in 2000 and 2003. Mosley did beat Oscar De La Hoya, but is also important to note that (at the time) he was also using steroids and both victories were disputed. A drug free Mosley certainly wouldn’t have been expected to do better against a prime De La Hoya, so it’s makes you wonder about the edge the steroids actually gave him in those wins. Mosley has looked excellent against stationary fighters who come forward and brawl, because he has a great chin and usually possesses the faster hands. However, Miguel Cotto (5’6”) proved, skill and ring generalship and not size was the real deciding factor when he outpointed Mosley in 2007.

WAS COTTO THE BIGGEST MISS FOR FLOYD?

For reasons that I still cannot understand, Floyd never fought Miguel Cotto. Cotto was the one welterweight fighter who literally was able to fight everyone of significance at welterweight not named Mayweather. Many would say that it’s Arum’s fault, that Cotto was too green, never called Floyd out, or the money wasn’t there for Floyd, etc. but I believe it was a much needed fight, particularly when Cotto was undefeated and in his prime. It’s a shame, not because I believe Floyd would have had much trouble, but because he never took the opportunity to assert his dominance against the best the sport had to offer. If there is one strike I have against Floyd its not facing Cotto in his prime.

WHAT ADVANTAGES DOES SHANE HAVE?

Mosley beat the guy that beat the guy. Antonio Margarito destroyed Cotto in eleven rounds, making him the best welterweight in 2008. Because Mosley lost to Cotto but then beat the snot out of Margarito, we can really say that styles make fights. Although Margarito is a polar opposite to Mayweather, there is still intrigue because Floyd has not faced many of the bigger threats at welterweight and Mosley also possesses comparable speed. But while these assets look good on paper, they don’t necessarily spell W-I-N for Mosley, considering what he’s up against. In this fight, Mosley will have to rely on another advantage that might count, and that is luck.
Jarrad Woods

Source: ringtalk.com

Catfight In Vegas: Mayweather gaybird, Mosley jailbird?

2010-04-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley

HONG KONG--I have put some serious air miles between myself and that awful catfight in Las Vegas.

Maybe I should keep going, past Manila where I land in about three hours, and head for Ulan Bator.

That sounds like a good place to watch "Gossip Girl" Floyd Mayweather Jr. and snarky Sugar Shane Mosley try to claw each other's eyes out in a Las Vegas ring.

The prefight banter has been filled with so many low blows the Nevada commission might dump reliable Kenny Bayless and draft Jerry Springer as the referee.

Angered by the catty comments of Money May regarding his divorce, his newly acquired tattoos and a supposed nose job, Mosley came out the other day and asked if Mayweather "is gay or something?"

Not the brightest remark considering it is the year 2010 and homosexuality is not illegal in any civilized nation.

Mosley probably figures that some rumormongers will tie in rapper and Mayweather bosom buddy 50 Cent, long subject of he is gay whispers, to the situation.

I've got news for Mosley regarding anyone including Mayweather being a gay man, bisexual, heterosexual or trysexuyal, meaning including a possible wild donkey show in Tijuana and meaning he will try anything once.

I don't know what Mayweather's sexual preferences are and I don't care. Neither should you.

I REPEAT, I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T CARE!

The silly comments reminded me that one of our greatest ever, welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith, is a gay man who in less enlightened times had to hide that fact in a dark closet.

Being tough and being gay are not mutually exclusive, you see.

In retaliation, Mayweather predictably came back with remarks about Mosley possibly going to jail like track star Marion Jones diod for lying about using steroids.

If memory serves, that former Victor Conte protege got a six month bid at some Club Fed.

Maybe Mosley did not lie.

Not being the brightest lamp around, maybe he actually did not the drugs he obtained personally from Conte at BALCO were illegal. Perhaps he just thought they were miracle substances offered at popular prices by kindly Uncle Victor, the former Tower Of Power band member.

Some Mosley tosses out the "might be gay" charge while Mayweather responds with the lying under oath to a federal grandy jury allegation.

This prefight verbal exchanges are, you must admit, not very illuminating or very lofty.

Mosley and Mayweather are throwing sewer sludge at each other and it doesn't make either of them look like a boxing superstar.

As I recall, Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard never dished the dirt, real or imagined, like that.

Plus the fact they were both better fighters than these two.

Let's go into fast forward.

Let's see some shoulder rolls from Mayweather.

And let's see if Mosley can ever hit the elusive Floyd in the rear end with a bag of rice.

I don't think he can.

Do you?

Source: Examiner.com

Richard Schaefer's 4 million buys prediction for Mayweather vs. Mosley realistic?

2010-04-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner | Scott Heritage

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer is known for his bold pay per view predictions, but his latest might have topped them all.

Not satisfied with his previous prediction that Mayweather vs. Mosley would merely break the all time pay per view record, he now thinks they could nearly double it.

Speaking to the media today at the final press conference, Shaefer said:

"I am not going to say that we are going to break the all time pay-per-view record. I am not going to say we are going to do 3 million either. 4 million pay-per-view buys are possible,"

Schaefer's buy rate predictions have been getting bigger and bigger as the fight has drawn nearer, and obviously 4 million is his most ambitious figure yet. Most doubt that this figure is achievable, but Shaefer has been right about this kind of thing before, and does have access to early sales figures and predictions from insiders.

The current pay per view record is 2.15 million purchases, which was for the May 5, 2007 Oscar De La Hoya - Floyd Mayweather fight. At that time though there were two big draws present, and both Oscar and Mayweather had sold well independently of each other before and after they fought.

Mayweather's last fight was a thrashing of an undersized Juan Manuel Marquez, which sold over one million buys even though the challenger was given very little chance against the returning Mayweather.

Mosley hasn't been seen as a huge draw in the past, and even against other big draws such as Oscar De La Hoya he has never put up huge numbers. His biggest to date was his second fight with the Golden Boy, which sold 950,000 buys, although much of the interest in this was the rematch angle. This was a big number back in 2003, since then Mosley has been hit and miss in his appearances, and until his last fight against Antonio Margarito was thought to be a spend force.

There are a couple of factors with this fight could enhance Mosley's selling power though. Firstly the fight is between two American athletes, which isn't something that happens all that regularly these days. This is significant simply because the United States is the biggest pay per view market. Of the biggest pay per view selling fights of all time, the vast majority of the fighters have been American.

A second factor could well be that Mosley is almost the complete opposite of Mayweather. Fans who don't like Mayweather's brash and at times arrogant demeanor are still buying the fight because he is against someone humble and quietly spoken in Shane Mosley.

Thirdly his first appearance on the 24/7 series will have helped Mosley to gain a slightly larger fan base than he would have had otherwise. At the age of 38 he isn't going to become a star overnight, or at all in fact, but the reserved Mosley is getting the exposure his pre fight talk tends to lack.

Source: Examiner.com

SIGNORELLA PREVIEWS MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY!

2010-04-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
April 29th, 2010 By John Signorella

“SUPER FIGHT” BOXING RETURNS!

Millions around the world will be in anticipation of a memorable battle when pugilist genius legends and future hall of fame inductees Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KOs) and “Sugar” Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) wage war for top “Pound for Pound” supremacy in a welterweight (147) showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV, Saturday at 9 PM ET, live on HBO PPV.

LOVE’ EM OR HATE’ EM, NOBODY’S BEATEN FLOYD

Before his first true test at top level competition against former champion Diego Corrales, Mayweather emerged on the boxing scene destroying his first 24 foes with 18 wins by way of flashy knockout. During his dismantling of the warrior spirited scrapper Corrales (W TKO 10), Mayweather commanded the show and demonstrated a virtuoso of brilliant artistic assault. Floyd then went on to easily defend his title two more times before earning a controversial points decision victory in a “life and death” struggle to the finish against veteran brawler Jose Luis Castillo. Immediately thereafter, the boxing public demanded a rematch and Mayweather met and dominated Castillo eight months later (W UD 12). Over his next nine bouts, Mayweather took on formidable opposition, highlighted by a knockout win over gladiator fan favorite Arturo Gatti (W TKO 6). Because of the ease in which Mayweather blasted out his seemingly over matched adversaries, outcry from the boxing world ensued for Mayweather to step up and face a more dangerous and bigger fighter, which brought life to one of the richest fights in the history of the sport. In an intriguing bout on paper, Oscar De La Hoya accepted Floyd’s challenge. The fight failed to live up to expectation, and saw Mayweather win a close boxing exhibition against a seemingly faded once great champion (W SD 12). In the aftermath of the Oscar encounter, Mayweather pursued one of boxing’s biggest attractions Ricky Hatton for a mega fight. In a “back and forth” closely contested bout, Mayweather nailed an overly aggressive Ricky Hatton with a perfectly timed “check hook” which handed Hatton his first defeat and knockout loss (W TKO 10). After a brief retirement, Mayweather commendably came out of a two-year hibernation to easily outpoint one of the sports best competitors; Juan Manuel Marquez.

CLOSER LOOK AT “MONEY”

Mayweather brings an enormous amount of attributes to the dance. Floyd possesses exceptional hand and foot speed, accompanied by superb youthful reflexes and tremendous defensive movement. Mayweather’s from a family of decorated fighters and from this has obtained a proven brilliant boxing IQ which has garnered him consideration to one of the best fighters to ever step into a boxing ring.

MOSLEY’S ROAD TO BECOMING SUGAR SWEET

Shane Mosley exploded on the scene recording an outstanding perfect 34 victories with 32 knockouts before facing Oscar De La Hoya. In a career defining fight for Mosley, he and De La Hoya fought at an excruciatingly violent pace, and typified their act of madness with a memorable 12th round of reckless abandonment to the finish. Mosley proved to be the better man, winning a split decision handing Oscar his first true defeat. In the wake of his newly found super-stardom, Mosley successfully defended his titles three times before meeting a prime and hungry Vernon Forrest. Forrest shockingly handled the smaller Mosley with ease and managed to send him to the canvas twice in round two. The courageous Mosley was able to get up and fight valiantly to the finish. Losing the bout on all scorecards, Mosley won the admiration of fight fans world wide. Six months later, Mosley and Forrest would do it again, and a better version of Mosley surfaced on that night, however the result would read the same (L UD 12). Being the competitive enforcer that he his, Mosley regrouped and returned to earn a pair of wins, most notably against old rival Oscar De la Hoya (W UD 12), but in postmortem, Shane would then go on to be upset in a couple of scraps against defensive wizard Winky Wright (L UD 12, twice). Removed from the aforementioned setbacks to Wright, again, Shane would bounce back, and mark the return of the Mosley of old by scoring two consecutive back-to-back TKO wins over former belt holder Fernando Vargas (W TKO 10, W TKO 6). After dispatching of Vargas, and winning his next fight, Shane went onto face Miguel Cotto. In a closely contested scintillating war of action fighters, Mosley dropped a unanimous decision to Cotto. Always a good sportsmen, Mosley didn’t make excuses or complain about the unfavorable verdict and fueled another comeback. In his next bout, Shane knocked out madman thug Ricardo Mayorga with a blistering hook in the 12th round. Mosley is coming off his most impressive win in years by pounding the hell out of boxing’s latest feared bad boy Antonio Margarito.

CLOSER LOOK AT “SUGAR”

Mosley brings action, intensity, passion, heart and drama to the show. Despite his advanced age, like his counterpart, Shane has great hand speed, but unlike his opponent, has serious power that can turn your lights out at any moment, especially in the late rounds. In facing some of the best fighters of the past 20 years, Mosley also enjoys a highly keen boxing IQ and has been celebrated as one of the sports best fighters for the nearly a dozen of years.

SIGNORELLA WANTS TO KNOW: “WHO R U PICKING?”

Signorella’s Pick: Mosley, TKO 10

John Signorella

Source: ringtalk.com

Shane Mosley endures extra long training camp in preparation for Floyd Mayweather

2010-04-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By David Mayo

LAS VEGAS -- Shane Mosley hasn’t fought in more than 15 months. But when he steps into the ring Saturday night against Floyd Mayweather at MGM Grand Garden Arena, he effectively will do so after the longest training camp of his career.

Mosley was scheduled to fight Andre Berto in January when talks for a Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight fell apart.

Shortly thereafter, Berto withdrew from the fight with Mosley, citing personal distractions after the earthquake disaster in his native Haiti.

Mosley, already sharp from almost seven weeks in formal training, said he took off "maybe a week and a half" after Berto's withdrawal, which was his only training respite since early December and could help mitigate his career-long layoff of 15-plus months.

"And I really didn't take off that much," he said. "I have guys that I spar with that, if they have a fight coming up, I'll spar with them, even if I don't have anything. My son, I'm training him, so I'll go work with him. So I'm always doing something.”

Shane Mosley Jr., 19, is an amateur welterweight who is 6-feet-1 and probably soon headed to the middleweight division, his father said.

Having his namesake son on the rise will keep Shane Mosley Sr. attuned to boxing in a different way than he has become accustomed, although he said he never expected to stray far from the game even after his career ends.

"I'm never totally away from the gym,” he said. “Even when I retire, I won't get away from the gym. I'll probably still be around the gym, sparring, or doing something, because I can't get away from it."

Source: mlive.com

Comparing Mayweather to the all time greats: He's not even close

2010-04-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Fort Smith Boxing Examiner | Lorne Scoggins

Floyd Mayweather has already proclaimed himself the greatest boxer of all time, based on his undefeated record. There are some serious flaws in his ideology.

He's naming himself as the greatest ever, but he has yet to even prove that he's the greatest of his own era.

That doesn't add up.

"But Mayweather's undefeated," Floyd fans will say.

So what?

George Foreman was 40-0 when he was defeated by Muhammad Ali. Not bad.

Larry Holmes went 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks. Even better.

Rocky Marciano retired at 49-0, with 43 knockouts.

Julio Cesar Chavez won his first 88 fights (yes, 88) before he finally suffered a draw against Pernell Whitaker.

Packy McFarland lost his first fight. He decided he didn't dig that so he went ahead and won his next 98.

The officially awarded greatest of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson, was 128-1 in the prime of his career. He finished his career at 173-19 with 108 KOs.

Willie Pep won his first 62 fights, lost one, then won his next 72 bouts. That put him at 134-1, at that point.

Which record would you prefer? 40-0 or 134-1?

Here's the real deal:

Not only did these guys have outstanding records, they built their tremendous stacks of stats without cherry-picking their opponents. The afore-mentioned pugilists fought everybody that was willing to step into the ring with them.

Who was that other guy again? Oh yeah, Floyd Mayweather, the greatest boxer ever.

If Mayweather beats Mosley he'll be 41-0.

Wow

Perhaps he needs to start with proving he's the best of his time before proclaiming himself as the best ever.

In order to do that he needs to defeat Mosley. That's no easy task, but he'll probably succeed.

Long-time boxing fan, Jason Harris of Garfield, thinks he'll get the job done.

"I think the fight will go the distance. I'm just interested in seeing how Mayweather plans on fighting Mosley," Harris said. "Mosley is an excellent boxer who posesses speed and power. It's going to be fun to watch. Ultimately, I think Mayweather will win the fight."

Even if Mayweather were to beat Mosley and then Pacquiao by first punch KOs, he still couldn't be compared to the old-school greats mentioned above.

He doesn't have enough time left to fight another 100 bouts, so he will have to do something truly extraordinary to establish himself as the greatest ever, and I do mean truly extraordinary.

If he takes on Nikolai Valuev and the Klitschko brothers simultaneously and knocks all three of them over the top rope in the first round while yelling "What's my name?!", he might be worthy of being mentioned in the same (run-on) sentence as Chavez, McFarley, Robinson and Pep.

Greatest ever?

No

Greatest of this era?

Manny Pacquiao is the fighter of the decade and the No. 1 Pound for Pound king.

He's the guy that Mayweather has to fight next if he really cares about his legacy.

Source: Examiner.com

MAYWEATHER STILL TO PROVE GREATNESS

2010-04-28T16:23:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

Floyd Mayweather says he is a better boxer than Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Robinson.

But, approaching his fight against 38-year-old Shane Mosley on Saturday night, he has a funny way of trying to prove it.

"What makes them [Ali and Robinson] any better than I am?" said Mayweather.

"Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter but Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter but Floyd Mayweather is the best."

The cold fact is until Mayweather puts aside the excuses which scuppered his earlier negotiations with Manny Pacquiao, the fact is he cannot realistically be considered to be the best of his era, let alone the best of all time.

You might call his fight against Mosley an exercise in boxing cynicism. Since losing to Miguel Cotto in 2007, Mosley has fought just once a year, scoring stoppage wins over faded Ricardo Mayorga and discredited Antonio Margarito.

By virtue of his super-fast skills of old and the heap of world titles at his disposal, Mosley is a big name in US boxing so it was no surprise when he was plucked from the bunch of possible contenders for Mayweather's latest comeback.

There was a time perhaps three years ago when Mosley would surely have given Mayweather a real run for his money. One could say the same for Miguel Cotto, who never got a look-in on Mayweather's itinerary and is now a busted flush.

You can tell the folk around the fight are a little desperate, because they have launched a website specifically for the purpose of totalling votes for the winner - implying a pick 'em fight, but suggesting deep down they know it is anything but.

Mayweather should win with consummate ease, and lo and behold a fight against Pacquiao will magically appear on the horizon, the pair of them richer by a score or so million as a direct result of their alleged bickering.

It is not until that night that Mayweather will finally get the chance to prove he truly belongs in the pantheon inhabited by the likes of Ali and Robinson, both of whom beat off the best of the rest of numerous competitive eras.

Where is Mayweather's epic Joe Frazier trilogy? His St Valentine's Day Massacre? Arguably his best win came way back in 1998 when he exhibited his blazing hand speed to devour Genaro Hernandez via eighth round stoppage.

He beat a weight-drained Diego Corrales, a past-it Arturo Gatti, a not-up-to-it Ricky Hatton, and a too-slow Oscar De La Hoya. A harsh judgement, perhaps, but not in the context of his boast to be an all-time great.

Boxing in the US, for all its undoubted resurgence in recent years, most of it due to the breath of fresh air provided by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, is in danger of flailing under the weight of what helped it come back in the first place.

Serving up big-name bouts is one thing but not when the public are so easily misled into believing that just because someone is a recognisable enough public face it therefore qualifies him for a shot other fighters would dream of.

Mosley is no slouch but neither is he Pacquiao: a ferocious fighter at the top of his game. Neither is he Edwin Valero, who died tragically last week without ever getting even a sniff of a chance to show his potential.

Valero was the type of fighter whom the current boxing big-shots have nightmares about: possessing both the crippling disadvantage of virtual anonymity with the curse of being an explosive puncher anyone in their right mind would run a mile from.

If Mayweather truly wants to put himself up there as a contender for the mantle of the greatest ever, he should not be dipping out of so-called retirement once a year for pay-per-view showpiece fights against the likes of Mosley.

"I can't see how a guy like Mosley can even call himself great," said Mayweather this week.

"I can't see how Mosley can talk about putting himself as a future Hall of Famer. He is a solid welterweight."

The question, then, is what precisely Mayweather is doing sharing the Las Vegas ring with just a "solid welterweight" on Saturday night.

In the answer may lie the truth about usurping Ali and Robinson will remain a fanciful notion for some time yet.

Source: sportinglife.com

Mayweather vs. Mosley: Fate Plays the Hand

2010-04-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
April 28th, 2010
Julie Cockerham

Floyd Mayweather is a consummate scientist. He is a fighter who understands boxing thoroughly from the practitioner’s perspective, from the observer’s perspective, and from the businessman’s perspective. Disregarding appraisals of his brutish conduct, Mayweather forms the model of boxing’s most intriguing image. He is a study in contrasts. He has the unparalleled ability to run, hide, stand, and shine all in one instant.

He isn’t widely loved, and many consider his obnoxious bravado as a deterrent in evaluating his technical prowess. It is hard to ignore. But it is that challenge that brings him to the forefront of any pugilistic conversation. He can’t be ignored, so he plays on the mind. There, he swells into a figure that is both maddening and dazzling. He is great and terrible all at once, and so he draws similarities with born leaders. It explains his unyielding dominance in boxing for the time that he has graced the sport.

There is no question that Manny Pacquiao is a phenomenon who is deservedly adored. But even with all the accolades that constantly surround Pacquiao, Mayweather is hardly eclipsed by his sun. “Money” matters.

And he knows it.

This time, though, something has happened out of place. This time, Mayweather emerges the winner of the skirmish in the ongoing battle of the two kings. Usually outgunned in all terms of affection by the pound for pound number one fighter in the sport; oddly, this time, it has become Mayweather who has seized the prized territory.

Shane Mosley trumps Joshua Clottey.

Undoubtedly, Pacquiao would have been willing to fight Mosley, but fate has a funny way of intervening. Pacquiao, in his eagerness to paint over the eye sore of the fallen- through super fight with Mayweather, was too quick to draft Clottey as an opponent. Mosley was still scheduled to fight Andre Berto, until the earthquake in Haiti required the latter’s withdrawal. Mosley was left raring with nowhere to go.

Meanwhile, Mayweather had been brilliantly plying his trade by selecting Mexican great Juan Manual Marquez as his comeback opponent from a short-lived and unappreciated retirement. Mayweather won the fight. But the next logical step toward Pacquiao was unfulfilled when he decided to play the role of commission and demand his own drug testing. When it fell through, Mayweather was left with a staff in his hands and a question of whose court to preside over.

Mayweather let Pacquiao go and it was unlikely that he could legitimately pick through Pacquiao’s vanquished for his next outing with any material success. And even those who had not fallen to the Filipino’s sword -- they too were thinning out with each passing day. Clottey was tied up. Antonio Margarito was still on suspension. And Tim Bradley hasn’t yet become a recognizable enough name to summon Mayweather through the ropes.

So it became that Mayweather’s only viable option would be to fight Shane Mosley, and in the process realize a bout that had been in the making for years.

By all logical accounts, Mayweather’s hand was forced. But he is to be commended nonetheless. He could have announced another mock retirement, and claimed dubiously that he had nothing left to prove. But he didn’t do it this time. He chose to stand and fight.

Mosley is, hands down, the most threatening opponent of Mayweather’s career. Styles make fights, and Mosley’s, whether it proves to be tempered by age or not, should give Mayweather some good grief. This, take a breath, is a calculated risk for Mayweather.

He has injected into the pre-fight blitz his usual blend of narcissistic, brash tongue lashing. And in doing so, he betrays his own contradictory nature. Mayweather talks the talk, but there doesn’t seem to be anything behind it. He is behaving in the way he thinks he is supposed to behave; an actor playing the role of villain. He’s been surrounded by this kind of conduct his whole life. His family is a collection of oddities; loud figures who have generally been an unflattering influence on Mayweather’s character development.

But this is not the portrait of a man who believes dogmatically in his own invincibility, no matter how vocally he swears to that effect. His post-fight actions completely oppose his pre-fight actions; crumbling to his knees in tears of victory, and praising his opponent’s valor. At the fight’s conclusion, he doesn’t behave like a man who feels entitled to victory. He behaves as though he is grateful, relieved that he has validated his claims of being the best. It is, in a vague and complex way, an expression of humbleness.

As for his opponent, Shane Mosley, he is far too experienced to be rattled by Mayweather’s taunts. He knows the game in and out, and being established long before Mayweather, he understands the source. In their face-off interview on HBO, Mosley recounted a time earlier in Mayweather’s career when he approached him before a fight to wish him luck. Mayweather reportedly responded, “I think you’re a great fighter and I want to be just like you when I get up in the ranks.”

Mayweather isn’t acknowledging that sentiment now and Mosley can only view him with disdain for being a good seed that was poorly cultivated.

But the moment of truth is fast approaching. Fight night has the potential to deliver a masterly spectacle, and one that will promise contributions from both fighters. Mosley may not be the exact image of his old self when he steps into the ring. But whatever he is, it may be enough. Mosley has height and reach advantages. His speed is at least comparable.

What Mosley has to be cautious of is being drawn into a mind game with Mayweather. It is virtually impossible to win against him on those terms. Mayweather’s reflexes enjoy an instantaneous bond with his brain. If he sees even a momentary gleam of an opening, he can exploit it immediately. Mosley at 38 years of age might not be able to rely on that response timing. But even if decreased by age, his arsenal is threatening enough to create a chance for him.

Mayweather said in the face-off interview: “There’s no blueprint on how to beat me.”

This is untrue. Boxing writer Springs Toledo created a blueprint in March of 2009, aptly titled: “THE BLUEPRINT: How to Beat Floyd Mayweather.”

A possibility of victory over Mayweather exists for the fighter who is multi-faceted; possessing qualities of skill, focus, determination, strength, fearlessness and sharp, blood-born instinct. Mosley fits all the criteria. The pressure he will apply will fluster Mayweather; he’s not used to being handled. Feeling Mosley’s power, he may fold, fly, or fight. Naazim Richardson’s prediction of Mayweather turning into a dragon in the ring is telling. Mayweather could, after all, show a side of himself that will put all questions to rest of him having any true, modern-day peer.

But Richardson’s prediction also implies that his battle-worn soldier is ready for anything. A win for Mosley would vault him into another realm. Crowns would change heads and the battlefield would be populated with a new, yet familiar force. It would steal the splendor from a clash between the two, original kings, but would supplant it with a contest equally as enticing.

If Mayweather wins, he’s survived another day. It supplies him with the precious validation that is his air, food, and shelter. Mosley, in that event, would become another victim; but of the best, most noble thread. Mosley’s journey is complete with or without a victory over Mayweather. He imprints on the mind as a consummate warrior; green-eyed, without envy.

Source: 8countnews.com

Mayweather not going for the gold

2010-04-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
There was a time, not very long ago it seems, when possessing a major title belt represented greatness. Every fighter once strived to own at least one.

Not anymore.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley enter the ring Saturday night (HBO pay-per-view at 9 ET), the atmosphere inside MGM Grand Garden Arena will have a championship-bout feel.

However, there won't be a single belt up for grabs. That sits quite well with Mayweather.

He couldn't care less about the World Boxing Association welterweight title belt that Mosley currently owns. Being a champion is no longer on Mayweather's priority list.

Legacy and money motivate Mayweather now.

"At this level, it's not about belts," Mayweather's top adviser Leonard Ellerbe said. "It's about fighting … to improve his legacy; and it's about money.

"Floyd's already the best fighter in the world. Why does he need to fight for a belt to prove that?"

Few would question Mayweather's status as an elite boxer. Only Manny Pacquiao challenges him for top billing on most pound-for-pound lists.

Despite an impressive 40-0 (25 knockouts) professional record, there are some who doubt the validity of his success. The most common knock on Mayweather is his quality of opposition.

He takes issue with that criticism. It's a challenge to his legacy.

"No one gives me credit for who I have fought during my career." Mayweather said. "Shane is a solid welterweight with great accomplishments, but I have been fighting these kinds of fighters my whole career without much appreciation."

Count Mosley among those who question the quality of Mayweather's opponents, at least his 147-pound challengers. He believes Mayweather has avoided stiff competition too long, and it's time to step up.

Mosley plans to prove he, not Mayweather, is the best welterweight today. There is no doubt in Mosley's mind that this time Mayweather has bitten off far more than he can chew.

"He hasn't fought another top welterweight; I'm the first one that he's fought who's a world champion," said Mosley, who will carry a record of 46-5-0 with 39 KOs into the ring. "There are [several] great welterweights out there that he could have chosen to fight instead of fighting the ones that he fought."

Mayweather considers himself the best boxer ever, but the type of criticism Mosley and others have leveled against him makes it difficult for most observers to take his all-time best claim seriously.

Defeating Mosley, and doing so in impressive fashion, will give those same critics reason to re-examine their position on Mayweather's place in boxing history. Regardless of what happens Saturday night in Las Vegas, Mayweather believes he's done enough already to be rated boxing's all-time best.

He doesn't base his opinion on talent and professional record alone. The amount of money a fighter generates factors heavily into his equation. For Mayweather, pay-per-view buys is now a key indicator of a fighter's greatness.

"I got respect for Sugar Ray Robinson; I've got respect for Muhammad Ali," Mayweather said. "What makes them better than I am? Because they fought a thousand fights?

"In my era, it's totally different. It's pay-per-view now, so things change. It's out with the old and in with the new.

"Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter, but Floyd Mayweather is the best."

With these words, Mayweather has significantly upped the ante. His legacy will be on the line Saturday night, but that is a big motivating factor for him.

Mayweather wouldn't have it any other way.

"At this point, it's about enhancing [my legacy]," he said. "I've accomplished many things that many fighters weren't able to do in this sport. With Mosley, [a victory] is going to … enhance my legacy."

Mayweather won't go into details on how he intends to whip Mosley. He does offer a glimpse of what viewers are likely to see when the punches start flying.

"Shane may be loading up with wide shots, and not using a full jab; I use a fuller jab," Mayweather said. "When I shoot my shots, I look at my opponents and I look where I'm punching.

"When Shane punches, a lot of times he closes his eyes … go back and look at some of his fights. … We're two totally different fighters."

Enhancing their boxing legacy is a desire Mayweather and Mosley will have in common. Mosley is 38 years old, and this fight might be his last opportunity to convince boxing enthusiasts that he deserves a spot among the all-time greats.

He's old-school and would love to have his WBA belt on the line Saturday night. For Mosley, fighting for and retaining the belt would add credibility to his accomplishment.

While the WBA 147-pound belt has no value to Mayweather, it remains important to Mosley. His promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, continues to petition WBA officials to put its belt on the line just for Mosley.

"It is not a WBA championship fight," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said. "However, we are currently discussing with the WBA that for Shane, Shane would be defending his belt.

"It's a non-WBA title fight. The two best fighters fighting each other. That's at stake here."

Not long ago, it seems, every boxer wanted a title belt around his waste. That isn't the case today.

Mayweather represents a new way of thinking: Get paid. Period.

Mosley is old-school: He too wants to make as much money as possible, but owning a championship belt still matters to him.

Mayweather and Mosley will put their legacies on the line Saturday night, but the future of boxing's sanctioning organizations also might be at stake.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Can Mosley vs. Mayweather Live Up to the Hype?

2010-04-28T16:17:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Published: Apr 28 2010 by: Dana Miller
Expectations are High for Mayweather vs. Mosley this Weekend

The last time Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley were inside of the ring was back in September 19, 2009 after Mayweather’s tactical destruction of Juan Manuel Marquez. During Mayweather’s interview in the ring after the fight with Max Kellerman, Mosley abruptly jumped the ring and crashed Mayweather’s interview, challenging him to a future fight.

Mayweather was furious about the abrupt crashing of his victory party in the ring and told Mosley that he does interrupt him during his victory interviews and to respect him as a man. In between the grit and dirt in the ring was Bernard Hopkins who trying to tell Mayweather that Mayweather vs. Mosley is the real fight instead of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. Hopkins was also telling Mosley to keep arguing with Mayweather because you are trying to get a fight. These actions were very uncharacteristic of Shane Mosley.

After the incident in the ring, Mayweather and his camp still made negotiations to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13, 2010, which left Mosley to pursue other avenues. Mosley’s camp made negotiations to fight Andre Berto on January 30, 2010, but when the tragedy in Haiti happened on January 13, 2010, Haitian native Andre Berto lost eight of his family members in the earthquake. Unable to focus on his January 30 assignment against Shane Mosley, Berto pulled out of the fight, leaving Mosley once again out in the dark, wondering who he will fight next.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was on a collision course with Manny Pacquiao in a mega fight on March 13, which many boxing experts said was the most anticipated fight of this decade. Mayweather, however, accused Pacquiao of using steroids and wanted Olympic style drug testing during both training camps leading up to the bout.

The Mayweather camp and Pacquiao camp could not come to an agreement on how the drug testing will be administered, so the showdown between the two fighters scheduled for Mach 13 was cancelled due to those circumstances. Another reason for the cancellation of the fight was because Mayweather would not apologize for his steroid remarks towards Manny Pacquiao, thus, leaving Mayweather without a fighter to dance with.

Now Mayweather does not have an opponent, Shane Mosley does not have an opponent, so the two sides decided to make negotiations for a showdown to fight each other on May 1, 2010. The mega fight extravaganza tip off with Mayweather and Mosley meeting one another on a HBO Boxing segment called “Faceoff” hosted by Max Kellerman. During the segment, things got a little heated between the fighters when Mosley accused Mayweather of wanting to be like him in the past.

During the training camp leading up to the fight, the Mayweather camp continued to bring up Mosley’s past of alleged steroid use, while Mosley’s camp continued to criticize Mayweather for the way he acts and his disgraceful love of money. Both fighters have excellent trainers in Roger Mayweather and Naasim Richardson who will have their fighter ready for the May 1 Mega fight.

This fight in my opinion is bigger than Mayweather vs. Pacquiao because Mosley may be the only fighter at 147 pounds that can actually hurt Floyd if he can catch him with something big, but with all the hype and trash talking; will this fight live up to its true billing? Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley are two fighters destined for the Boxing Hall of Fame. Mosley will try to pressure Mayweather in this fight and if he succeeds and forces Mayweather to fight him instead of just box, this fight will not only live up the hype, it can be the best fight of the year.

Source: proboxing-fans.com

Shane Mosley: Floyd Mayweather's slipped, and I'll show him where in the ring

2010-04-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
LAS VEGAS -- At some point, at a time to arrive no later than three days hence, the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight must become about more than steroid talk, or what BALCO founder Victor Conte says about what Mosley knew about taking banned substances in 2003, or who's fighting for money and who's fighting for glory.

At some point, no later than Saturday night, the first big fight of the new decade reduces to gumption and will -- and amid the plentiful debate about what the 38-year-old Mosley has left, the underdog insists it will be more than people think, and perhaps even more than the 33-year-old Mayweather has.

"I see where he's slipped," Mosley said Tuesday. "And I know there's certain things that's going on with his body that he doesn't understand yet.

"I won't tell him, either. I'll show him."

Mosley sat in a cushy chair at a VIP reception area in MGM Grand, sporting a close-cropped Jheri curl, a pink shirt, white pants and white shoes, cheeks dimpling under the pressure of his pleasant smile, his near-translucent eyes beaming.

He never looks exactly like a fighter when removed from the ring, nor does he carry himself the way one may expect from a fighter.

If there is one overarching truth about the difference between Mayweather and Mosley, it is that not everyone likes Mayweather, but few are ambivalent about him and he has pushed himself into household-name status, while almost everyone likes Mosley, yet he never quite transformed into the super-selling superstar and tends to find himself defaulted into the biggest fights.

That's exactly what happened when Mayweather's talks with Manny Pacquiao fell through, leaving Mosley as the Grand Rapids native's most attractive Plan B.

The prevailing sentiment is that Mayweather-Mosley would have been a much better fight earlier in their careers.

Mosley counters that his 2002-04 slump, when he won once in a six-fight span that included two losses each to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright, and a no-contest result in a foul-marred fight with Raul Marquez, was the result of life becoming "overbearing sometimes on you."

"The fight game, people don't understand, is mental," he said. "You can be strong and fast, but it's really a mental game. I think that people will just not realize that. Yeah, you can get knocked out with a hard punch, but it's really a mental game. I think, mentally, at that point of my career, you can see I wasn't on top of my game."

Asked what he meant, Mosley suggested that his professional timeline provides the answer -- a clear reference to the failing professional relationship with his father and ex-trainer, Jack, whom he fired after the first loss to Wright in 2004.

John David Jackson trained Mosley for three fights, including another loss to Wright, then Jack Mosley returned for four fights, including a loss to Miguel Cotto. Mosley said he is more comfortable now, in his second fight under Naazim Richardson.

"You have different people come into your life, different trainers come in and do different things, different relationships, everything," Mosley said. "Different things can come into your life that can screw you around a little bit. Once you start finding your way out of it, things start looking different."

Mosley said Mayweather's professional perfection is a dual product of skill and taking the right fights at the right times.

The question is whether Mosley falls into the latter category.

"He might believe that's true and that might be why the fight is taking place. But I know that it's not true," Mosley said.

Saturday night, the truth will be uncovered in 12 rounds or less, and the underdog said he has plenty left to dent that 40-0 record.

"Every time I fight, I'm looking to knock the guy out," he said. "In my mind, I look at it as a knockout. And if it's not a knockout, then I'll put the 12 rounds in the bank and win in 12 rounds."

Source: mlive.com

Mayweather's TV Character: Getting Old?

2010-04-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Before I get going, let me make a couple things clear:

1. I still think this fight is going to do around 1.5 million PPV buys. I think it'll pick up late-week steam, sort of the way Mayweather-Marquez did. I think it'll be a tremendous success.
2. I am not saying anything about Mayweather's in-ring skills. This has nothing to do with how good he is.

So the question is: Has Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s act grown tired? Has he "jumped the shark"? Could he use some freshening up?

The HBO "24/7" series for Mayweather-Mosley has lacked something. It's true that it goes both ways. Frankly, Mosley isn't the most engaging interview in the world. He's not all that charismatic and outside of the ring, lacks a presence about him that makes him stand out from other fighters. That's a big reason he never became the star that he truly deserves/deserved to be -- for as great, gutsy and exciting a fighter as he's been, Mosley's greatest box office successes have been with Oscar de la Hoya, the all-time king of PPV, and Antonio Margarito, whose Mexican audience helped pack the Staples Center last January.

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. said of Shane Mosley, "He's not a pay-per-view attraction," he wasn't gloating, and he wasn't wrong. Shane Mosley has never become a superstar, sadly enough. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has. Years ago, when Mayweather was promoted by Bob Arum and their split got nasty, Arum loved to talk about Mayweather being a coward. Mayweather countered by saying Arum never let him spread his wings and become a major attraction, which he felt he could be. Mayweather was right. Without Arum, and with some help from Oscar de la Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions, and HBO, Mayweather has become a big-money fighter.

But now, it seems to me that Mayweather has become stale, he's run out of material, and something more important, there's a lack of sincerity about his act anymore. Mayweather loves to play villain -- but he doesn't love it so much that he doesn't want people to know it's just play. He also wants to be the good citizen who helps the needy. He does help the needy. That's very admirable. When hyping the Marquez fight, Mayweather's people went out of their way to get Floyd's charitable nature into the news. As if they were tired of Floyd only being seen as the arrogant heel.

But when you're going with a professional character, as Mayweather has done, breaking that character too often takes the starch out of it. Mayweather to me seems like a winking, smiling actor on this "24/7." The Mayweather family is expected to be OUTRAGEOUS!, so they dial it up on cue. Mayweather is expected to insult Mosley, so he does, and he smiles.

When Mayweather fought Oscar and Hatton, he was consistently the "bad guy." He reveled in it. He succeeded with it. And then he won the fights. This time around, while he may win the fight and may do well at the box office, it seems like the Floyd Mayweather Jr. Saga has hit a fork in the road.

I'm not saying this is going to matter on May 1. "24/7" is not the fight, and the fight is the story. The fight is what really matters.

The most useful and interesting thing on this "24/7" series has been getting to know Mosley's trainer Naazim Richardson more. Richardson is one of those guys who is genuinely interesting. You want to hear him talk, because he has real things to say. He's not playing a character, not doing things for the TV cameras. There's nothing Hollywood about the man. He's a welcome contrast to the increasingly predictable Mayweather segments.

So what do you think? Has Mayweather gotten tired as a TV act, or are you still as entertained as ever?

Source: badlefthook.com

MOSLEY SET TO MAKE BIGGEST PAYDAY. CAN YOU GUESS HOW MUCH?

2010-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Ben Thompson | April 28, 2010

On January 24, 2009, Shane Mosley turned back the hands of time to produce one of the best performances of his career when he dominated and stopped the heavily-favored Antonio Margarito to once again become a welterweight champion. With another career-defining win under his belt, Mosley thought that he had finally positioned himself to get the big double-digit paydays that had eluded him for his entire career, despite holding not one, but two victories over the Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya. Although it looked as though the biggest names in the sport, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, were putting a fight with him on hold in favor of facing each other, ultimately, negotiations fell through and eventually Shane Mosley was finally awarded with the biggest fight of his career: a bout with undefeated pay-per-view cash cow Floyd Mayweather. Eager to prove that he's the best fighter of this era, Mosley quickly signed the contract after a brief period of negotiations. Although details of the contract were never revealed, Mosley's lawyer, Judd Burstein, described his purse as being "the biggest ever." The question is what exactly is "the biggest ever" purse for Mosley? According to a source who has knowledge of the contract, Mosley is set to make a gauranteed minimum purse of $6 million for his bout with Floyd Mayweather. "Yeah, he's gettin' $6 million," the source remarked.

Shane Mosley burst onto the pay-per-view scene nearly ten years ago when, on June 17, 2000, he defeated then WBC welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya via split decision in a bout that, to this day, is still one of his best performances. Undefeated at the time, the victory earned Mosley a guaranteed minimum of $4.5 million and it appeared as though he was on his way to bigger and better purses. Subsequent back-to-back losses to Vernon Forrest, however, would prevent Mosley from seeing an increase in his earnings until a rematch with De La Hoya would again give him the opportunity to boost his take-home pay. Having already defeated De La Hoya in the first bout, Mosely naturally felt that he was worth more for the second bout. Initially, he stood firm on his demand for a minimum of $8 million after learning that De La Hoya was guaranteed $12 million. In the end, however, Mosley balked and settled for just $4.25 million when De La Hoya's promoter, Bob Arum at the time, called his bluff. Fortunately for Mosley though, he was once again victorious, winning a very close unanimous decision.

It looked as if Mosley's career was back on the path to bigger paydays, particularly when De La Hoya demanded an immediate rubbermatch after the controversial decision of their 2003 rematch. Mosley, however, would blow that opportunity when he turned down a $12 million offer for the third fight, standing firm on his belief that he should be paid more money than De La Hoya, who he now held two victories over. Although it would have been the biggest payday of his career, Mosley instead opted for a much smaller purse, a mere $2.5 million, against what turned out to be a much more difficult opponent in Winky Wright. Mosley would lose that fight, as well as the ensuing rematch, and quickly found himself back at the lower end of the pay scale.

Desperately trying to prevent his career, or more importantly his future earnings, from heading any further south, Mosley felt compelled to take an even smaller payday (less than $1 million if memory serves me correctly) against David Estrada on the undercard…yes…the undercard of an ESPN pay-per-view event headlined by Antonio Margarito vs. Kermit Cintron. After following that up with two TKO victories over Fernando Vargas and a successful performance against Luis Collazo, Mosley now found himself in a familiar position when he got an opportunity to face then undefeated WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. A win could have vaulted Mosley back into the upper echelon of paid boxers, but it was not to be. In another extremely close fight, Mosley found himself on the losing end of a unanimous decision. Although it was a losing effort, it still earned him roughly $2 million and because the bout was close and competitive, Mosley's earning potential did not take that big of a hit. After a brief return to the jr. middleweight division to earn a hard-fought 12th round TKO victory over Ricardo Mayorga, as well as a $1.5 million payday, Mosley eventually found himself in line for another title shot, this time against Antonio Margarito, who had just captured the WBA welterweight title from Miguel Cotto.

Mosley was guaranteed a $2 million purse against Margarito, which was nearly a 50/50 split with the champion despite coming into the bout as the challenger. It was a testament to the fact that Mosley was still a major attraction, despite suffering some major setbacks throughout his career. Still, $2 million was a far cry from the $10-40 million that Oscar De La Hoya, the man that Mosley had already beaten twice, was enjoying throughout his career. In fact, by that time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, two fighters who also earned victories over Oscar De La Hoya after Shane Mosley had already defeated him, were now both making upwards of $10 million for their bouts. In his bout with Margarito, a determined Mosley, perhaps frustrated with the lack of financial success he's had after defeating the Golden Boy twice, put on a devastating performance, chopping Margarito down over and over again with right hands en route to a 9th round stoppage. The performance left no doubt that Shane Mosley was still an elite welterweight and a force to be reckoned with. Sadly, it appears that it still wasn't enough to earn him anything close to parity when it comes to purse splits. Let's all hope that Mosley has some pretty good upside on the PPV buys so that figure will be a lot bigger when all is said and done.

Source: fighthype.com

Mayweather's 'best' boasts on line vs. Mosley

2010-04-28T16:09:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Part of the appeal of Floyd Mayweather Jr. is that he speaks his mind even if what he says usually is self-serving. He isn't shy about proclaiming himself the best to ever put on a pair of boxing gloves: better than Sugar Ray Robinson, better than Muhammad Ali, better than Sugar Ray Leonard or anyone else you can think of.

"I'm a man just like they're men," Mayweather once said. "I put on my pants just like they put on their pants. What makes them any better than I am? Because they fought a thousand fights?

"I'm the best," he says.

Nonetheless, the quality of opposition Mayweather has faced in compiling a 40-0 record with 25 knockouts is a recurring source of criticism. Ali fought Frazier and Foreman; Leonard fought Hearns, Duran and Hagler; Ray Robinson fought everybody. Critics suggest Mayweather's resume is void of that caliber of competition though he owns wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mayweather gets a chance to silence those critics on Saturday night when he faces "Sugar" Shane Mosley in a much-anticipated showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view bout is being called the biggest welterweight matchup since Leonard fought Hearns in 1981.

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) said he agrees with those who say Mayweather has never faced this type of challenge before.

"As a welterweight, he hasn't fought another top welterweight, and I'm the first one that he fought that's a world champion," said Mosley, who last fought in January 2009 when he captured the WBA welterweight title by beating Antonio Margarito. "All the other guys have not really been the best, if you will. There are a lot of great welterweights out there that he could have chosen to fight instead of fighting the ones that he fought."

Mayweather took heat in some circles when his proposed bout against Manny Pacquiao fell through because of a squabble over drug testing procedures. Still, he insists his critics are simply haters who will always find some reason to minimize his victories -- De La Hoya and Gatti were washed up, Hatton had no chin and Marquez was too small.

"There's always an excuse," Mayweather said. "He was too old, he was too slow, he was too small. They try and try to bring me down, but all they're going to do is continue to make me strive harder."

Mayweather's consistent dominance is part of the reason his victories are under-appreciated. He is a master technician, a fighter with impeccable defensive skills and the fastest fists in the sport. He does not engage in brawls, but prefers to systematically break down his frustrated opponents.

"There's nothing cool about taking punishment, getting beat up, getting bloody lips and taking a check," Mayweather said. "The coolest thing I can do is dominate you, shut you out and make crazy money and go home and live with my family in a very comfortable way. That's how I like to do it."

It has worked for 40 straight fights, and if it does against Mosley it will be a much-needed highlight of his career. Mayweather has made a career of flashing money and boasting that he is the best ever. If he beats Mosley, more people may start agreeing with him.

Source: nypost.com

Mosley's title belt comes at a price, one Mayweather won't pay

2010-04-28T16:02:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

When Floyd Mayweather meets WBA welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Saturday night, there will be plenty at stake for both fighters: money (lots of it), reputation, legacies, bragging rights and a perfect record (Mayweather's 40-0 mark).

PAY-PER-VIEW: Fight could set new mark

One thing that won't be at stake, at least for Mayweather: Mosley's title belt. The belt is up for grabs — but only for Mosley.

Mayweather wants no part of it, he said. His manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said Tuesday that while they mean no disrespect to the WBA sanctioning body, Mayweather is already a six-time world champion and this is strictly a business decision.

"Floyd's already the best fighter in the world," Ellerbe said. "What is he going to prove by winning the WBA title? He's going to give up 3% of his purse (to the WBA) to prove that?

"When it comes down to it, spending several hundred thousand dollars to call yourself the champion when you're already the best fighter in the world is not a smart business move."

Three percent of Mayweather's take could be considerable. The Las Vegas-based fighter is expected to take home more than $40 million for the fight (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET), and because he is promoting himself and not fighting for a title, he'll keep it all.

"Floyd keeps all of his money, and (Mosley) gives 27% of his money to his promoter (Golden Boy)," Ellerbe said. "What Floyd has done — and I think other fighters will appreciate it down the road — he's been the first fighter to establish a business model that puts him in a position to control all of his revenue."

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) appreciates the bottom line, too, but said he feels that the belt means something for a fighter's legacy.

"I think (Floyd) should want it," Mosley said of the belt. "Everybody grows up wanting to fight for a belt and be the world champion. And for them to just dismiss it, like, 'Oh, I'm bigger than the belt,' I don't know.

"It just doesn't seem like he's in the sport for the sport. He's just in it for the money. … But I love the glory, the legendary status of being a champion and winning belts and being the best guy out there. If he did that, the money is going to come regardless."

Said Mayweather Tuesday: "All these fighters get the belts that I gave up. When you are bigger than the sport, belts don't mean anything. He needs a belt … A belt means something to him."

Mosley says Mayweather's résumé doesn't stand up to call himself the best welterweight, let alone the best fighter overall.

"As a welterweight, he hasn't fought another top welterweight," Mosley said. "I'm the first one he's fought that's a world champion, so it makes the fight a big fight."

Mayweather said his work ethic is second to none, and it will show Saturday night: "The only thing I want to do is just be the best. I'll just continue to work hard, and I'm pretty sure Shane's in good condition. We're going to put on one (heck) of a show."

Source: usatoday.com

MAYWEATHER V. MOSLEY: EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH BOXING IN ONE BAG

2010-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Earl Blaney
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 28 Apr 2010

It’s not the fight we want to see, but we’ll watch it anyway. It shouldn’t really be a good one, but that doesn’t really matter. The guy who can’t lose is well capable of doing exactly that. These are some of the oxymoronic statements that underscore this weekend's bout between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley, factual statements that make morons of today’s boxing fans and a mockery of the sport of boxing.

As everyone knows this fight is not the fight that should be fought this weekend.

It is instead a poorly made, promoter produced, “knock off” of a real mega fight (Mayweather-Pacquiao). Like so many lower class consumers, rather than call the police on the back alley dealers, boxing fans opt instead to buy the bag. We know the quality doesn’t match up, but at a distance it looks the same, and for practical reasons it’s usable (well at least until the third or fourth round when the whole thing falls apart). What makes this choice so pathetic for boxing fans is that in boxing “knock off” fights cost the same as the “original” would.
Many people will watch this fight because despite his hiatus from boxing Floyd Mayweather remains one of the best technical boxers in recent history (he would say the best of all time). There is no doubting the former. Unfortunately for boxing and for Mayweather himself, his ego has been in training for much longer and at a greater intensity than his boxing skills.

Mayweather’s attitude towards the sport is the biggest obstacle to a fight fans conversion to his self proclaimed worshipility. In fact, rarely has such a talented athlete done so little to advance the sport that he participates in. Unfortunately also, while this situation is an anomaly in sport, it has certainly become a commonality in boxing.

In fairness, a criticism of Mayweather’s recent fight history partly represents a criticism of the unskilled labor market making boxing today. His big fights since hitting welterweight (147lbs. 2005) have been against three men; Zab Judah, Ricky Hatton and De la Hoya.

Going into the Judah fight (2005) the undisciplined Judah seemed a bad match for the technical mastery of Mayweather. He was. However, Judah was able to legitimately bully Mayweather around throughout the early fight (highlighted by a legitimate knockdown in the second). The bullying turned ugly later on.
Two things were true of this mismatch. When the two were boxing Mayweather dominated, but when a fight broke out in the boxing ring Mayweather looked very vulnerable. Of course going into the contest Mayweather had no intention of fighting, he wanted to box. This is characteristic of a Mayweather performance.

Technically dominating a technically unsound opponent hardly makes Mayweather a great fighter it only makes him a smart fighter. There are a long list of fighters however who were/are both. This of course is the reason people re-watch old Ali fights and don’t and never will re-watch a Mayweather points scoring clinic. Yes Mayweather is good at “boxing” but his fights aren’t good boxing to watch.

Against Oscar De la Hoya Mayweather faced legitimate technical opposition against an opponent who has built his career on losing closely matched big fights and winning promotion contracts to big mismatched ones. Taking away from his victory in this Mayweather’s best true “boxing” match, was the fact that Mayweather was not able to dominate the slowing, aging De La Hoya (any where near the way Pacquiao would, only a year later). Mayweather only managed a spilt decision victory. Impressive? Slightly, but certainly slight of great.

Mayweather was the first to expose Ricky Hatton as a press inflated B class fighter. He didn’t do it in convincing fashion (like Pacquiao did, again about a year later), but he did it none the less. And then, as we remember he went into retirement saying “(he) had nothing left to prove”, while critics were left wondering what in fact he had proved to begin with?

There lies the crux of another problem. In most of today’s sports egos are apparent but controlled; unfortunately it is apparent that today’s boxing is controlled by egos. In what other sport are athletes allowed to unilaterally overrule governing commissions and impose their own rules on the sport (such as what Mayweather attempted to with blood testing regulations leading to the cancellation of the Pacquiao fight)? In what other sport can an athlete enter into competition ignoring the set rules of the contest all together (such as when Mayweather totally ignored the weight limitation for his last fight against Marquez)? In what sport can an athlete self proclaim his greatness and have it legitimately honored by fans when he refuses to face real competition (like Manny Pacquiao)? The answer to these questions sadly is, ONLY IN BOXING.

Due to the sad state of affairs that exist in the sport boxing fans no longer have the distinguishing taste or class to differentiate between fakes and genuine products. Much to the delight of promoters like De La Hoya (and most others) who continue to use a low class work force to turn out a substandard product that costs just as much as you should pay for the high quality model. On the street, when you buy a fake bag you get what you paid for. In boxing you certainly don’t.

Source: philboxing.com

High-profile lineup of fighters, trainers, and boxing insiders give their take on Mayweather-Mosley

2010-04-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

We are currently in the midst of yet another big fight week in the world of boxing as the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley clash is just around the corner. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas will play host to the two combatants this Saturday night and it is a showdown that people have been waiting many years for.

In Mayweather we have a man who has yet to be defeated despite his slew of detractors. Floyd’s ego seems to boil over more times than not and it is what has garnered him his share of hate in recent years. Still, you can’t deny the abilities that the Grand Rapids native possesses and at 33 years old he shows little signs of slowing down.

In Mosley we have a man who has truly lived the fighter’s life, experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows on a world class on many occasions. Despite being written off time and time again the Pomona, California fighter has found a way to constantly reinvent himself and looked as sensational as ever in his last bout, a ninth round thrashing of Antonio Margarito in front of a shocked crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

As the bout draws near many people have weighed in with their thoughts on the fight. While nearly everyone agrees that the contest will be competitive the consensus seems to be that Mayweather will have the edge. Read below to see what a bevy of fighters, trainers, and boxing insiders are saying about Mayweather vs. Mosley…

Trainer Naazim Richardson
“We went about our business as normal. Like I have been saying, you can’t make more out of the fight than it really is. Sometimes people get caught up and carried away because we are fighting this kid instead of just putting Shane in the best position he should be in. He’s finally found the fight he has been looking for. Right now he has the experience factor and he has maintained his body to the point where his speed is still there. But he has the experience behind it and that’s what he has to fall back on.”

Former jr. welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi
“People get on Floyd’s back for not fighting certain top fighters but fighting Shane Mosley makes a statement in itself. Shane is a dangerous fighter, but I can see Floyd making adjustments during the fight. He’s a very cerebral fighter. It’s why I can see him winning a decision.”

Boxing trainer Justin Fortune
“I really would want Shane to win. I like Shane a lot but I don’t know, the best guy on the night [will win]. They are both very talented so it’s a really interesting fight.”

Trainer Roger Mayweather
““I think [Mosley] is one of the guys that is a threat to a certain degree. He has decent hand speed but I think what people are going to find out is that it is going to be very shocking what speed can do. I think they are going to find out what they think speed can do and what abilities Floyd has that can control that hand speed.””

IBF and WBC jr. welterweight champion Devon Alexander
“That’s another tricky one. Shane does have the power and if he can land that power it will depend on how Mayweather can take it. I think overall Mayweather can box him. Shane has always had trouble with good boxers and speed fighters. I think that’s what is going to happen.”

Former light heavyweight champion and Las Vegas based trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad
“First of all I commend both of them for giving the fans what they really want to see. Two of the best fighters in the world in an era where they both were good. As far as picking a winner I don’t want to pick a winner because I am good friends with both of them and I want it to remain like. I can tell you it is going to be a very competitive fight.”

Timothy Bradley, WBO jr. welterweight champion
“I’m going to go with Mayweather for this fight. I think Mosley will be in a lot of trouble against a boxer like Mayweather, as opposed to someone who comes slugging at him. Mosley will have to be the aggressor and that’s not his style. Mayweather will use his movement and pot shot.”

Showtime analyst Steve Farhood
“I like Mayweather on points, and I hate to be predictable, but I’m not picking against Mayweather in any fight that can be made right now, Pacquiao included. Mosley is a severe and very possibly Mayweather’s toughest test. Mosley’s combination of size, experience, and speed should give Mayweather plenty of problems. But if Cotto can outbox Mosley, which he did in plenty of spots, I don’t doubt Mayweather could do the same thing. Mayweather by decision.”

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola
“Floyd. He’s just Floyd man. He’s a defensive master dude.”

Welterweight hopeful Rashad Holloway
“I think Shane has a shot. He has always had trouble with speed and movement and if Floyd sticks to his game plan, from what I have heard, I don’t know which way it is going. I have heard that Floyd wants to go in there and be aggressive and go after him. Floyd can fight on the inside. Shane is very strong, maybe not the greatest fighter on the inside, but I think that is a mistake to stand in front of Shane Mosley. He should try to box and move. I think he wants to prove how tough he is. Floyd can do it all and I think he is the better fighter on the outside in this fight.”

Floyd Mayweather Sr.
“Shane has a good chance of being knocked out too. If you attack the body you have a better chance of breaking him down. Everybody you know who has hit him to the body has caused him problems. [Floyd] pours a lot of energy into his fights and the whole thing is he is going to be up to the fight. Shane has finally stepped up because he has no choice but to step up. He has borrowed money from Golden Boy and that tells you something isn’t right.”

MaxBoxing columnist Gabriel Montoya
“It’s a great fight. A very significant fight historically. You have a guy who was the linear champion in Floyd Mayweather against the guy who everybody considers the best Welterweight not named Paul Williams in Shane Mosley. I think it’s a perfect fight, maybe about three or five years past where we really should have had it and it would have been a lot more competitive. I like Mayweather’s intelligence, his speed, and his superior technique to take a decision over Shane Mosley. But he has a very fast, athletic style and he has a puncher’s chance.”

Former jr. featherweight champion Israel Vasquez
“Mosley. Because Mosley has speed and power. And Mayweather is sometimes too slow. He doesn’t throw too many punches within three or four seconds.”

Super Middleweight contender Dyah Davis
“That’s a pick em’ fight man. I think that fight probably should have been made a few years ago. I like Shane but I think Floyd is going to take a decision. Floyd is good for the game but I think a lot more people want to see him get defeated and are more interesting in tuning in to see that happen more than anything else.”

Philadelphia Daily News correspondent Bernard Fernandez
“I was one of the few who said that Mayweather was number one in the pound for pound poll. Mayweather isn’t as good as he thinks he is, but he’s better than just about everyone else out there. It’s a very attractive matchup. I wouldn’t put it past Shane to reach back in time when he was at his very best. I’m going with Floyd based on the fact he’s still undefeated. Floyd will win by decision.”

Ring contributor Doug Fischer
“I think it’s a really good matchup. It’s the fight that I am most looking forward to this year. I think they match up very well style wise and they mesh. You have a boxer against an aggressive boxer-puncher. I favor the older man, Shane Mosley. I just think he is going to be the aggressor throughout the bout. He’s going to be throwing hard punches from the first round until the 12th round. I just don’t see Mayweather doing anything to really get Mosley’s respect of keep him off of him. I do think he will box well in many rounds but I don’t know if that will be enough for him to win the majority of rounds on all three judges’ cards.”

ESPN Analyst Brian Kenny
“I love the fight. I think it’s the second fight Mayweather should have had. I still see the fight going the way all Floyd Mayweather fights go. I was extremely impressed by what Floyd did against Marquez. He was on point, his game plan was tight. I don’t see him taking a lot of shots from Shane, but if you can’t hit the guy, you can’t beat him.”

Trainer Macka Foley
“Alright here’s the prediction. Twelve rounds, unanimous decision, Floyd Mayweather in one of the most boring fights since Mayweather-De La Hoya. Because Floyd doesn’t want to engage and he’s fast enough to pitter patter and run. He’s just gonna touch and go and pretty soon it’s gonna be the 8th, 9th, and 10th rounds and Mosley is going to be behind. Mayweather is too young and fluid.”

Promoter Lou Dibella
“Right now I feel that Mayweather will win a clear-cut, non-controversial decision. If you asked me a few years ago, it would have been a different decision. But look at Margarito’s face when he went into the ring that night. He had to be a complete wreck walking out with his advantages gone. As marvelous as I think Shane is, I go with Mayweather by clear decision.”

Light heavyweight contender Chad Dawson
“Those are two fighters that I respect, and they’ve both done great things in boxing. Floyd’s skills, his hand speed, and accuracy make him tough to beat. I think it will be a tough and competitive fight. I give Shane a great shot to win. Shane is a little older, but I’m looking at what Shane did against Margarito, and if that Shane shows up, Floyd is going to be in for a tough night. Shane’s wanted this fight for a long time. That will come out. But this is a fight where boxing will be the difference. It’s why I think Floyd will win by decision. But it’s going to be a great fight.”

West Coast boxing scribe David Avila
“I know that Mosley had followed Floyd for a long time so he knows what he is going to get. He knows what Floyd likes to do and vice versa, Floyd knows what Shane likes to do. I think that the first round will be kind of fast paced and the fight will settle down after that. It will be all about who can adapt better, who is in better shape, and I think the main thing is going to be about conditioning. Can Shane contain his pace and not let Floyd get into his pace.”

WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto
“It’s going to definitely be a competitive fight. Mosley can’t let Floyd get too comfortable. Shane has the speed and power to offset Floyd’s technique. It will be a toss-up, but I’ll say Floyd by decision.”

Source: Examiner.com

Take your pick - Money or Sugar

2010-04-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin Henson

Fans are calling it the eliminator, the duel to determine Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent even as Floyd (Money) Mayweather Jr. isn’t confirming – yet – to face the Filipino icon if he survives Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Sunday morning (Manila time).

Mayweather, 33, slid away from a showdown with Pacquiao last March, citing irreconcilable differences on drug-testing procedures. The Money Man – he used to be known as Pretty Boy but the moniker just wouldn’t stick for obvious reasons – demanded Olympic-style random blood-testing which boxing commissions don’t require.

Mayweather’s camp has accused Pacquiao of taking steroids to retain his speed and power while moving up from one weight category to another. Pacquiao has passed every drug test administered by boxing authorities for his fights and there’s no shred of evidence even implying he ever took any illegal substance.

Bending over backwards, Pacquiao has agreed to blood-testing 24 days before a fight. But Mayweather wouldn’t budge, insisting on a 14-day cutoff. The speculation was Mayweather made an unacceptable demand for an excuse to wiggle out of a fight against Pacquiao. It seemed like Mayweather was buying time to get ready for the Filipino later this year.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, has gone to court to sue Mayweather, his rowdy relatives, Oscar de la Hoya and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer for defamation stemming from the drug-use accusation. Pacquiao’s lawyer is Daniel Petrocelli who won for murder victim Ron Goldman’s father Fred an $8.5 million payoff in a civil case against O. J. Simpson in 1997. The other side is represented by Judd Burstein who ironically was Pacquiao’s lawyer in the case against Murad Muhammad a few years ago.

Pacquiao’s reluctance to shed blood two weeks before a fight is premised on his belief that it will take longer to recover from being drained of his energy and strength as a result of the extraction.

* * * *

Mayweather, 33, is a heavy favorite to beat Mosley, 38, not just because he’s younger. The Money Man is unbeaten in 40 fights and has a style that’s tough for Mosley to crack. Mayweather is an elusive target, likes to counter and moves around the ring like a gazelle. Mosley has a 46-5 record, with 39 KOs and a no-contest. He has lost decisions to the late Vernon Forrest twice, Winky Wright twice and Miguel Cotto.

Mayweather and Mosley haven’t been too busy lately. They’ve become very selective in their “old” age. Mayweather has fought only once in the last two years, battering a much smaller Juan Manuel Marquez last September. He didn’t see action at all in 2008. Mosley fought once in 2008, halting Ricardo Mayorga and once last year, stopping Antonio Margarito. The ring rust will be evident when they clash this weekend.

Mosley is slightly bigger than Mayweather in build. He enjoys a two-inch advantage in both height and reach. But being outsized doesn’t bother Mayweather whose main asset is quickness. In his mind, Mosley’s edge in physique is something he can exploit with his speed.

The fact that Golden Boy represents both Money and Sugar is intriguing, if not disturbing. Because of his age, Mosley has less of an upside than Mayweather and Golden Boy realizes the bigger money lies in a bout against Pacquiao.

“Mosley is managed by Golden Boy who for the purposes of this event at least, represents Mayweather as well,” wrote William Detloff in The Ring Magazine, which by the way, Golden Boy owns. “A win by Mosley is not necessarily the preferred outcome. If he were 24 or 25 or even 30, it surely would be but it’s hard to build a substantive growth plan for a 38-year-old fighter. A promotional company needs young fighters. Mayweather is unquestionably a pain in Schaefer’s neck – he made Schaefer sweat a long time before signing the contract – but at 33, he presumably has more big fights down the road than does Mosley. That makes a win by Mosley, if not bad news for Golden Boy, then at least not the best news.”

* * * *

The scuttlebutt is Mayweather will bankroll between $15 to 20 million for the Mosley fight. That’s no loose change for a tune-up. The future, of course, is where his heart is because that’s where he hopes to line his pockets. If Mayweather plays his cards right and beats Mosley, he’ll be looking at a $40 million paycheck in a battle against Pacquiao. For a fighter who owes the Internal Revenue Service a few millions and likes to live lavishly, Mayweather could certainly use a couple of juicy paydays.

As for Mosley, Mayweather should be able to do what it takes to stay unbeaten – even if there’s a lucrative rematch clause in their contract. It could be a boring match-up but that depends on how Mayweather intends to fight Mosley.

“A lot depends on whether Mayweather tries to control the fight from a defensive stance or actually presses the action,” said Don Stradley in The Ring Magazine. “There have been times when Mayweather has fought aggressively but it’s usually been against opponents who are hopelessly outclassed. Mayweather sticks to his shell defense and pecks out the win. There’s a chance that Mayweather will do exactly that against Mosley. Still, just the fact that he’s taking on a tough veteran of his own size is encouraging.”

Source: philstar.com

Floyd Mayweather - Man of Revolution?

2010-04-27T16:49:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
by Peter Czymbor

When Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO's) meets Shane Mosley this Saturday in Las Vegas (46-5, 39 KO's), he won't be vying for the WBA welterweight title despite Mosley being that organizations defending champion.

"Belts don't do nothing but collect dust", Mayweather has repeatedly said in the build up to Saturday's fight. Floyd should know, he's won at least ten different belts during his illustrious 13 year career.

The man who calls himself "Money" apparently doesn't want to pony up the cash to pay a "sanctioning fee" to the WBA for the right to fight for their welterweight title. Can you blame him?

Sanctioning bodies generally take 3% of a fighters purse in title fights as a sanctioning fee. Sometimes when the fight is financially massive ala the way all recent Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fights have been, a deal is arranged between the fighters handlers and the sanctioning body for the fee to be less than 3% but still lucrative. It's more of a way for members of the alphabet soup (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO) to make money than anything else, despite the fact that all four claim to be nonprofit firms.

Forgetting how stupid it is for a moment for four different organizations to be handing out belts to four separate "champions of the world" in a single weight division, how stupid is it that a guy can beat a world champion in a 12 round fight in his respective weight division and not be considered a world champion?

If Mayweather beats Mosley Saturday night, the consensus wisdom is that the WBA will vacate their title and allow two other fighters to compete for their belt...whatever it'll be worth by then.

But don't think that semi sane logic will prevail in a world of extreme illogic every time. The sanctioning bodies can be a nutty bunch. Case and point: the IBF welterweight title in 2006.

At that time, Carlos Baldomir stunningly upset then defending IBF / WBA / WBC unified welterweight champion Zab Judah. However, following his victory only the WBC recognized his title win. The reason? Baldomir only paid the WBC sanctioning fee as he did not have enough money within his purse to leave a fair amount for himself had he paid fee's to all the organizations. At that point, the WBA upgraded "regular" welterweight champion Luis Collazzo to be its full champion (The WBA has yet another insane practice of often awarding two different "world title" belts to two different "world champions" in a single division). The IBF however, allowed Judah to keep his belt despite losing a title fight.

Mayweather should remember this well. He's the one who eventually defeated Judah for that trinket. At the time, he defended the IBF title as being legitimate. Now it seems he's singing a different tune.

This will be the second consecutive fight Mayweather has opted not to pay a sanctioning fee to an organization wanting to out a belt on the line. Against Juan Manuel Marquez, he declined the WBC's offer to fight for the newly created WBC Diamond Championship, a loosely defined belt that thankfully people haven't really recognized much.

So now that Mayweather, amongst the best two fighters in the sport pound for pound according to everyone's list, has decided to disregard fighting for championships that you have to pay to compete for, will other fighters follow suit?

If so, perhaps Mayweather along with being brash, arrogant and skilled can be deemed a man of revolution for sticking to his convictions. Like it or not.

Source: 8countnews.com

WILL MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY BE A CAREER-DEFINING FIGHT?

2010-04-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By John Herndon | April 27, 2010

Below are my twelve greatest career-defining fights. I am only ranking fights I was able to see live as there is a big difference when you can actually view the fight live as it happens as opposed to watching the legendary archives of the past on DVD. Will the long-awaited clash between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley join this list? This weekend, in less than 6 days, we'll soon find out.

SUGAR RAY LEONARD VS. TOMMY HEARNS

This showdown at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada between WBC welterweight champ Leonard and the undefeated Hearns, owner of the WBA crown, ebbed and flowed as first Hearns, then Leonard and then Hearns again held the lead. Told after the 12th by cornerman Angelo Dundee that he was blowing it, Leonard exploded in the 13th, knocking Hearns through the ropes and finishing him off in the 14th.

AARON PRYOR VS. ALEXIS ARGUELLO

Alexis Arguello, who had held the featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight crowns, was seeking to become the first four-division titlist against the 140-pound champ, Aaron Pryor. In a brutal, nonstop bout at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Aaron Pryor applied constant pressure and, after taking tremendous shots from Arguello, prevailed with an electrifying 14th-round TKO.

MARVIN HAGLER VS. TOMMY HEARNS

Eight minutes of fury in a parking lot at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas was aptly dubbed "The War." The two middleweight champions fought toe-to-toe from the opening bell, throwing nothing but power punches. Bleeding from a nasty cut on his forehead, the desperate Hagler scored a third-round KO.

The Ring called the fight the most electrifying 8 minutes ever and it won Fight of the Year in 1985, despite lasting only three rounds.

DIEGO CORRALES VS. JOSE LUIS CASTILLO

On May 7, 2005, Diego Corrales waged war against José Luis Castillo for the WBC lightweight title. To this day, I consider it the best fight I have ever seen. Both men stood in front of each other, trading hard combinations and power punches throughout the entire fight and displayed courage, will and desire. Finally, in the tenth round, Castillo knocked Corrales down. Seconds later, Castillo knocked Corrales down again. Once on the ground, Corrales managed to beat the count, and, after a point was taken away for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece, Corrales connected with a punch that Castillo later called "a perfect right hand." Corrales then trapped Castillo against the ropes and landed numerous punches, causing the referee, Tony Weeks, to stop the fight.

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ VS. MELDRICK TAYLOR

Going into the final round, Taylor held a secure lead on the scorecards of two of the three judges (Dave Moretti and Jerry Roth had the score 107-102 and 108-101 respectively for Taylor, while Chuck Giampa had Chávez ahead 105-104). The sense for everyone watching was that Chávez would have to knock Taylor out to claim a victory, whereas Taylor merely needed to stay away from the Mexican legend. However, in a strange scene between rounds, Taylor's trainer, Lou Duva, told him that he needed to win the final round and, as a result, Taylor did not stay away, but continued to trade blows with Chávez. Taylor showed signs of extreme exhaustion, staggering and wobbling around the ring, and at one point falling to the canvas after missing Chávez with a wild left. Still, every tick of the clock brought Taylor closer to victory...until Chávez turned the tables.

With about a minute left in the round, Chávez hit Taylor squarely with several hard punches and Taylor responded by mockingly feigning weakness, but Chávez was not convinced by Taylor's bravado and stayed on the attack, continuing to hit Taylor with well-placed shots. Finally, with about 20 seconds to go, Taylor staggered towards a corner, forcing Chávez back ahead of him. Suddenly Chávez stepped around him, positioning Taylor perfectly so that he was trapped in the corner with nowhere to go. Chávez then nailed Taylor with a tremendous right hand that dropped the younger man. Taylor managed to return to his feet and was given the mandatory 8-count. Referee Richard Steel asked Taylor twice if he was alright, but Taylor failed to answer. Steele then concluded that Taylor was unfit to continue and in a controversial move, stopped the fight with only 2 seconds to go in the bout and scoring a TKO victory in favor of Chávez.

On May 15, 2009, Taylor released a book titled "Two Seconds From Glory" detailing the fight with Julio Cesar Chavez along with other controversial subjects.

ANTONIO BARRERA VS ERIK MORALES I

The first bout took place on February 19, 2000, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas and was televised on HBO. After a tight-fought battle, Morales was declared the winner by a split decision, with scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 113-114 and captured the WBO Super Bantamweight title. The decision was controversial as many felt Barrera, scoring the only knockdown of the fight (in the 12th round), put him ahead on the scorecards. This bout was named as Ring Magazine's Fight of the Year for 2000.

FÉLIX TRINIDAD VS FERNANDO VARGAS

Trinidad knocked down Vargas twice in the first round and three times in the final round to win by TKO. After being stunned in the first two rounds, Vargas roared back and knocked down Trinidad in the fourth round. After an exciting fight with numerous low-blow fouls from both Trinidad and Vargas, the Puerto Rican knocked Vargas down three times in the twelfth round for a technical knockout victory. With the win, Trinidad retained his WBA super welterweight title and captured Vargas' IBF junior middleweight title.

BERNARD HOPKINS VS. FELIX TRINIDAD

The fight was dubbed "AND THEN THERE WAS ONE", and the fight was for all three titles in the chance to become the first undisputed middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler. The bout would also determine The Ring middleweight champion.

For the first time in many years, Hopkins was an underdog in the betting, which led the confident Hopkins to place a $1,000,000 bet on himself to win the bout. During the promotion for the bout, Hopkins caused huge controversy by throwing the Puerto Rico flag on the floor in press conferences in both New York and Puerto Rico, the latter conference leading to a riot in which Hopkins had to be run to safety from an angry mob.

During the fight, Hopkins was on his way to a lopsided decision victory when, in the 12th and final round, he floored Trinidad. Referee Steve Smoger called a halt to the fight after Trinidad's father entered the ring to stop the bout. It was the first loss of Trinidad's career and it made Hopkins the first undisputed world middleweight champion since Marvin Hagler in 1987. The Ring magazine and the World Boxing Hall of Fame named Hopkins as the 2001 Fighter of the Year.

ISRAEL VÁZQUEZ VS RAFAEL MÁRQUEZ I, II and III

Márquez moved up in weight divisions to challenge and defeat WBC Superbantmweight champion Israel Vázquez in seven rounds. However, in a rematch on July, 2007, Márquez lost his title after being defeated by Vazquez in the sixth round when the referee stopped the fight. The rematch was named the 2007 Fight of the Year. In the rubbermatch of their trilogy, Rafael lost a split decision, with scores of 113-112, 114-111 Vazquez, 114-111 Marquez. Marquez may not have lost this bout if not for a point deduction for a low blow in the tenth round. He and promoter Gary Shaw claim that this hit was on the belt line and should not have elicited any deductions. Marquez was able to knock Vazquez down for the first time in the trilogy in this third fight, but Vazquez, in turn, put Marquez down in the 12th round, securing the victory and giving Marquez his fifth defeat.

EVANDER HOLYFIELD VS MIKE TYSON

By the 10th round, Holyfield's strategy seemed to have Tyson confused. His flurries were less frequent and he, not the 34-year-old Holyfield, appeared tired. At the end of the round, Holyfield had Tyson in trouble, landing a four-punch combination topped with a snapping overhand right. The 10th has proven to be Tyson's most troublesome round; Buster Douglas also floored him in the 10th in Tyson's first loss in 1990. This time, Tyson managed to make it to the 11th…barely. Holyfield started the 11th quickly, flinging left and rights and catching Tyson each time. Late in the flurry, Tyson pawed with a left that failed to make Holyfield flinch, and by the time Holyfield landed punch number 12 in the series, Halpern had seen enough. "It would have been unjust to let it go on," Halpern said. "He had taken a lot of punches and wasn't fighting back."

Mike Tyson, not fighting back? It might be the biggest surprise of all.

Don King and Mike Tyson's managers say the ex-heavyweight champ was "lulled" by reports of Evander Holyfield's demise.

Source: fighthype.com

Top 5 Shane Mosley performances…

2010-04-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Robert Przybylo

We’ve made it to fight week for Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley…finally. In preparation for this bout, the rest of the week on the blog will be Mayweather-Mosley crazy (except for Thursday with Bellator).

I want to start off with looking at the five best performances of Sugar Shane Mosley’s career, not an easy thing to do for the Pomona, Calif., resident.

Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs)

5. Mosley KO 10 Wilfredo Rivera (Sept. 25, 1999)
This was Mosley’s first fight at welterweight. After dominating the lightweight division, Mosley was ready to move on to bigger and better things.

But after eight and a half rounds against Rivera, you were beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision. But toward the end of the ninth, Mosley showed their determination that has marked his entire career and summoned up the energy, badly hurting Rivera.

In the 10th, ‘like a true warrior’ as Mosley always says, he put on the pressure. He was ahead on the scorecards but wanted to make a statement (especially since it was a week after the Tito Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya fight).

Finally in the last minute, Mosley dropped Rivera and scored the knockout with less than 30 seconds left in the bout.

4. Miguel Cotto W 12 Mosley (Nov. 10, 2007)
Why does a loss make the list? Because deep down (after several viewings), I still don’t believe Mosley lost this bout. And going in, it was supposed to be not exactly a passing of the torch moment, but it was a fight meant to showcase Cotto as the future of the sport.

But as Mosley always does, he didn’t back away from the fight and forced us to see a little into what Cotto is made of.

Cotto fought back and showed his warrior spirit, but I still feel Mosley did enough to at least earn a draw. Guess that’s an argument for another day.

3. Mosley KO 6 Fernando Vargas (July 15, 2006)
The fight that made me believe Sugar still had some sweetness in him. Mosley had defeated Vargas by TKO in the 10th round five months before.

However, that bout was close and swelling around Vargas’ eye was the reason for the damage.

But in this bout, Mosley looked fresh and had that speed back. Or as he has said throughout his career ‘powerboxing.’

One magnificent left hook in the sixth round put Mosley back on the main stage and signified the end of Vargas as an elite boxer.

2. Mosley TKO 9 Antonio Margarito (Jan. 24, 2009)
Now this was supposed to the coronation of Margarito as THE man in the sport, but Mosley had other ideas. This, of course, was also the bout where Naazim Richardson found the plaster of paris-like substance in Margarito’s handwraps.

Mosley battered Margarito from pillar to post in this one, using his handspeed to frustrate Margarito all night.

Margarito, known for his chin, was dropped by Mosley and a barrage of punches led to this one be halted in the ninth round in a huge upset.

Mosley was back on top. Unfortunately, Mosley has not fought since this bout, so who knows what those 16 months have done to him?

1. Mosley W 12 Oscar De La Hoya (June 17, 2000)
The fight that made Mosley a household name instead of just a boxing name. This was De La Hoya’s chance to erase the ending to the Trinidad fight. A jam-packed Staples Center got to see a modern day classic on this night.

And Oscar definitely held the early advantage in this bout. But Mosley’s right hand started to make an imprint, especially in round nine.

Then came the 12th round when Mosley was too fast, too strong, had too much will and pulled it out in an electrifying final three minutes to earn his first welterweight title.

You knew that Mosley was always going to belong in primetime and PPV and that continues today.

Wednesday: Floyd Mayweather’s five best performances.

Source: blog.newsok.com

Who R U picking?

2010-04-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
The 12-round welterweight bout between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley on Sunday, May 2 (Manila time), could not have picked a better title than "Who R U picking?" Considering their standing in the boxing world and what they bring to the ring, a fan/observer should either be for "Money," or for "Sugar," no gray area.

While both fighters have established themselves as flamboyant stars in the boxing ring, there is no denying that Mayweather, 33, and Mosley, 38, are different from each other. Whether it is in their style or how they have built there respective careers, that two are their own man. Which is why their fight this weekend has engaging written all over it, never mind if it is an offshoot of the botched Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight of the decade that the entire world was hoping to see.

Being the younger fighter and boasting an unblemished record in 40 fights so far, Mayweather has been tagged a 9-2 favorite over his opponent. Money’s defensive skills have been well documented all throughout his 14-year career and so does his great adaptability when he is in the ring which has allowed him to come out on top. He may talk a lot but he backs it up with action and boxing intelligence as well. His speed and stamina are topnotch and will surely come in handy against Sugar.

Despite being tagged as the underdog, people should know better than ruling out Mosley for he is legit as it gets. His record (46-5, 39 knockouts) in 16 years of fighting is not something to sneeze at. He is very much battle-tested in his weight class, possessing much power in his punches. Mosley basks in the big fights and very much primed for this one.

Zeroing in on their fight, six-time champion Mayweather may find Mosley as one of his tougher battles, if not the toughest, to date. Mosley is taller than him at 5’9" (to Mayweather’s 5’7 1/2") and has the longer reach, 74 to 72. While such disadvantages are not totally alien to Mayweather, still they have the potential to be a handful.

Mosley has the power which he unleashes in a barrage of punches and a strong chin to stand his ground, which could only make Mayweather use his speed and defensive sets double the time.

But the thing about Mosley is that he has established a reputation of being a slow starter, and a tendency to fizzle out in the end (lately), which could go directly to Mayweather’s alley and in turn use them to his advantage. Mayweather is at his best when he gets to dictate the tempo of the fight. Mosley must find a way to balance things out -- take the fight to Mayweather early while at the same time leaving something in the tank to carry him for the long haul -- lest he find himself in Mayweather’s game.

So with all these dynamics and more going into Mayweather-Mosley on Sunday, one just has to pick where to go. Mo’ Money or mo’ Sugar? Offense or defense? Speed or power? Puncher or Defender? No neutral ground. Who R U picking?

SolarTV and Solar Sports, along with GMA-7, will air Mayweather-Mosley: Who R U Picking? on Sunday, May 2. Check your TV listings for schedule.

Source: bworldonline.com

MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

2010-04-27T04:06:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By John Herndon | April 26, 2010

There have been many great fighters and the conventional wisdom is that every great fighter has had a career-defining fight; a fight in which he has had to dig deep and search in that secret place within his soul to prevail against another great fighter of equal skill and will…to be placed in history…to be considered one of the boxing immortals. On Saturday night, the moment of truth will find Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley having a more common goal with each other than anyone else in the world: to purposefully inflict bodily harm on their opponent before he can do the same.

It has been said that you cannot hide who you are inside the ring, for boxing is the ultimate truth. You can only prepare for what lies ahead. The fire has been stoked after months of pain, suffering and sacrifice. Ten years they have waited to embrace this moment. They will look across the ring and wait for the bell to ring and embrace the moment of truth, to ask questions of each other and wait to see if either can answer them. They will try imposing their skill and tear away the will of the other man.

For Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley, the moment of truth to cement their legacy by defeating another great fighter is looming.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives." -Robert South

Source: fighthype.com

MAYWEATHER FACES MOSLEY BUT TAKES ANOTHER SWIPE AT PACQUIAO

2010-04-27T04:05:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 27 Apr 2010

Floyd Mayweather Jr (40-0, 25 KO’s) faces Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KO’s) in a welterweight bout that could well be his stiffest test of his career the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday (Manila Time) with the showdown being telecast by Solar Sports in the Philippines and ABS-CBN over The Filipino Channel in the middle east.

Rather than concentrate on Mosley, Mayweather couldn’t help but talk about his own legacy and claiming that while such greats as Sugar Ray Robinson was “one hell of a fighter, Floyd Mayweather is the best” at the same time questioning Pacquiao’s selection as the “Fighter of the Decade” by the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America where the pound-for-pound king routed Mayweather by an overwhelming margin of over 2 to 1 in the boxing writers votes.

Most ringside experts regard Pacquiao as the world’s No. 1 but Mayweather continued his insinuations about Pacquiao’s skill and punching power and once again issued a challenge to the Filipino boxing hero to take the random drug tests which Mayweather insisted on, resulting in the collapse of talks for a Pacquiao-Mayweather megabuck super-fight.

Mayweather and his handlers led by Leonard Ellerbe suddenly brought up the issue of random drug tests to be conducted by the US Anti Doping Agency during the negotiations for a Pacquiao fight and demanded that the tests be conducted up to 14 days before the planned May 1 bout. Pacquiao agreed to the random drug tests and offered a 24 day cut-off and a test immediately after the fight in his dressing room which Mayweather rejected, resulting in the fight negotiations being called off.

Mayweather continued his tirade on the random drug tests insinuating that Pacquiao was reluctant to take the tests because he had something to hide. Mayweather insisted “All I'm saying, if you're a clean athlete, take your test. That's all I'm saying. That's all I've got to say. If you're a clean athlete, take the test.”

Mayweather also pushed the line that Pacquiao struggled twice against Juan Manuel Marquez even as he claimed “which we know he (Pacquiao) really lost, right? And we know he's been knocked out twice. He's been out-boxed by Eric Morales, but they still give him ‘Boxer of the Decade.’ So that's something I don't understand. He beat a Miguel Cotto who just got pummeled with a cast. So I mean, tell me what it really is.”

What Mayweather failed to mention was the fact that in the Morales fight Pacquiao suffered a nasty gash over his left eye due to an accidental head-butt which bled profusely and badly hampered his vision and that Pacquiao mauled Morales in the rematch and knocked the Mexican legend out in three rounds to end their trilogy.

In the first Marquez fight one of the judges who confessed to making a mistake by not scoring the first round in their initial encounter 10-7 after Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times helped Marquez salvage a draw while Pacquiao won the rematch by a split decision after he dropped Marquez one more time.

Mayweather who had previously claimed Pacquiao who pummeled Oscar De La Hoya into quitting after seven rounds and separated Ricky Hatton from his senses in a devastating 2nd round knockout got them out after he had battered and softened them up, failed to mention that he only won a decision over Marquez who had been knocked down four times in two fights by Pacquiao and was basically a finished and aging fighter when he faced Mayweather. Mayweather also failed to note that he was two pounds over the stipulated weight limit, refused to shed off the excess weight and instead paid a $600,000 penalty which gave him a huge advantage in size.

In the case of the knockouts, Pacquiao was a raw kid when he got decked by a lucky punch from bull-strong Rustico Torrecampo in only Pacquiao’s eleventh fight and his knockout against Medgoen Singsurat or 3K Battery happened after the Filipino starved for days to reduce weight but still failed to do so and was utterly exhausted and dehydrated when he entered the ring with some suspicion that the Thais had tampered with the scales.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

WHAT STATEMENT WILL MAYWEATHER MAKE IN HIS FIGHT AGAINST MOSLEY?

2010-04-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

By Jason Aniel
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 27 Apr 2010

San Francisco, CA—This biggest night in boxing in 2010, takes place May 1, 2010, when Welterweight titlist, Shane Mosley, takes on boxing superstar, Floyd Mayweather Jr., in a Welterweight clash. Momentum has been building since HBO’s 24/7 series began airing early April and the Promoters are expecting a historic night in Las Vegas. Mayweather will fight the biggest and toughest opponent he has ever faced at Welterweight. Mosley, riding off his impressive destruction of Antonio Margarito, will attempt to be the first fighter to ever beat Mayweather.

Mosley, at 38 years old, had his best performance in close to 7 years when he walked through Antonio Margarito to take the Welterweight title. However, that bout took place over 15 months ago and prior to that bout, Mosley faced a lot of questions on whether he is still an elite welterweight fighter. Remember, many believed Margarito would end the career of Shane Mosley and be the first stop of the fighter. Just prior to the Margarito win, it took Mosley 12 rounds to knockout the human punching bag, Ricardo Mayorga, and he faded late in a 12 round decision loss to Miguel Cotto in 2007.

Mosley needs to prove that the Margarito win was not a fluke and that he can remind the doubter of why he was the best pound for pound fighter in the world back in 2001.

For Mayweather, it’s business as usual as he will generate another monster PPV revenue and live gate at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Although his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez was not a complete sell out, it did generate over 1 million PPV buys, which is an astonishing number for such a mis-match on paper. His fight with Shane Mosley, on the other hand, is a legitimate welterweight bout against two of the top 3 welterweights in the world. That means even bigger PPV numbers and in the end, more money for “Money” Mayweather.

Breaking down the fight, it appears that the style match up favors Mayweather. In all of Shane Mosley’s defeats, he was simply out-boxed. The clearest evidence was his last lost against Miguel Cotto. When the two fighters brawled and went toe-to-toe, Mosley was getting the best out of Cotto. However, from the 7th round on, Cotto got on his bicycle and boxed Mosley from the outside. Mosley had no response to Cotto’s change of style and therefore lost the lead and fight by decision. Now, Shane takes on the best boxer and defensive fighter in the game in Mayweather. If Cotto can outbox Mosley, then there no question that Mayweather has the potential to box circles around Mosley.

However, an “X-Factor” in Mosley’s favor is his new trainer, Nazim Richardson. Richardson was the mastermind who guided Mosley in his upset victory over Margarito. He was also the one who caught Margarito’s trainer adding an illegal padding on Margarito’s handwraps. Richardson was also the trainer who forced Felix Trinidad to re-wrap his hands multiple times back in 2001 when his fighter, Bernard Hopkins, scored an upset victory over Trinidad. The strong-minded and very vocal Richardson has been the star of 24/7 because of his insights on the fight and his fighter.

Mosley promises to make Mayweather uncomfortable all night and force the defensive fighter into a street fight. That will be a tough task because no fighter has ever dictated the pace or tone of the fight against Mayweather. However, one of the biggest mis-conceptions of Floyd Mayweather is that he is solely a defensive fighter. I would argue that Mayweather’s offensive is just as good as his defensive. Mayweather displayed some devastating combinations in his fights against Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti. The problem is that Mayweather chooses stick defensive and not engage. That could be a product of moving up in weight and having a history of hurting his hands; or it could be no fighter has forced Mayweather to be offensive.

It will be Shane Mosley’s job to smartly force Mayweather to open up offensively and thus give Mosley openings to cause some real damage (whether that means he has to chase him or establish a solid jab all night). It would be great if Mayweather can open up and throw more combinations and make a statement by dominating Mosley over 12 rounds.

In any respect, this is another big night in boxing where the entire world will tune in and watch Mayweather and Mosley. The mainstream public will support the fight and all they want in return is simply a great fight, regardless of the outcome. History proves that both fighters can be exciting and provide great fights. But, like all of his fights, it’ll be up to Mayweather to determine if the event is worth the price or not.

I think on paper Mayweather should win the fight by decision. It could possibly be an easy win for Mayweather. Although Mosley is more than capable of pulling off the upset, the long layoff and the lack of success against counter-boxers will work against him. With that said, I’d love to be proven wrong and I won’t shed any tears should Mayweather lose, except for the fact that Manny Pacquiao’s 40 million dollar payday goes to waste.

FOLLOW THE FIGHT ON TWITTER

Philboxing.com will be covering the Mayweather-Mosley showdown live in Las Vegas. Along with fight updates on the site, follow my Twitter page for insights, tidbits, results, and pictures you can only give if you are there live. The site is www.twitter.com/sportnjordan

QUICK JABS

The Chris Arreola vs. Tomasz Adamek was the most exciting heavyweight fight in a long time. If anything, it clearly shows that the heavyweight division needs to get rid of the giant heavyweights, like the Klitschkos, in order to have much more compelling division to watch…There has been a movement to boycott the Mayweather fight in order to send a message to Mayweather, or to show support for Pacquiao. If there was a fight to boycott it should have been the Marquez fight, and that didn’t happen. There is no reason why any true fight fan should not tune in and watch this fight…Admittedly, should the fight score better numbers than Pacquiao-Cotto (1.25 million), then there’s nothing preventing Mayweather from not only insisting on blood testing but a bigger percentage in the pot in a potential fight against Manny Pacquiao.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Mayweather-Mosley fight could set pay-per-view mark

2010-04-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

Oscar De La Hoya might be the king of boxing pay-per-view, but Floyd Mayweather lives up to his nickname, "Money," by virtue of being the sport's all-time leader in average revenue generated per PPV fight.

In six PPV fights, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) has generated 5.5 million buys and $292 million in revenue, which averages out to about $48.6 million a fight, nearly $12 million more a fight than De La Hoya averaged in 19 PPV fights.

"It feels good to be the pay-per-view king as I have always believed in myself, and obviously a lot of other people do, too," Mayweather said Monday. "They keep coming back for more, and I am glad to give them what they want. I always try to entertain the fans, whether it's in the ring or with the things I say and do."

Mayweather's welterweight mega-fight Saturday against "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5-0, 39 KOs) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas (HBO PPV, 9 p.m. ET) is expected to threaten the pay-per-view record of 2.4 million buys set in Mayweather's fight with De La Hoya in December 2007.

MAYWEATHER-MOSLEY: Being opposites is big part of draw

Mark Taffet, HBO's senior vice president for pay-per-view, said Monday that Mayweather's popularity is twofold.

"Floyd has definitely crossed over from boxing to sports and now to entertainment," Taffet says. "He casts a wide net right now, well into the entertainment arena in attracting fans of all ages and ethnicities.

"In addition, Floyd's appeal as an entertainer comes at the same time that we are seeing an unprecedented explosion of digital and social media. It's the confluence of those two factors … taking Floyd to new heights."

Mayweather's two highest PPV fights were against Hispanic fighters: De La Hoya and last year vs. Juan Manuel Marquez, which had 1,060,000 buys.

Saturday's fight features two African-American fighters. Such a matchup had its greatest success in the heavyweight era of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. Taffet says Mayweather is leading a resurgence in the American boxing market.

"One of the main reasons that Mayweather-De La Hoya did a million buys more than De La Hoya's second-biggest fight ever was because of the buys that came out of the large urban centers of America," Taffet said. "Mayweather-Mosley is a classic showdown between two American superstars who collectively have appeared nearly 50 times on HBO during the past 15 years. American fans know these two men well. And they've been anticipating this matchup."

Mayweather's manager, Leonard Ellerbe, said Monday that this fight is important because it's a fight between two Americans.

"You haven't seen a fight of this magnitude (between two American fighters) in a number of years," Ellerbe said. "It's a fight the fans have wanted to see for quite some time.

"To Floyd's credit, he has been groomed from Day 1 to be a superstar. What separates him from any other fighter out there is that he does it his way. He's willing to jump out there and take the risks that no other fighter has done in a number of years. If he talks about something, he goes out and does it."

HBO's hit reality series, 24/7: Mayweather-Mosley, has reached a demographic that has been hard to reach for boxing.

"Specifically, younger males across all ethnic lines," Taffet said. "24/7 is the most successful show in the last 10 years of not only reaching new fans but connecting them intimately to the athletes."

Ellerbe says the image you see of "Money" Mayweather on 24/7 is a character.

"That doesn't depict who Floyd Mayweather is," Ellerbe said. "Floyd is just promoting his fights. He's just doing his job."

Ellerbe thinks the PPV record will fall Saturday. Will the fight live up to the hype?

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about," Ellerbe said. "Shane Mosley is going to come to fight. And we know Floyd is going to come to fight."

Ruiz hangs up gloves:

Former heavyweight champion John Ruiz is retiring.

The 38-year-old boxer said in a statement Monday that he's leaving after an 18-year career. He was the WBA champ two times and finished with a record of 44-9-1, including 30 knockouts.

Source: usatoday.com

MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY: WHO R U PICKING? POLL UPDATE

2010-04-27T03:59:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 27 Apr 2010

LOS ANGELES (April 26) - The polls on the internet asking "Who R U Picking?" for Mayweather vs. Mosley are producing very interesting results. With less than a week to go, the buzz has spread across all media platforms breaking the general boxing barriers and into mainstream sports, entertainment, political and many other sites. See what people are saying on who they think will be victorious on May 1 when Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley meet in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a mega-fight which will be produced and distributed live by HBO-Pay-Per-View® beginning at 6 p.m. PST/9 p.m. EST:

Sugar Shane Mosley picked up 3% of East Coast votes and 2% of West Coast votes since we last tallied. The data still points to Mayweather dominating the East Coast voting, while Mosley still has the West Coast fans on his side.

Mayweather Mosley

East Coast 59% 41%
West Coast 46% 54%

A more in depth look at the country's top cities shows that Floyd Mayweather increased votes in Houston, Dallas and Phoenix while Sugar Shane Mosley gained votes in the seven other cities that have been tracked:

Mayweather Mosley
Los Angeles 44% 56%
New York 54% 46%
DC 67% 33%
Miami 63% 37%
Chicago 58% 42%
Houston 49% 51%
San Francisco 41% 59%
Dallas 49% 51%
Atlanta 66% 34%
Phoenix 51% 49%

In the Male/Female breakdown, Floyd Mayweather gained a percentage point in both categories and now the women have the votes split dead even:

Mayweather Mosley
Male 54% 46%
Female 50% 50%

International polls are favoring Sugar Shane Mosley:

Mayweather Mosley
Canada 42% 58%
Non US 48% 52%

Results have been derived from online polls currently running on:

CNN
USA Today
ESPN
People
Spike
Entertainment Weekly
Univision
Whorupicking.com

# # #

Mayweather vs. Mosley: Who R U Picking? is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, DeWALT Tools and StubHub. The 12-round welterweight battle is set for Saturday, May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $1,250, $1,000, $600, $300 and $150 not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Seven of the MGM MIRAGE properties will host closed circuit viewing of Mayweather vs. Mosley. Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts at all venues are priced at $50, not including applicable service charges and handling fees, go on sale today. All seats will be general admission and will be available at each individual property's box office outlets and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, or visit www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to 20 per person.

The finale of HBO®'s all-access reality series "24/7 Mayweather/Mosley" debuts Friday, Apr. 30 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes one thru three are available on HBO ON DEMAND®. All four episodes will air consecutively on Saturday, May 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT on the main HBO service.

The Mayweather vs. Mosley pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Mosley fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Mosley keeps clear head amid chaos

2010-04-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Kevin Iole

LAS VEGAS – Hardly a day goes by in which Shane Mosley’s current nemesis, Victor Conte, doesn’t release some piece of derogatory information to the media.

Conte is the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative and in 2003, he provided Mosley with two anabolic steroids as well as erythropoietin (EPO) as Mosley was preparing for a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.

Though he passed the post-fight drug test administered to him after that fight by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Mosley later admitted to a federal grand jury that he had used EPO as well as the steroids that became known as “The Cream” and “The Clear.”

Mosley said Conte duped him and Conte insists Mosley knew full well what he was doing. Mosley has sued Conte for defamation of character.

As Mosley has prepared for his fight on Saturday with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, one of the biggest and most lucrative bouts in boxing history, Conte has flooded the media with information suggesting that Mosley was fully aware of what he was given in 2003.

Dealing with that mess is more than a full-time job, but it’s hardly Mosley’s only task these days.

He’s in the midst of a divorce from his wife, Jin, which could get extraordinarily nasty.

He’s been taunted, poked and prodded by just about every member of the Mayweather family, and his personal life has been put under the microscope by the media like few fighters since Mike Tyson.

In the midst of all of it, he has to prepare for the most significant bout of his life against arguably the most dominant fighter of his generation.

It would be a recipe for disaster for anyone except Shane Mosley.

Just days before the most anticipated bout of the year, Mosley is the epitome of calm.

If he loses, it won’t be because he was distracted by business dealings outside the ring.

“You have to understand the craziness that was going on around him in the days before his [Jan. 24, 2009] fight with [Antonio] Margarito,” said Judd Burstein, Mosley’s long-time lawyer and close friend. “What’s going on around him now is like a day at the spa compared to what was happening then.”

He had separated from his high-profile wife, who had taken over control of his career, in 2008. Jin Mosley is not the retiring type, as numerous boxing writers who ran afoul of her during her marriage to Shane would attest.

Fighters often speak of having to focus, but it was hard for Mosley to do that given the battles he was fighting with his wife.

“Anything Mayweather says is nothing compared to the things she said to me,” Mosley told the Los Angeles Times.

Mosley, though, put on one of the best performances of his career against Margarito, winning virtually every round before stopping Margarito in the ninth.

He’s one of those guys who lets pretty much everything slide off his back. Not too much affects him. His father said his easy-going nature comes naturally, and that it has aided in his boxing career by letting him focus all of his energies on the task at hand.

The entire Mayweather clan has taunted him mercilessly. Floyd Jr. has made fun of how Jin has controlled Shane’s career. He has taunted Mosley about what he says is a nose job and about Mosley’s new hairstyle.

Burstein said it’s pointless for Mayweather to continue because Mosley hears little of it and pays attention to none of it.

Jack Mosley advises his son to fire back occasionally, but concedes that it’s only for effect.

“You can respond to it because you don’t want something to go unanswered, like the president,” Jack Mosley said. “They advised him not to let stuff go unanswered, and so you’ve got to answer every charge, but you can do it in such a way where it’s classy. You don’t have to be derogatory and stuff like that.”

Mosley has never been one to concern himself too much with anything but boxing and preparing to box. The business deals haven’t gotten much of his interest or attention, though Burstein said that’s changed in recent times.

There’s no doubt, though, that Mosley would rather strap on his head gear, pull on his gloves and spar 12 rounds than sit in a board room discussing a business venture or face a pack of media with questions about his upcoming fight.

The ring has always been a refuge and it’s the one place where he goes where none of life’s problems can touch him. In that way, he’s very much like Mayweather.

“It’s something that’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember, just about,” Mosley said. “It’s what I love. It’s what I’ve always loved.”

In nearly every fight he’s fought, Mosley has been faster and, in all but a handful, he’s been stronger.

He’s a Hall of Famer on the day he’s eligible, even if he never wins again. And though he’s not the physical specimen at 38 that he was at 28 when he defeated De La Hoya and began his ascent to superstardom, he still believes deeply in his ability.

“He’s a great fighter, but I’m the best,” Mosley says proudly.

He has a lot of detractors. Mayweather is five years younger, perceived to be faster and better defensively.

Freddie Roach, who trains pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and is a four-time trainer of the year, is among the many who expect Mayweather to prevail.

Mayweather’s style isn’t a good match for Mosley, Roach said, and the 38-year-old gunslinger isn’t the same as he once was.

“Everybody talks about how Shane fought Margarito, but that was the perfect opponent and perfect execution,” Roach said. “Shane grew up in Los Angeles and he has always loved it when he fought a Mexican fighter and the guy attacked him and came after him. He was always at his best in fights like that.

“He’s had trouble with boxers and guys with speed. … I’m sure his age will show a bit in this fight, because that’s something we can’t get away from. We slow down when we get older. I give Shane a small chance of winning, but I think Mayweather will put on a very good, maybe a dominant performance.”

Mosley takes all of the comments in stride. He never berates one for having an opinion and he never lets an opinion change his belief in himself.

Burstein spent much of the day with him Saturday in Los Angeles and found him to be in a great state mentally, though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

“I was really pleased to see that he has exactly the same equanimity and clear head now that he had right before the Margarito fight,” Burstein said. “He’s completely calm. One of the things we’ve talked about is making sure this is a calm week. He said to me, ‘This is often the week fighters lose fights, by letting all the craziness and excitement get to them.’ He realizes it and he hasn’t been bothered one bit.

“All the Conte stuff, the divorce, Mayweather, none of it has had an impact on him at all. He’s as calm and as ready to fight as I have ever seen him.”

It’s about putting things in perspective, Mosley said. Mayweather likes to try and play mind games with his opponents, often with great success.

They’re successful because the opponents take them personally and wind up fighting with anger instead of fighting with their heads.

Few fighters have a more courageous spirit than Mosley, but he’s never fought on anger and he’s not about to now. He manages to laugh off just about all the barbs that the Mayweather clan has tossed his way because he believes it’s just an attempt to get him off his game.

He’s more fueled by making history, by defeating a man many believed couldn’t be beaten.

“It’s nothing personal,” Mosley said. “I know for me, it’s all business. This is business and this is a competitive sport. This is our legacy on who’s the best fighter. It’s a challenge. So it’s a challenge that I’m ready to take and I’m ready to go into the history books as being the guy to beat Floyd Mayweather and the guy that beats everybody out there, the last man standing. I’m into that.”

The fire has been what has helped turn him into a Hall of Fame fighter.

But his ability to turn off the distractions hasn’t hurt, either.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Talk of steroids gets to Mosley

2010-04-26T17:00:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
BY SANTOS A. PEREZ

As much as he tries to emphasize the present, Shane Mosley can't avoid a disturbing topic nearly a decade old.

Instead of talking only about his anticipated bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Mosley also has to deal with questions regarding his ties to the BALCO performance-enhancing drug scandal seven years ago. The San Francisco Bay-area lab was frequented by athletes, many whose careers later were stained by accusations or convictions.

Although Mosley never was formally accused of using steroids, the cloud hovers over his career -- still going strong at age 38. Mayweather has capitalized on the prefight media hype, repeatedly associating Mosley with performance-enhancing drugs.

The normally mild-mannered Mosley finally objected to a media member's question on steroids during a conference call last week.

``That's just a stupid question that you asked me, because I never did that stuff,'' Mosley said. ``I never was on it really like that. I've always been a clean fighter.''

BALCO head Victor Conte has said Mosley used performance-enhancing substances before Mosley's second fight against Oscar De La Hoya in September 2003. Mosley later sued Conte for defamation, and Conte recently posted on YouTube segments of Mosley's testimony that he knowingly ingested performance-enhancing drugs.

``I don't feel that I should be condemned for something that I never tested positive for and I just told of what happened, because the truth was brought to me by the federal people that took me [to] court, that brought me in as a witness.

``It's ridiculous now that the media wants to make me the poster boy of steroids when I don't even . . . whatever, if you guys want to continue to think that or put that out there, so be it.''

For Mosley, if the issue with the BALCO ties wasn't sufficient steroids fodder, he and Mayweather have undergone unannounced Olympic-style blood and urine tests before Saturday's fight.

``It hasn't bothered me at all -- everything has been great,'' Mosley said of the tests administered to both fighters by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. ``It's actually a good thing.''

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) said the steroid controversy and Mayweather's constant badgering on the subject have not affected his preparation for the bout.

``I know me not reacting to his antics or whatever, that's just me blocking all that stuff out and wanting to fight,'' Mosley said. ``I don't really care about the different things that are being said. ``What matters is the fight and what happens in the fight.''

WIN FOR ADAMEK

Late Saturday, Tomasz Adamek used quickness and effective combinations to win a majority decision over Cristobal Arreola in Ontario, Calif.

Arreola (28-2) cut Adamek's distance in the middle rounds and had him on the defensive with solid power shots. But Adamek (41-1), in his third fight at heavyweight after title stints at the light-heavyweight and cruiserweight divisions, increased his punch output in the final three rounds and stayed out of trouble.

Two judges scored the bout for Adamek, 117-111 and 115-113, overriding the third judge, who had it 114-114.

On the same card, junior middleweight Alfredo Angulo scored an 11th-round technical knockout over Miami resident Joel Julio. Angulo dropped Julio with a right to the head midway through the 11th and, although Julio beat the 10-count, referee Raul Caiz still sensed a groggy Julio and stopped the bout at 1:39 of the round.

SUPER SIX CLASSIC

Denmark's Mikkel Kessler won his first bout of the Super Six Boxing Classic with a unanimous decision over Carl Froch on Saturday in Froch's native England.

All three judges scored the bout for Kessler, 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. Kessler is now 1-1 with two points in the tournament featuring six super-middleweight fighters.

Source: miamiherald.com

Trainers' take: Age a deciding factor in Floyd Mayweather's fight against Shane Mosley

2010-04-26T16:55:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By David Mayo | The Grand Rapids Press

Mayo-column-mug.jpgLAS VEGAS -- Two boxing statesmen, both former world champions turned trainers, with a keen eye for the irreversible templates of the punch-for-pay game and the toll it takes, watch Floyd Mayweather intently. One has a vested interest in Saturday’s Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight. The other doesn’t.

Both think they see the same thing at play in the welterweight extravaganza, an experience they lived through during their own careers as active boxers.

Cornelius Boza Edwards and Roger Mayweather were world champions whose principal role in professional boxing was Hall of Fame gatekeeper, because almost anyone who beat them in their primes became an immediate candidate.

They also overstayed those primes and said Mosley, 38, is making the same mistake.

“There’s five years difference between them,” Boza Edwards said. “As we know, over the years, even with great fighters, one or two years could be huge.

“We always have this scenario. Fighting is a young man’s sport. In this fight, between Floyd and Shane, Floyd is the younger man. The reflexes aren’t the same. The quickness isn’t the same. And the other thing is, the last time Shane fought, was more than a year ago. So all those things are combined.”

Roger Mayweather trains his nephew and has an obvious bias. He also is an astute observer of boxing and a student of its history who considers Mosley a great fighter and surefire Hall of Famer, with dangerous power and a big heart.

But he also questions whether Mosley, after 52 pro fights and more than 250 amateur bouts, has enough to cope with the preeminent boxing artist of the past dozen years.

“As far as his ability, as far as his chin, everybody knows Shane Mosley is physically tough,” Roger Mayweather said. “But he had better than 200 amateur fights and nobody knows what he’s got left, until it gets to crunch time, and you find out how he responds. That’s the only way you really know.”

Boza Edwards, 54, and Roger Mayweather, 49, were stalwarts at junior lightweight and lightweight, the 130- and 135-pound classes, during the 1980s heyday of those divisions.

The Ugandan-born Boza Edwards won a world title at 130, and his 45-7 record was dotted with losses to six champions, including Alexis Arguello, Bobby Chacon and Hector Camacho. He also defeated Chacon and Rafael “Bazooka” Limon.

He went into decline after losing his title to Chacon in 1983, but didn’t quit. He won one of his last four fights, against a journeyman, and was outclassed by Camacho and knocked out in his final fight, in 1987, by Jose Luis Ramirez, who five months later became the first fighter to beat Pernell Whitaker.

He said he expects Mosley to be willing and prepared, all predicated on self-delusion.

“Great fighters have shown, over the course of history, that the mind can deceive you,” Boza Edwards said. “But once the bell rings, the reality sets in.”

Boza Edwards said he thinks Mosley’s aggression will work against him “and that’s where he’s going to make his mistake, I think, and Floyd’s going to take advantage of it and jump all over him.” He said he does not expect the fight to last the distance.

Roger Mayweather held world titles at 130 and 140 pounds and had three common opponents with Boza Edwards, although they never fought. His 59-13 record included seven losses in his last 25 bouts.

He was 38 when he last fought in 1999, seven years older than Boza Edwards was -- and more than six months younger than Mosley will be Saturday night.

“I know how good of a fighter Shane Mosley is. Remember, the guy I had beat him twice in the amateurs and twice in the pros,” he said, referring to the late Vernon Forrest, whom he used to train. “But in terms of that, when a guy’s been fighting that long, you don’t know what he’s got left on fight night. That’s when it’s going to show up."

Source: mlive.com

Shane Mosley says he's ready to unleash a mountain of trouble on Floyd Mayweather Jr.

2010-04-26T02:07:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley

By Lance Pugmire

Before a fight, Shane Mosley's ritual is to lock himself away from the world in his Big Bear Lake training compound.

"You have to drive all the way up here to have something to say and then I have to agree to let you in," Mosley said recently at Big Bear. "I'm up here because boxing is a mental game."

The WBA welterweight champion on Saturday faces his stiffest challenge yet in taking on unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas.

Mosley is 38 and hasn't fought since a stirring technical-knockout win over Antonio Margarito in January 2009, and oddsmakers peg Mayweather as a 9-2 favorite. Mosley ignores it all.

"The boxing game is right here," Mosley said, pointing to his right temple. "Getting ready for a fight means going to war. This is the hurt business. I can't accept a thought like, ‘This might be my last fight,' or ‘I'm getting old.' "

Before the Margarito fight, Mosley heard the same concerns. He and trainer Naazim Richardson kept saying, "Don't de-fang the monster after we beat him." Then, Mosley pounded Margarito until the fight was stopped in the ninth round.

"Shutting down naysayers, I love that," Mosley said. "That's why Margarito got what he did. This is why I chose boxing. It's a one-on-one sport, and I've always believed no one can beat me one on one when I do the right things."

Mayweather, 33, "is a great fighter," Mosley added. "I'm the best in the world."

Why is Mosley so confident? One reason is Richardson, who has often formulated strategies to beat foes who appeared unstoppable. The trainer orchestrated Bernard Hopkins' upset of then-unbeaten middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in 2008. And he devised Mosley's game plan against Margarito. Richardson also spotted the plaster-of-Paris inserts confiscated from Margarito's hand wraps before their bout.

"I'm very confident," Richardson said. "Shane prepares like a gladiator going to war. . . . I feel if we present the very best Shane Mosley, we win the [Mayweather] fight."

Richardson's main concern for Mosley is ring rust. After beating Margarito, Mosley hoped to quickly fight Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao. It didn't happen. So Mosley accepted a title unification bout against Andre Berto scheduled for January. But Berto backed out over concerns about his family in Haiti after the devastating earthquake there.

Around then, the Mayweather-Pacquiao mega-fight collapsed after Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style drug tests. So Mosley stepped into the void and accepted the strict drug-testing procedures to fight Mayweather, years after Mosley's own involvement with performance-enhancing drugs.

Mosley, before his rematch win over Oscar De La Hoya in 2003, worked with Victor Conte, founder of the infamous steroid-distributing Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO). Conte and Mosley's ex-trainer Darryl Hudson say the fighter took designer steroids and the oxygen-boosting drug EPO. Mosley said he believed he was injecting legal vitamins, and taking EPO. Conte has publicly called Mosley a liar and Mosley has sued for defamation.

For the Mayweather bout, Mosley has followed the drug testing conducted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. "I have to write an e-mail telling [testers] if I want to go somewhere," Mosley said.

"I actually think this is working to my favor. . . . [Mayweather] likes to go out to clubs until 2, 3 in the morning. I'm not sure he wants USADA there. Me? You know where I'm at. I'm here in Big Bear."

Indeed, Mosley is a gym rat who plays basketball and snowboards outside training and religiously works out.

"I don't care about how fast [Mayweather] is or how good his defense is," Mosley said. "I'm a boxer, a puncher. I can move. I can knock you out with both hands."

Those close to Mosley say he has the same mind-set going into this fight that he did before his first win over De La Hoya in 2000.

Soon after that breakthrough victory, Mosley fell in love with a woman he married, Jin, and they had three children. She also served as his business manager. But the burden of that pairing took a toll. The two are getting divorced. Friends of the boxer say the marriage became a toxic situation that visibly distracted Mosley and, under California's community property laws, he faces a costly divorce.

"Anything Mayweather says is nothing compared to the things she said to me," Mosley said of his wife. The pair separated in 2008.

"Look at the timeline," Mosley said, referring to his marriage. "When I was losing. When I was ready to retire. When people said I was washed up. . . ."

Mosley said more about his wife but didn't want it to be published, so he reached into a reporter's notebook, tore out a page and tossed it in a trash can.

"Now, I feel great," Mosley said. "I'm ready to fight."

Attempts to reach Jin Mosley for comment were unsuccessful.

The divorce "is like a huge cloud has been lifted," said Mosley's attorney Judd Burstein. "In the Margarito fight, you saw his freedom from the craziness."

Richardson, Mosley's trainer, also feels confident about the Mayweather fight.

"I have a guy who's about not taking prisoners, who wants to leave his opponents lying on the battlefield," Richardson said.

"So now I'm telling everyone I know Mayweather is the best of all time. Better than Ali. Better than Frazier. The best that God has ever molded. But if he's the greatest of all time and we knock him on his back, what's that make Shane?"

Source: latimes.com

Manny Pacquiao can do to Floyd Mayweather what Shane Mosley won't

2010-04-26T02:05:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Boxing Examiner | Michael Marley

Handicapping the Sugar Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather Jr. is child's play, really.

A kid lurching around the sandbox could figure that the smart play is to bet the younger, much faster guy.

A kindergarten student might know, to draw on college and pro football parlance, that a merely good offense will not beat a nonpareil defense.

If you can't score, if you can't punch the ball over the goal line, then you won't be lighting up the scorecard.

Mosley will score no touchdowns against the mercury like swift feet and rolling shoulders of Mayweather next Saturday night in Lost Wages.

The way I see it, albeit in a blurry manner having just survived the wet and wild New Orleans Jazzfest, Mosley won't even be kicking any field goals.

Instead, he will be swinging and swatting like a man deep in the woods who forgot to cover himself with mosquito repellent.

Bookies make Mayweather a big 9-2 betting favorite. Such a line is not posted for anyone's amusement.

I know I'm mixing metaphors here the way they mix Ramos Gin Fizzes and Sazeracs in the adult playground that is New Orleans (not to mention the slushy but jest right frozen dacquiris) but I'm not going to slip and fall as the big fight runup picks up the pace.

I refuse to drink the Mosley Kool Aid.

I remain steadfast in stating the only Man-ny on the planet who has the will, the skill and the unorthodox offense to beat Mayweather is a guy slightly younger than he is.

In fact, Pacquiao is the only Man-ny on the planet who can either outpoint or KO whirling dervish and Scarlet Pimpernel combination Mayweather.

Pacquiao can cripple the shoulder roll, make those come to a sudden stop.

Pacquiao can hurt Mayweather.

Pacquiao may make Mayweather quit, wave the white flag.

Pacquiao even has the firepower to knock Mayweather into the same location that Messrs. de la Hoya and Hatton went, into permanent retirement.

We may add that as a boxing category, alongside KTFO, getting KIPR or Knocked Into Permanent Retirement.

I've no axe to grind against Mosley or for Mayweather, you know that.

In the League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Mosley belongs. He's also a Hall Of Fame stature fighter and his career speaks for itself. The BALCO steroid escapades are a minor blemish on his siny resume, really.

But Mayweather waited until Mosley was 38 and a step or two slower than he was in younger years.

Stepping to and slamming the mainly immobile Antonio Margarito was a big achievement but now he is fighting Margo's polar opposite.

Mayweather will win this fight going away and I mean that literally.

He will always be going away from Mosley and away from danger.

The frustration level will be extremely high from the first round to the last round.

A 12 frame shutout is a genuine possibility.

Again, I like and respect Mosley. Away from the ring, he's fired managers, promoters, trainers, cutmen and had a divorce.

But Mosley has handled such breakups, including canning his own father twice, in a discreet and take the high road manner.

That counts for something in measuring Mosley the man.

But Mosley the fighter at this point?

His chances are slim and none and slim is out of town.

Slim was last seen at the airport or the Amtrak railroad station, one or the other.

Mayweather's dipping and dancing will be too much for Mosley to handle.

You think Mosley can win?

You must be that optimistic guy who entered a Mini-Cooper in the Indianapolis 500.
I know you.

Have a nice crash.

Source: Examiner.com

HBO 24/7 part 3 – Examining some of Mayweather Jr’s comments like ‘I’m from a family of hustlers’

2010-04-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Fight Sports Examiner | Rick Rockwell

The third installment of HBO 24/7 has come and gone. And like the first two, Mayweather Jr provided the entertainment, fireworks, and insanity that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from ‘Money May’. Once again, Floyd took Shane, and everyone else in boxing, to “Trash-talking 101”. Let’s examine some of “Pretty Boy” Floyd’s comments.

“Shane thinking about the fight; I’m thinking about the check. He thinking about hitting me with his power, his hard power, but we already know his a*s already hit the deck. Vernon Forrest fu*ked you up! Winky Wright fu*ked you up! Miguel Cotto f*cked you up! Money Mayweather, I’m a fu*k you up some more!”

What a surprise, Mayweather is thinking about the money. Floyd needs to make sure he’s not thinking too much about the “check” because it could cost him. If he’s too distracted, Mosley could catch him with one of those “hard power” punches that Floyd’s alluded to.

I think we can make a slogan out of Floyd’s line here:

“Shane thinking about the fight; I’m thinking about the check.
He thinking about hitting me with his power, his hard power, but we already know his a*s already hit the deck.”

Is it me or does this sound like Mayweather spent some time thinking of this rhyme?

“I’m from a family of hustlers. My father was a hustler, so the only thing I always knew was cash. What is there else to talk about? What else we need to talk about?”

Jeff Goldstein Sacramento Ca “Why does Floyd Jr always talk about money?”

Well, this could be one of the most honest things Mayweather Jr just said. I wish I had this quote for my previous article: The Mayweathers are ‘One big, old, dysfunctional, crazy family’. But, are they good for Boxing?

However, if “Money May” really wants to know what else there is to talk about, he doesn’t have to look any further than his “arch nemesis” Manny Pacquiao. The PacMan openly talks about God, the fans, the sport of boxing, helping others, poverty, and politics.

“Everybody know you got a birth date and you got a death date, so, you know, while you’re here, you know, you live life to the fullest and just be thankful for everything that you got and if you can turn any situation into a positive situation, that’s what you should do.”

Mayweather vs Mosley
In all honesty, this is some “deep” stuff here. I truly wish I could believe Mayweather’s sincerity. But, even if these words are “hollow”, you should live life to the fullest. Be thankful for what you have and the relationships you have. And, when in doubt, do the opposite of what the Mayweathers do. (sarcasm)

“Shane wants to be me. He wants to live in this lavish house. He wan’t to be fly like me, drive fly cars, have pretty watches, hang in Dubai. Like I told Shane, we’ll get you a job. You know, I’ll let you hold my feets while I’m doing sit-ups. Something like that. You’re a*s is mine, boy”

There are a lot of people out there who do want to live the lifestyle of “Money May”. Unfortunately in America, this lifestyle has been branded as “The American Dream”. However, I really doubt Shane Mosley wants to be like Floyd Jr. If anything, Shane can go back to doing commentary on fights if he needed a job like Floyd says he does.

Source: Examiner.com

“Money, Bragging rights, or is it, just the timing is right”

2010-04-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Gary Todd
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 25 Apr 2010

1st of May, M.G.M. Grand, Las Vegas.

When Shane Mosley stepped through the ropes to ruin Floyd Mayweather’s post fight celebrations, on the night of his comeback fight against Juan Manual Marquez, did he think he would say enough to entice Mayweather into a showdown, sometime down the track? I would say no. No doubt, Mayweather was pissed, but he would get over it. Anyways, he had come back to fight Pacquaio, not Mosley. It was all about the Filipino, the fight, his own legacy, and the millions he could make along the way.

With the Pacquaio fight on hold, who else could he fight? Margarito, Cotto?

Mosley was like a mosquito, who bit in to him, which gave him, an itch he had to scratch.

At 39 years old, Mosley has done it all, with massive fights against Oscar De La Hoya, in 2000, and 2003, he has won multiple world championships in 3 weight divisions. He was a boxing superstar. Shane Mosley [Won 46. Lost 5. with 39 wins by way of ko.] He has had a great career.

When Mosley stepped through the ropes to sting Mayweather, he looked like a desperate man. A man with no place to go. He couldn’t fight Margarito, or Cotto.

Since 2000, after the De La Hoya fight, at welterweight, Mosley has lost in big fights to Vernon Forest, and Winky Wright, and Miguel Cotto, and he has beaten De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, Luiz Collazo, Ricardo Mayorga, and Antonio Margarito in his last outing in January, 2009.

When I watched him in New York against Cotto, I thought I saw him grow old in the ring that night, and I hoped he would retire.

Cotto beat him up to the body and won the fight with his jab.

As Mosley was recuperating from the Cotto fight, Mayweather had taken Ricky Hatton to school, with an unbelievable display of power and punching perfection, knocking him from pillar to post in the 10th round.

After 39 fights, and dominating in every weight division since 1996, he announced his retirement to the stunned media, straight after the Hatton press conference. As he left the room, I asked him if he would be back. He didn’t say a word, just smiled, and winked at me.

Mayweather didn’t need to come back. “Money’s” got plenty.

With this fight just one week away, the works been done, the media and the fans have had a tremendous build up, even likening the fight to the legendary fights of Hagler v Hearns, and Leonard v Duran. Me, I wouldn’t go that far. If this fight was fought in 2006, then maybe?

THE FIGHT.

Mosley is a slow starter, which could be a big mistake for him against Mayweather. If he does that, Mayweather is a master of slowing down the fight to his tempo, then raising it, while countering as he needs to. The double jab will be a big factor in this fight, as I see Mayweather fighting long, with the full jab coming in, followed with the left hook. Mosley drops his right hand, way too much, leaving himself open to the hook. I feel Mayweather will also go to Mosley’s body and just box and move all night.

For Mosley to win, he has to start fast, pressurize Mayweather, and throw his half jab, then straight right hand, wide left hook, then try and land the power punching over hand right. If he can do this, he could win this fight.

A lot of people are talking about the two fighters speed, and power, and how they will each react to it.

MY PREDICTION.

For me, this fight will be decided on not just speed, and power, but timing, and while I agree, both fighters have speed and power, only one of them still has timing and that’s Floyd Mayweather Jnr. This fight is about money, bragging rights, but for me, it's about the timing is right. Mayweather on points.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Mayweather eager to pad his legacy

2010-04-26T01:57:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
You need not be a boxing fan to know that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a special talent.

Just look at the record, and pay attention to the right side of the ledger.

Mayweather is 40-0, and that 0 looms bigger and bigger with each fight the 33-year-old, six-time world champion takes on. But as he prepares for what many believe is his biggest test yet when he faces Shane Mosley on Saturday in a 12-round welterweight showdown at the MGM Grand Garden, Mayweather's focus isn't on perfection.

"I don't think about the 0," Mayweather said. "I think about winning. Everything takes care of itself if you win."

Several fighters went through their careers unscathed, most notably heavyweight Rocky Marciano, who was 49-0 during a career which spanned 1947 to 1955. More recently, super middleweight and light heavyweight Joe Calzaghe left the sport 46-0. However, Calzaghe, who retired in 2008, is considering a return to the ring.

Yet Mayweather, a student of boxing history, claims he's not obsessing over finishing his career without a blemish.

"Of course it's a great thing to be undefeated," Mayweather said. "But I don't consciously think about it when I'm preparing for the next fight."

His father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., said: "No one wants to lose their 0. I'm sure he thinks about it, and it motivates him. Fortunately for my son, it's so far, so good, and I don't see anyone taking that 0 away from him."

His son is quick to point out that some of boxing's legendary figures did not go undefeated.

"Sugar Ray Robinson lost. Muhammad Ali lost," Mayweather said. "They're still great fighters, aren't they?"

On the HBO reality television series "24/7," Mayweather recently boasted he was better than Ali and Robinson. He stood by his statements of a week ago.

"Why not?" he said. "I take my hat off to them. I've got respect for Sugar Ray Robinson. I've got respect for Muhammad Ali. But I'm a man like they're men. I put on my pants just like they put on their pants. What makes them any better than I am? Because they fought a thousand fights?

"In my era, it's totally different. It's pay per view now, so things change. It's out with the old and in with the new. Like I said, Muhammad Ali is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best. Sugar Ray Robinson is one hell of a fighter. But Floyd Mayweather is the best."

Mayweather likes to say about his legacy that 40 fighters all had a game plan to defeat him and none have succeeded. He doesn't see why 38-year-old Mosley, who is 46-5 with 39 knockouts, would be any different.

"Shane's talented," said Mayweather, who has 25 knockouts. "But I'm gifted. God-gifted. I don't have to shut nobody up. They can say what they want to say. I fight for me and my family."

And his legacy.

Mayweather is considered one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time. His ability to avoid getting hit and effectively counterpunch has allowed him to remain perfect in the ring. His recent 21-month hiatus from boxing didn't seem to hurt him. He was flawless in beating Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 at the Grand Garden.

But Mayweather has had a couple of close calls during his 15-year career. His 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya was a 12-round split decision. His rematch against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002 that he won by unanimous decision had him winning by just two points on two of the judges' scorecards.

Yet he remains undefeated, and he doesn't allow thoughts of "What if?" to creep inside his head.

"I take every fight seriously," Mayweather said. "Shane Mosley is a solid welterweight with great accomplishments. But I have been fighting these kinds of fighters my whole career without much appreciation. No one gives me credit for who I have fought during my career.

"From early to now, look at the opponents I have faced and see where they were when they faced me in the ring."

But when Mayweather was asked to rate his best performances, he declined.

"I don't rate myself," he said. "I just go out and do my job. I'm a harsh critic of myself. I always think I could have done better."

Yet he believes facing Mosley on Saturday will grow his legacy rather than merely preserving it.

"Every fight at this point is about enhancing it," Mayweather said. "I've done a lot of things in this sport. I've done a lot of things that a lot of fighters weren't able to do in this sport and didn't do in this sport.

"Shane Mosley's been around this sport for a long, long time, and he's done some things in this sport. I think with Shane Mosley, it's going to enhance my legacy."

Source: lvrj.com

Mayweather Jr vs. Mosley: What Happens if Random Blood Urine Tests Failed

2010-04-26T01:53:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Leo Reyes: One week before Floyd Mayweather, Jr and Shane Mosley collide at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, no announcement by the regulating bodies on how they will act if one or both fighters are found positive of steroids or performance enhancing drugs.

Undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr will face fellow American boxer Shane Mosley on Saturday in what appears to be the biggest boxing event of the year.

But with barely a week left before fight night, no test result, whether positive or negative, has been made public about the controversial blood and urine tests that Floyd Mayweather Jr has initiated in the guise of cleaning up the sports.

When will the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) release the findings of the test? Will the agency withhold the test results until the night of the fight? Or will they allow the fight to take place and deal with the result later after the fight?

No details have been made public so far by the anti-doping agency.

But the bigger question is, what if one or both of them are found positive of steroids or performance enhancing drugs? In the case of Mosley he admitted having used drugs at some point of his boxing career. Boxing fans say Mayweather Jr may have done the same before.

So what happens now if they are found positive? Will they abort the fight after their promoters collected millions of dollars in ticket sales and pay-per-view subscriptions? Good if the tests will come out negative of steroids or performance enhancement drugs so there will be no problem at all and the fight should continue.

It would appear at this time that both camps have assumed that they will pass the tests despite insinuations that they used drugs at some points in their boxing career

The Nevada Sports Athletic Commission (NSAC) has not been vocal about the on-going USADA blood and urine tests being done on Mayweather Jr and Mosley. Again the question is paused: What happens if USADA says one or both boxers are found positive of illegal drugs? Will NSAC still give its approval seal for the fight to take place on Saturday?

There are so many questions to ask the regulating agencies with regards to the timing of the drug tests announcement results.

Unless these questions are properly addressed, the public will continue to ask questions and doubt the credibility of the sports regulating agencies.

A very respected sportswriter in one of his columns said:

We’ve heard numerous times how Mayweather Jr is “saving” the sport of boxing with his “drug crusade”. But if he’s truly “saving” the sport then why haven’t we heard any tangible details about his drug tests? If he’s truly on a “drug crusade”, then why haven’t we heard how many times he’s been tested before the fight with Mosely?

As of today, I have been unable to find any credible sources that tell how many times Floyd Mayweather Jr has been ‘randomly’ tested. In fact, Floyd’s own adviser Leonard Ellerbe doesn’t even know:

Source: theboxinghistorian.com

Mayweather Mosley 24/7 Episode 3

2010-04-25T02:45:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs. Mosley 24/7 Episode 3 Recap

2010-04-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Published: Apr 24 2010 by: Jake Emen

Third Episode of Mayweather vs. Mosley 24/7 HBO Reality Series: Recap & Highlights

Episode 3 of Mayweather-Mosley 24/7 aired on Saturday evening for the first time, right before all of the great fights that were to follow on both HBO and Showtime. All of them are of course a great appetizer to next week’s main event, the stellar welterweight battle between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley. Check out what happened in Mayweather vs. Mosley 24 7 episode 3 right here.

As the third episode of Mayweather vs. Mosley 24/7 begins, Mayweather talks about how Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright and Miguel Cotto all “fucked you up”, of course Mayweather wants to do the same. He then goes on to say that Shane disrespected his father Jack last week, but now he is closer than ever with his uncle and father. Floyd goes on some spending sprees, while we instead see Shane at his camp doing some road work and focusing on nothing but the fight.

We see Shane, Naazim Richardson, Rock Allen and the rest of the camp going to work in the gym. Everybody is talking about how Shane is the guy to talk down to Mayweather. Then some Gang Starr comes on – rest in peace to the fallen rap icon – as he sings the lyrics that no man is invincible. We go back to Mayweather’s camp on Monday, and now he’s all business, hard at work and in his element. He says Shane is good at what he does, but Mayweather is great at everything he does.

Floyd’s dad Floyd Sr. is now around camp all of the time now, and while he realizes Roger is the trainer he of course still wants to be involved and provide his input. Needless to say, he’s extremely confident in Floyd’s chances next week. Floyd Sr. says that Shane will be ready, but Floyd Jr. is too fast, too smart and too quick for Shane to beat him. At 6pm Mayweather leaves the gym, and he’s surrounded by his massive security crew. He mentions what happened to Arturo Gatti and Vernon Forrest as reasons why he opts for the protection, because you never know.

Back in Big Bear, we see Shane’s “1 man army”, from the streets of Harlem, who has been shot and stabbed and is now a reformed Muslim. He’s been with Shane for 10 years and he says that everybody knows that you cannot mess with him as a result. Shane has his personal chef around, and she talks about the meals she prepares, red meat, fish, starches, a couple of vegetables per night and so forth. Shane’s camp talks about Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach, and Naazim says that people hate on them because of how well they are doing their job. He then makes a quick joke about Pacquiao and how badly he sings, but to further his point that he has to be a bad man to be able to get away with that. The camp in Big Bear with Mosley is very close, and it’s all family between Richardson and his crew, and Mosley and his son as well.

Back in Vegas during Mayweather Mosley 24 7 episode 3, we’re hanging with Uncle Roger. He’s tending to his garden, and we hear how he’s been struggling with diabetes for 2 years. Prior to his diagnosis, he didn’t know anything about it, and he was shocked at what the disease could do. He sees his nurse for shots twice per day. He says that he accepts going through all of that because he wants to see his kids grow up. Roger says his greatest contribution in life is having his child, and raising him.

Floyd says he’s proud to have Roger on his uncle, but he’s worried about him as he gets older and can’t move quite as fast. But still, Floyd says he’s a great trainer and one of the best out there. In addition to Roger’s illness, Floyd Sr. has been sick for the past 8 years with sarcoidosis, but Floyd says it’s all about living life to the fullest and making a positive out of the negative.

Back at Camp Mosley in Mayweather vs. Mosley 24/7 episode 3, we take a look at Naazim Richardson and his spirituality and his beliefs. After coming back from the stroke, he says there is nothing that could not convince him about the power of God and his beliefs as well. A large snow storm moves in, and the camp relaxes together. Mosley talks about how important everybody is to him at the camp, and thanks everyone for being there. In turn they say thanks for having him, and they read some prayers and chapters, including one talking about the problems with those who insult other people. Naazim says Shane Mosley is a really good person who just happens to know how to fight. Richardson says Mayweather is embarrassing and shameful to everybody, from the way he acts and represents himself.

Right on cue, Mayweather is talking about how he fights for Mayweather. “I’m in the check cashing business,” Mayweather says, and he says he doesn’t fight for his legacy or anything else, he fights for money. He says he doesn’t care what Shane is talking about, “he’s broke, Fuck Shane”. “Shane wants to be me… wants to be fly like me…” Mayweather goes on and on. Shane says, just tune in May 1st and the world can see who the best fighter is… it will be him.

Thanks for checking out the Mayweather vs. Mosley 24 7 episode 3 recap. The fourth and final episode is next Friday evening at 8:30 pm, the night before the fight. It’s just a week away from fight night, and then we can finally see for ourselves how the big fight plays out. Next Saturday night come right back here to ProBoxing-Fans.com for Mayweather vs. Mosley results, presented with a live round by round blog.

Source: proboxing-fans.com

Mayweather and Mosley both looking for a knockout, can either deliver?

2010-04-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner | Scott Heritage

Amongst all the usual pre fight talk, both Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley have mentioned that they will both be looking for a stoppage on May 1st.

The bookmakers and most fans believe a decision is a much more likely outcome, regardless of the winner.

For someone usually regarded as being a safety first fighter though, Mayweather has a decent amount of finishes to his name.

While his lack of aggression has held this back somewhat, he does have heavier hands that you might think from the way he fights. Floyd also has the speed and skill to make his opponents momentum work against them as they try to close the distance. For a perfect example of this, just watch the Hatton fight.

Speaking on a conference call yesterday, Mayweather said of himself and Shane:

"I think that he's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot. He's worried about who is extremely strong and I worry about being smart and winning. So we approach fighting in two total different ways, always"

In the past Mayweather was known to suffer from brittle hands, although Leonard Ellerbe has said that since his return from retirement, these problems no longer affect him. How much the problem hindered his ability to finish fights in the past isn't clear, and the Mayweather camp is eager to play down any problem he might have had.

A lot of people tend to think that Mayweather won't have the power to finish a genuine welterweight like Mosley, and in this case I tend to agree. Despite his 5 losses Mosley has never been stopped yet, and he's been in against more dangerous punchers than Mayweather. More skilled fighters is another matter, but in terms of power alone, Mosley's chin is top notch and he shouldn't have too much to worry about from Floyd.

Mayweather himself possesses a decent chin at the very least, although he very rarely gets caught cleanly anyway. At times he has appeared to show flashes of vulnerability, although at least some of these were merely ruses to lure his opponents in. How well he handles Mosley's power is one of the intriguing unknowns of the fight.

Of the pair Mosley has taken a lot more abuse over the years, and is also coming into the fight having been inactive for over a year. Whether either of these factors will play a part is not too likely, Mosley is about as durable as they come. I wouldn't be surprised if Mayweather scored a knockdown or two, but the chances are that both fighters will make the final bell regardless of who gets the decision.

Jean, Pittsburgh: "Why is Mayweather talking about a knockout when he never finishes anyone?"

Part of it might be just to sell the fight, although if Mayweather is letting his punches go more these days and is willing to take some more chances it could happen.

Craig, Philly: "Neither is getting a knockout, Mosley is too tough and Floyd is too fast. Whoever wins, they're winning a decision"

Source: Examiner.com

Mosley, Mayweather being opposites is big part of draw

2010-04-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather, who finally meet in the ring May 1 in Las Vegas, are as different as night and day or salt and pepper.

Their welterweight mega-showdown (9 p.m. ET, HBO pay-per-view) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena promises to be a contrast of styles and personalities.

A look at a few points of difference between 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) and 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs).

•Offense vs. defense: Mosley is an offensive fighter, a skilled power puncher who comes to fight. He has been involved in several all-out brawls, most recently his welterweight title victory against Antonio Margarito, in which he pounded Margarito into submission in the ninth round. He also brawled in his fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. Mosley's defensive shortcomings can leave him vulnerable to counterpunching, which is one of Mayweather's strengths.

Mayweather is skilled at avoiding getting hit. His only stoppage since 2006 was a devastating 10th-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in December 2007. His quickness is hard to match, though Mosley says Mayweather will meet his match on May 1.

Mayweather admits his fighting style is 180 degrees opposite of Mosley's.

"We're totally different," Mayweather said Thursday during a conference call with news reporters. "He's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot. He worries about who's extremely strong. And I worry about being smart and winning.

"Shane maintains a low level with wide shots and not using a full jab. I use a full jab. When I shoot my shots, I look at my opponent, look where I'm punching. When Shane punches, a lot of times he closes his eyes. We're two totally different fighters."

Any similarities? "Yeah, we're both fighting May 1st," Mayweather says with a chuckle.

•Trash talking vs. quiet confidence: Mayweather's bombastic, braggadocio style has made him a favorite on HBO's reality series 24/7, which debuts its third of four episodes Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. On episode 2, Mayweather said he's better than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.

Mosley says he thinks Robinson was the best, but it's not his call. "It's not for myself to tell everyone that I'm the greatest," he says. "When people start deciding that Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest, or Muhammad Ali, the people have spoken.

"You're not just tooting your own horn and saying, 'Oh, I'm the greatest.' "

Source: usatoday.com

SUGAR SHANE MOSLEY CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

2010-04-23T01:36:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Apr 2010

An MP3 of this call is available. Please click HERE to listen and download.

Kelly Swanson
Joining us on the call today, we have the WBA Welterweight World Champion. He has compiled six World titles and has ruled three different divisions, that's Sugar Shane Mosley himself. Also joining us is Judd Berstein, representative of Shane Mosley, and Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Boy Promotions. So without further ado, I'm going to turn it over to Richard to get started.

Richard Schaefer
Thank you, Kelly and before I'm going to introduce Shane I'd just like to give a few updates and comments as it relates to the promotion.

We have 11 days, 6 hours, 54 minutes to go for the fight. The Who Are You Picking? Campaign is in full swing. You will see in the coming days the major websites here in the United States up with banners on their sites where people can vote. CNN, USA Today, ESPN, Spike, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Univision, Yahoo! and The New York Times will all have polls, most of them on their front pages, where people will be able to vote. Some of those sites actually are up already and I just wanted to give you a very quick update.

For those of you who were on the call last week, remember on the whoareyoupicking.com site, which is the Micro site for the fight, last week we had Floyd Mayweather ahead, with 47% of the people voting for him to win the fight and 43% for Sugar Shane Mosley. Well, it's interesting, that tightened considerably. Mayweather now is only leading 51% to 49% against Shane Mosley.

Interesting as well, on the ESPN site, which just went up yesterday with the poll, it's reversed; 51.4% are picking Shane Mosley to win the fight against 48.6% with Mayweather. I think the general sports fans are clearly favoring Shane Mosley.

On Spike, a very urban site, an interesting picture there as well. Sixty-seven percent of the people think that Floyd Mayweather is going to win the fight versus 33% for Mosley. So, we actually are going to give daily updates on those polls so you guys, media members, you don't have to go and log on all of these sites, but we will send out daily updates because I think it's really fascinating to see on how the various segments of the population here in the United States are picking their guys, so we're really excited about that.

The fight is virtually sold out. A few tickets left, only $600 and $1,250 tickets are left. The $1,000 are sold out and all other categories as well. As a result, we are now going into closed circuit. We are starting with the closed circuit seats tomorrow at $50. We will initially make about 25,000 seats available in the various MGM Mirage properties. So if you do plan to go to Vegas and spend the Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a great fight weekend here, then go, tickets are available for $50.

Other than that, the movie theaters are tracking tremendously well as well and getting a lot of calls from people who have actually seen the spots and the promotions in the movie theaters. They think that they will have a tremendous, tremendous turnout. On about 12,000 screens across the United States the fight is being promoted and it will be in about 600 screens where the fight will actually be shown. They're going to be movie theaters in all states.

That's that and now I'd like to acknowledge and see if he would like to say a few words, Shane Mosley's advisor and attorney as well, Judd Burstein. Judd, would you like to say a few comments?

Judd Burstein
I have nothing to say. Shane can say it all.

Schaefer
Great. It is a pleasure then for me to introduce to you truly one of the greatest fighters of our generation. With a record of 46 and 5, 39 KO's, he's the current WBA Welterweight Champion and has during his 16 year career, compiled six world titles, has ruled the Lightweight, Welterweight and Junior Middleweight division, and is really a man who knows how to perform in the big events. He lives for those big events. Many of those big events, many of those big victories were coming from the MGM Grand, which some people call Mosley's Greatest Moments, MGM. And it really is a pleasure and an honor for me to introduce to you my good friend and partner in Golden Boy, Sugar Shane Mosley.

Sugar Shane Mosley
Thank you. Thank you, Richard. I just want to say that I'm happy that the fight is taking place and I'm happy with the training camp that we've been doing with Naazim Jameson and all the sparring partners, Karl Dargan, Rock, Mike Sharp and Eloy Perez and a few others. I'm just happy and excited to show my stuff May 1. It's going to be very exciting. I'm in great shape. I'm in tremendous shape and I'm ready to take on Mayweather.

Schaefer
Thank you, Shane. We are going to open it up now for the media members for any questions. Operator, please?

Q:
You mentioned that Karl Dargan and Rock, that you're sparring with them. They've been a little bit inactive lately, but I was just curious of your impressions of them as they're both Naazimm's relatives obviously, son and nephew.

Mosley
This camp has been like a family and I'm happy to have all of them contributing. They have great backgrounds, and Naazim Richardson trains them. Karl Dargan is very fast, a little taller than Mayweather, but has very fast hands. I think that a lot of it is the reaction time that I'm dealing with when I work with Karl Dargan to emulate Mayweather. We try to figure out different ways and different strategies of attacking.

Q:
One other question is, is all the stuff that's popping up now that Victor Conte is sending out, is that any kind of a distraction to you?

Mosley
haven't really heard anything about it and I don't choose to even talk about it. That's been 2003 when that type of stuff happened, so.

Q:
Shane, what would a victory over Floyd Mayweather, Jr. do for your legacy?

Mosley
I think a victory would do very good. It gives the people a chance to see that Sugar Shane really means business when he gets in that ring and fights. I rise to the occasion at every big fight. It's going to be great.

Q:
One other thing. On the second 24/7, and I don't know if you watched it or not because you said you didn't watch the first one, Floyd is saying he thinks he is better than Ali, better than Sugar Ray Robinson. Do you think he is perhaps overstating that a little bit?

Mosley
I think that you can't say who was the best fighter. I think Sugar Robinson was the greatest. Everybody has their own opinions about different fighters and what they can do and their ability. I think that it's important that it's not for you; it's not for myself to tell everybody that I'm the greatest, it's for your guys to decide that. So when the people start deciding that Sugar Robinson is the greatest or Muhammad Ali is the greatest, it's the people that have spoken. You're not just tooting your own horn and saying, oh I'm the greatest. A lot of the people believe that Sugar Robinson was one of the greatest so I guess he's one of the greatest, him and Ali.

Q:
Judd, obviously we've all, and I'm sure you've seen the YouTube stuff, I just want to ask you just a basic question, if I may. I know I can hear you in the background objecting to the form of the question. I believe that was you. It did seem like the person asking the questions had some difficulty forming his questions. Do you think that that defamation video made Shane look bad or do you think it made the questioner look bad because he didn't know how to form his questions?

Burstein
Well, first of all, I'm going to answer it quickly, but the real answer is there's no point in talking about this. This was 2003. Shane will be victorious in court and that will answer all the questions. The whole thing about the Conte video was not more a) it was he couldn't ask questions; but b) that Conte edited it and took it out of context. But there's nothing more to say about this.

Q:
Do you feel at all like you're disrespected by fans and the media or do you feel like people put you on an even footing with Floyd?

Mosley
I don't know. I mean I really don't get that stuff anymore. I haven't really been looking into the media and seeing what they've been saying. I don't know really what's going on. I try to keep myself away from it so I can be focused on the fight and that's my main importance right now is just being focused on the fight and being the best I can be when I get to the ring.

Q:
Do you feel Floyd is with all the trash talking that he's doing is trying to goad you into distraction before the fight and maybe anger? Does that stuff anger you or do you not even pay attention to it?

Mosley
At this point, I'm not angered by it. I'm just trying to go to the fight and be the best I can be in the fight. Right now at this point, we're getting ready to fight now.

Q:
Floyd, Sr. has said that he had heard you've been getting beat up by your sparring partner. How do you respond to something like that?

Mosley
I don't know how he can hear that unless he has some kind of spy inside the gym which I don't know of. No, I've been working good. I'm working diligently and I'm working real good and the sparring partners have been giving me good work. It's great.

Q:
One last question. Do you feel 100% healthy and ready to go for this fight?

Mosley
I'm 100% healthy. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to fight and show the world I'm the best fighter.

Q:
Obviously they're saying you don't want to talk about any of this with Conte which is fine, but drug testing is a huge part of this fight. That's one of the reasons you guys made it such a big deal when you all agreed to Olympic drug testing for it. Two thousand three is a long time ago, but can you say since then how you have felt differently in fights? Can you tell a difference from that night to how you fight now or recent fights from when you didn't take that stuff? I mean what did it do to you as a fighter to come off it and then try to get back to just 100% of yourself and how you feel now when your in the ring compared to then.

Mosley
That's just a stupid question that you asked me because I never did that stuff. I never was on it really like that. I've always been a clean fighter. Actually, I feel good and I've been feeling good. I've been knocking around everybody since 2003 and before 2003. I don't feel that I should be condemned for something that I never tested positive for and I just told the truth of what happened, because the truth was brought to me by the Federal people that took me court that brought me in as a witness. They brought me in as a witness and the truth was revealed to me there, that this man that I'd seen one time in my whole entire life, before going to deposition and that's the second time I've seen him. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous now that the media wants to make me the poster boy of steroids when I don't even .... Whatever, if you guys want to continue to think that or put that out there, so be it. So be it. You guys know the truth.

Q:
How are you doing guys? I appreciate your taking the time. This is for Shane. I'm doing a story to tell the people of Philadelphia a little bit more about your trainer and brother, Naazim. I just wanted to get a sense. Someone's who's been in this sport for so long, what can a guy like him come in and what has he been able to do for you either in the gym or in the corner and what's it like working with him? What's his personality like? Is he a hard ass? Does he make you laugh? Just kind of an insight to his personality as a trainer.

Mosley
Naazim is all of the above. He's hard on me and makes sure that I'm prepared physically, mentally and especially, all different ways to be prepared to enter the fight. I think that's the difference, is being prepared. He's 100% in the game. I'm fighting and he's fighting as well. He's not fighting with his fist and hands, but he's fighting with his mind which is a good thing. I'm happy and pleased with everything that's going on in my camp.

Q:
Anything specifically different or are you doing anything differently?

Mosley
I'm not sure I'm doing anything differently. I think that he brings me back to all the movement and keep myself sharp and mentally sharp and sound. The punches that he's having me do, I'm throwing very well and sharp. I'm ready to go.

Q:
What's he like to work with?

Mosley
He's a great trainer. I think he's one of the best if not the best trainer right now today in this era. I couldn't ask for a better person, a better friend and a better trainer in my camp right now.

Q:
I wanted you to recount that little incident. I think you talked about it when you guys were sitting down on that faceoff about the time Floyd came to you and said something like, "I want to be just like you one day," something like that.

Mosley
Yes, it was something at, I think he was just out of the Olympics and he was maybe 2-0, 3-0, something like that. I came to his dressing room and I was telling him that he's a great fighter. He looks good and he was going to be a world champion one day. I said you're going to be World Champion one day. You look real good. And he's was like "Oh man, thank you." Basically he was just saying, "You're doing good, too." I think I was the Champion then or I was getting ready to be the Champion. He said, "Hopefully if I can be just like you, it will be great if I can win a title and all that stuff." So we were both giving each other props and stuff about how good we were. That was it. He just wanted to have the accomplishments that I had accomplished in my professional career. He said if I can have those accomplishments then I'd be happy too, if I can be like you and have all the accomplishments that I have. I don't know if was like being exactly like me per se, but just the accomplishments and everything I've done in my boxing career at that time, he was impressed with and he let me know that then.

Q:
How much do you think that his intimidation tactics are part of his getting to another opponent and how much do you think you have frustrated him by not reacting to any of that?
Mosley
I'm not really sure. I know me not reacting to his antics or whatever, that's just me blocking all that stuff out and wanting to fight. I don't really care about the different things that are being said. That doesn't really matter. What matters is the fight and what happens in the fight. So that's my whole interest and I kind of block all that other stuff out.

Q:
And one last question. You had a series of fights at 154. How do you think having fought heavier opponents, bigger opponents, how do you think that will translate into a fight where you're fighting a guy that's mostly a speed and defensive guy?

Mosley
Well, I think it might be a little different. I know it helps with the power aspect. I should be able to walk him down, a little stronger or better and do different things. I feel good about being in a ring with bigger guys. Both bigger and smaller; I've been in the ring with both sizes.

Q:
Okay. And what's up with the tattoo on your shoulder?

Mosley
I've had it for about eight or nine months now. I was going to have it before the Berto fight. It's a warrior, you know. It's a Maori warrior tattoo that shows what type of fighter I am. When I get in the ring, I'm a warrior and I want the people to see that.

Q:
Shane, obviously this has a chance to be the biggest fight of the year in 2010 and a lots being made of it. There's a lot of coverage. Is it the biggest fight at this stage can you say that you've ever been involved in and if not, what was?

Mosley
Well, I think at this point it will be the biggest fight. You have a lot of viewers watching it. It's a fight that the world wanted to see. So it's a big fight. It's a very big fight and I'm excited to have this fight.

Q:
It's bigger than fighting Oscar the first time?

Mosley
The first time I fought Oscar it had its own significance and it took me where I am today right now to be able to fight this type of mega fight. But it is definitely a big fight. Fighting De la Hoya the first time was a real big fight. There was a lot of people there at the fight and there was a lot of big expectations, but this is probably I can say right now, one of the biggest fights.

Q:
And to follow up real quickly on a question from earlier about Mayweather's intimidation tactics. Obviously, you've had your fair share of things to say about your going to knock Mayweather out and some of his rhetoric and his talk really ramps up when it gets to fight week and he gets to see you face to face. How do you deal with that? Do you address it? Do you let it drop? Do you pick your spots? What do you do?

Mosley
Well, I guess it depends. As it comes, you pick your spots and maybe check them a little bit here and there and get him back to thinking. But at this point, it's time to fight now. At this point, we've done a little talking and this and that, but now it's fight time now and now we're getting ready to show what we can do.

Q:
As you've been on the outside watching that over the years, do you think it has worked against certain guys?

Mosley
I think so. I think a lot of the press and media and just the whole event of all that can kind of distract a fighter but at this time, I just try to be; like I said, I just try to just think about focusing on the fight. Now it's getting close to the fight and we need to worry about the fight instead of worrying about what people are saying about us.

Q:
Shane, just a couple things. First of all, I want to clarify are you defending your WBA title in this fight? Is that up for grabs?

Mosley
I don't think so.

Schaefer
No, actually I can answer that for you. It looks like the fight will not be for Shane's WBA title, however Shane will be; I mean Floyd is not fighting for the WBA title, but Shane is.

Q:
Okay, that's kind of what I thought. I wonder Shane, I know this is a business, but the guys that get in the ring and do the fighting like to have belt fight to win titles and certainly in the instance of you against Floyd, arguably the two best welterweights in the world fighting for a lot of money, but pride as well as for maybe the championship of the world and you seem willing to do and I've heard a lot of comments from Floyd where he talks about well, the belts just collect dust and this and that. What is your take on that sort of attitude where I know you're a guy that likes to fight the best guys and obviously wants to earn a lot of money doing it, but also I know takes certain pride in being champion. What do you think that says about Floyd where he has just this cavalier attitude where he at least publically says he doesn't really give a darn about it?

Schaefer
No, you know my opinion about the subject. I think at that level, it really depends on the fighters. I think boxing is a sport of champions and it is the belt and it signifies the champion and so I think really at that level it is up to the fighters. Some fighters want to fight for a belt, others don't. I think it depends on the fight and it depends on the circumstances. But let's see what Shane has to say.

Mosley
I don't know what to think about that. I think he should want; I mean everybody grows up wanting to fight for a belt and want to be world champion and for them to just dismiss it like oh, I'm bigger than the belt, I don't know. That just doesn't seem like he's in the sport for the sport. He's in it just for the money, which is good if he wants to do that. If he wants to fight for money, to each his own, but I love the glory, the legendary status of being a champion and winning belts and being the best guys out there. If he did that, the money is going to come regardless.

Q:
One other question for you about Floyd. He has stated, as has been discussed in this call, he's the greatest fighter of all time, better than all the Ali's and Sugar Robinson's as we've covered. And then you look at his resume and he was the welterweight champ of the world when he beat some guys that he beat and then of course gave that up when he retired. But there are a lot of people, myself included, who have criticized the level of his competition particularly since he's come out of the Lightweight division. When you look at his resume, do you think he has any real resume as a welterweight that by beating you, that would be clearly by far and away his best welterweight victory to do that?

Mosley
I always say that the best fighters, you have to let the people decide that. You can't be the one to say oh, I'm the best, I'm the best.

Q:
But what do you think of his resume as a welterweight so far?

Mosley
As a welterweight, he hasn't fought another top welterweight and I'm the first one that's he fought that's world champion so it makes the fight a big fight. All the other guys have not really been the best, if you will. There are a lot of great welterweights out there that he could have chosen to fight instead of fighting the ones that he fought. The guys coming from ...-47, 35-47, so like I said we'll see what happens in the fight.

Q:
Hey, Shane. I appreciate your taking my call. I just had one question. I image you're going to want to put a lot of pressure on Mayweather and I was just wondering how you plan to deal with that ... right hand of his?

Mosley
Well, that's what's being worked on, different things like that. So, hopefully, we'll implement that into the fight when we fight him.

Q:
Okay, so you're keeping it a secret?

Mosley:
I'm supposed to.

Q:
Strategy wise, you guys are both incredibly fast fighters and I'm curious of your perception of Floyd's speed. Do you think you're as fast as Floyd at this point in your career and how are you going to counter that speed?

Mosley
Well, I think I'm as fast as any fighter out there and especially Floyd. I'm one of the fastest. I've always been quick. We'll see when we get in there. I've never been in the ring with Floyd so I don't know how to answer that, how I'm going to counter. I'm just going to do what I do best as Sugar Shane Mosley.

Q:
I mean when you watch the tapes, what's your perception of his speed?

Mosley
I think he has good hand speed, but I think my hand speed is good, too. I don't know if I'm going to be faster or I'm going to be slower. I have to get in the ring and see. I believe I'm faster. I believe that I'm going to have the advantage in the speed, but we'll see.

Q:
It seems like you and Naazim have two have very different personalities, but you both have the same understanding of the sport. I just wanted to know like how it was when you two first started training together, like how long it took for you two to gel and what your thoughts are of him as a trainer compared to everyone else you've been with in your career.

Mosley
I think he's a great trainer. I think he's the best trainer, one of the best trainers that I've worked with.

Q:
You had it right the first time. He is the best trainer in the sport.

Mosley
Yes. It's been great working with him. Right from day one, we gelled perfectly because we had the same philosophies about boxing and different things. We worked great. Right from day one it was a great match.

Q:
To me, from my own experience with Naazim, he seems to be the most honest guy out there. He'll always tell you what's on his mind, never in a disrespectful manner, but he's not going to sugarcoat anything. Has that caused any problems in training? I know some guys they tell you what you want to hear and Naazim tells you what you need to hear. Do you feel like his take is more refreshing than what most others are willing to tell you?

Mosley
I think so. I think him giving me his honest opinion on what he believes and what he feels makes it that much better when we get into the fight. We understand each other. I know what he's telling me is the truth and it's not I just can't just guess and say okay, well can you sugarcoat it a little bit for me? I know that he's telling me the truth when I get into the fight or when I'm sparring or whatever. Whatever it is, he's going to give me his honest opinion and I'm happy with that.

Q:
Does that give you more confidence once you step into the ring? I mean I know it's only the one fight with him, but this will be your second.

Mosley
It'll definitely gives me more confidence definitely since I've been to the ring. I know that I definitely need to do the work. All the good work for this fight I've done, the training and different strategies and moves we did, I know that I'm ready and prepared for the fight. All I've got to do is just execute.

Q:
Good, good, good. I'm not sure exactly how to ask this, but the fight is being portrayed by some people as sort of a good versus evil, although I think evil is a little bit strong. Does that seem appropriate to you? That would be my first question.

Mosley
Good versus evil? I don't know. I don't really think so. I think that Floyd just acts out because of that's just being himself. But you know, probably outside of the fight, you probably could see some good qualities Floyd has. He can charm up a little bit and be more friendly or whatever. It's just when the fight happens, he just starts getting a little crazy and starts going back to the things that he's used to doing. But, I don't know if you'd say good versus evil. But it's just going to be a great fight.

Q:
You sort of answered my follow-up. I believe you told me that you don't really think he's such a bad guy. It's just sort of stuff that he says.

Mosley
Yes, some of the things that he says, it's bad and it reflects and looks bad on him when he says the different things. Some of the things he says I don't really think he means. He just kind of says it to get a reaction out of you to see what happens and see what you do and that's probably part of his plan or his strategy before the fight. It's like fighting before the fight. He'll just say what's on the top of his head and just get a reaction out of you. If he gets a reaction out of you, then he's done a good job, he's won. So, I don't perceive him as being a real, like an evil person. That's just sometimes his nature.

Q:
Okay. So last thing. So one on one, when you've run into him over the years, you guys have been fine with each other?

Mosley
Yes, we see each other like I said on the basketball courts or I might see him out and about. We're fine. There's no problems. I see like his family members, Roger and Floyd, Sr. and a few other guys. I don't hate any of those guys. We have a job to do right now and it's competitive. It's a competitive sport. We want to know who is the best and I'm here to get in there and show that I'm the best.

Q:
I just wanted to ask and sort of follow-up on that last question and then I have another question. Do you think after this that you and Floyd will have any kind of relationship? I don't know if you guys had any kind of relationship previous to this, but can you see yourself maybe having any kind of relationship with him whether it's a professional relationship or whether it's a personal relationship or being friends or hanging out or anything like that?

Mosley
Yes, of course. It's nothing personal. I know for me, it's all business. This is business and this is a competitive sport. This is our legacy on who's the best fighter. It's a challenge. So it's a challenge that I'm ready to take and I'm ready to go into the history books as being the guy to beat Floyd Mayweather and the guy that beats everybody out there, the last man standing. I'm into that. So, when I say that, I mean yes definitely I'll be there. We can be friends. We can go to dinner, whatever after the fight. It's all good. The families can get together, all that. But for now, I guess we're enemies.

Q:
Okay. And the second question, how disruptive has just the Olympic style training and having to let these guys know where you are 24 hours a day and just sort of opening up your camp to the testing, has that been a disruption for you or has it thrown off what you normally would be doing in preparation?

Mosley
Actually, no. Actually, I like the fact that they come all the time and I learned a lot of different things about different things to do. Different things that, if you will, just eating natural and normal foods without taking any of the vitamins. Taking a bunch of vitamins is a good thing for your body. I feel good. I feel great. This has actually been a breakthrough. I like it.

Q:
Okay. You mean say like if you had the sniffles or you have a cold, most people would just like reach for the Tylenol Sinus or whatever. You can't just reach for that. You have to sort of find out whether it's okay to take something for the sniffles or sinus infection or cold or whatever, right?

Mosley
Yes it's been educational, but you can take Tylenol or some other things if you get the sniffles. But there's other things to take that's natural that you can use that you can take too as well. It hasn't bothered me at all. Everything has been great. I love the fact, like I said, it's been like a breakthrough for me with this USADA thing. It's actually a good thing.

Q:
Now have they said how far up to the fight that they're going to keep testing?

Mosley
I don't know. I'm fine with it. All my testing has been real quick. I did like five of them already and everything is good.

Q:
Okay, five tests. How many for blood?

Mosley
I did three for blood and five for blood and urine.

Source: PhilBoxing.com

Mosley's win win situation

2010-04-23T01:35:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Mississippi Fight Sports Examiner | Brad Cooney

Shane Mosley will take on the former pound for pound king, Floyd Mayweather Jr on May 1st, 2010. Words cant describe how huge this fight is for Mosley, a fight that he's been waiting for a long time. Firstly, Mosley will earn a very respectable purse. Shane has been patiently waiting for a mega fight to come his way, and on May 1st he gets his shot. Yes he has been in some big fights in his day, but not this big. READ Michael Marley's take on Mosley vs. Mayweather here - http://www.examiner.com/x-5699-Boxing-Examiner~y2010m4d18-Floyd-Mayweather-brays-like-donkey-Shane-Mosleys-plan-is-payday

Shane Mosley is in a very nice position right now. He has a rematch clause that mandates a rematch against Floyd. If Shane defeats Floyd Mayweather he can rematch him and up the pot to an even bigger purse. If Shane loses to Floyd, he can demand that the rematch take place and double up a nice payday, or he can take a step aside payment in order for Floyd and Manny Pacquiao to do their thing. If he elects to step aside, he can bank that money and then challenge the winner of Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.

The fans are split on who will win between Mosley and Mayweather. I was recently in Memphis, TN where Mississippi based promoter Prize Fight Promotions, and CES entertainment put on the ESPN FNF card. I spoke with a lot of the boxing fans in attendance about the Maweather vs. Mosley fight. The results are pretty equal. About half of those I spoke to think Mayweather will win, and the other half think that Mosley will win.

Shane Mosley is sitting pretty right now. He is approaching the later part of his career, and he is in position to make the most money of his entire career at that. This fight is good for boxing. Shane Mosley vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Two of the best fighting the best, as boxing should be. Hopefully in the future the fight that everybody wants to see will come to fruition as well. Floyd knows that a fight against the current pound for pound king, Pacquiao equals up to 40 million dollars. Floyd has made it no surprise that he is all about money.

Until Mayweather vs. Pacquiao happens, we got Shane Mosley vs Floyd Mayweather next. A great fight between two of the best at their craft. Many of Manny Pacquiao's fans are calling for a boycott of this fight. That is their right and they certainly do not have to watch it. I for one do want to see this fight because it can possibly be a classic match. No matter what the outcome is, it will create anticipation. If Floyd wins he will silence some of his critics. And if Shane wins, it will perhaps silence Floyd Mayweather, for the time being anyway. Floyd would then be afforded his opportunity to get the rematch and we would have another great fight at hand.

Mosley has had a great career. His career is not over with but it is definitely getting closer and closer to being over with. He is in the best spot of his career right now, and it's a good thing for boxing as well.

Read more on Mosley vs. Mayweather here - http://www.8countnews.com

Source: Examiner.com

Shane Mosley questions Floyd Mayweather's sexuality, a wise move?

2010-04-23T01:34:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Pittsburgh Fight Sports Examiner | Scott Heritage

Shane Mosley fired back at Floyd Mayweather's recent criticisms of him today and made some interesting remarks of his own regarding the upcoming fight and the 24/7 episodes.

Not long ago Mosley seemed to be winning the psychological battle between the two, largely ignoring Mayweather's rather toothless remarks about him.

By starting a war of words with Mayweather though, Mosley might be playing right into his hands.

After all most of Mayweather's comments have been aimed towards getting a rise out of Mosley, and examining his latest comments they now seem to be working.

Speaking to ESPN radio, Mosley said:

"He wants to talk about my suit. You know? He's talking about the curls in my hair, and if I'm getting a nose job, I mean, is he funny? Is he gay or something? You know, all of these different things about my personal stuff, and I'm like, 'Wow, he's reading into it that much?' So, I mean, you've got to watch out. There's different things that don't sound right. You know?"

Mayweather previously said that Mosley looked like a character from the movie Avatar, and that he had borrowed money from Oscar De La Hoya recently. He also accused Mosley of having had a nose job and commented on his recent divorce.

"What's weird to me is that everybody on his whole team, all of his security guards, they look like they're on steroids. They all look like they're on 'roids, and I don't understand it. I mean, why does he keep saying, 'Steroids, steroids, steroids,'"

Judging from their appearance on the latest episode of 24/7, Mayweather's posse of bodyguards did look a little 'enhanced' with something other than just hard work and protein shakes. Given that Mayweather didn't appear to even speak to them much, let alone train with them though it's a bit of a stretch to assume Mayweather is taking the same kind of 'supplements' that they are.

If anything they seemed unnecessary also, there didn't appear to be hordes of fans trying to break into Floyd's training sessions.

"And, you know, I notice that Floyd always shaves his head, all of the time. His head is shaved. His head is starting to look a little bigger. You know? Maybe, I mean, he has all of these people around him that's on steroids, maybe he dibbles and dabbles a little bit."

"Like I said, the guys are going in the gym, and they're doing weights and all of that, they look like they're on roids, for real. You've got that type of company around you all the time, then nine times out of 10, you're doing something."

This will no doubt come as music to Mayweather's ears despite the fact he was insulted. Floyd loves to trash talk his opponents, and he knows the more he can Mosley verbally spar, the more pay per views they will sell. Whether he really believes what comes out of his mouth, or will get bothered by what Mosley is saying is uncertain. If Shane really wants to get Mayweather angry, all the money he's lost through one thing or another would be a better topic of derision.

For Mosley, firing back at Mayweather might not be a good move on the whole though. So far Mosley has maintained that he doesn't care what Floyd says about him and that he is just focused on the fight. Mosley suddenly firing back might be a sign that Mayweather's talk is getting to Mosley, which only means Mayweather will step it up from here on in.

Just days ago on a radio interview Mosley said:

"I don't pay attention to the things he says, I just pay attention to the fight. It really doesn't bother me because I know its just a strategy he's trying to pull outside the ring and if I get involved and go back and forth with this then he'll win that battle"

Apparently that isn't the case anymore, and you can be sure Mayweather will be all to eager to fire back at Mosley's latest comments. Watch this space.

Harry, Pittsburgh: "Mosley just got himself way over his head"

Darren, Philly: "I don't think Mosley is really bothered about what Floyd says, him and Mayweather probably like each other when the cameras are off"

Source: Examiner.com

After his divorce Shane Mosley has to beat Mayweather to get Pacquiao to retire financially secure

2010-04-23T01:33:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Anaheim Boxing Examiner | Brent Alderson

There is an old saying, "It's cheaper to keep her," and that particular expression definitely applies to Sugar Shane Mosley. The Pomona raised boxer has always been a classy guy and an excellent fighter, winning legitimate world titles in three different weight classes while defeating such stars as Fernando Vargas and Oscar De La Hoya, but his marriage to Jin Mosley ended in divorce last year after seven years and the financial repercussions of their break-up have negatively impacted Mosley's net worth as well as his prospects of retiring financially secure.

And boxers' careers end while they are still young so they need to invest and save their money so they can live comfortable lives long after they hang up the gloves. Everybody wondered how and why Mosley looked so sharp against Margarito, maybe it was because he was in a financial bind and had to resurrect his career.

Shane married Jin, a Korean American from New York in 2002 and the couple had three children together and lived a lavish lifestyle with a minnie mansion, RV's, and nice cars. In all likelihood Mosley will be required to provide monetary support for Jin so that she can maintain that standard of living for herself as well as their three children. And child support isn't cheap, especially if you are an athlete making millions of dollars. Evander Holyfield was ordered to pay 250 thousand dollars a year in the nineties for one of the children that he fathered out of wedlock. It may not sound like a lot of money for someone like Holyfield who made a number of ten million dollar plus paydays, but it adds up. 250 thousand dollars a years times twenty years comes out to five million dollars. That's five million dollars cash. You know after a fighter pays the IRS, their trainers, their expenses, and their managers, they usually only receive between 28% to 42% of their actual purse. So if a fighter has to pay five million in child support, that would be the equivalent of a 15 million dollar purse.

Also Jin acted as Shane's manager during that period which further solidifies her claim to Mosley's estate. Now the details surrounding the divorce settlement have not been made public and Shane may have had a prenuptial agreement. Still, most of those agreements only protect assets which were attained prior to the marriage. Its very difficult to protect someone's earnings after the date of the union. And from 2002 through 2009, Mosley earned some of his biggest purses. In 2003 he fought De La Hoya the second time and in 2006 he had two pay per view fight with Fernando Vargas, and in 2004 he had two high profile fights with Winky Wright.

You really want to know why Shane Mosley looked so sharp against Antonio Margarito, it was because he needed a victory to prolong his career in order to set himself up financially after going through a costly divorce. Shane knew what he had to do. He ran that extra-mile, drank that extra-shake, and did that extra-hour of jumping roping and put forth what may have been the finest performance of his career.

Financial planners say that the financial impact of a divorce usually lasts a lifetime, but with a string of victories Shane Mosley is in a position where he can completely erradicate the financial hardships of his divorce. All he he has to do is beat Floyd Mayweather and then he will be in line for another big pay day against Manny Pacquiao. Even Bob Arum has stated that if Mosley beats Mayweather that Sugar Shane will be the Filipino legend's next opponent.

I know boxers are very competitive individuals and that Mosley wants to win every fight every time out, but with Arum dangling a fight with Manny Pacquiao along with a retirement package in the form of an eight figure pay day, Shane Mosley is more motivated than he has ever been to win a fight. So Floyd better be ready next Saturday because a desperate fighter is a dangerous one.

Source: Examiner.com

Shane Mosley: Maybe Floyd Mayweather 'Dibbles And Dabbles' In Steroids

2010-04-23T01:32:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Shane Mosley (pictured above) said the security guards for Floyd Mayweather "look like they're on steroids," adding that, "Maybe [Mayweather] dibbles and dabbles a little bit" during a recent podcast interview on ESPN Radio.

The 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), who will face the 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, also asked, "Is he gay or something?" when addressing Mayweather's ongoing comments about Mosley's "jheri curl" hairstyle, his natty attire during press conferences, and, his "nose job" during the hype for their upcoming bout to be televised on HBO pay per view.

In 2003, Mosley admitted that he injected the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," which the WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion said that he received from BALCO Founder, Victor Conte, through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson. Mosley has insisted that he took the drugs without knowing that they were illegal steroids.

At Mayweather's insistence, both fighters are contractually bound to be randomly blood- and urine-tested for steroids by the United States Anti-Doping Agency leading up to their clash.

Mosley made his 90-second commentary as a result of the security guards' depiction on Episode II of HBO's 24/7 series, during which Mayweather's massively muscular protectors are shown lifting weights during their workout before reporting to the facility where Mayweather trains.

"What's weird to me is that everybody on his whole team, all of his security guards, they look like they're on steroids. They all look like they're on 'roids, and I don't understand it. I mean, why does he [Mayweather] keep saying, 'Steroids, steroids, steroids,'" said Mosley.

"And, you know, I notice that Floyd always shaves his head, all of the time. His head is shaved. His head is starting to look a little bigger," said Mosley.

"You know? Maybe, I mean, he has all of these people around him that's on steroids, maybe he dibbles and dabbles a little bit," said Mosley. "The guy that keeps talking. You know, the guys that usually talk about it all of the time, 'Oh, steroids, steroids, steroids, oh, oh.' They're usually the ones on it."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Floyd Mayweather continues his verbal assault on Shane Mosley

2010-04-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
By Mark Leroy: Floyd Mayweather Jr has stepped up the verbal attack directed toward his May 1st opponent Shane Mosley. Knowing he was rattling Mosley’s cage Mayweather continuously mentioned Shanes past with the founder of “Balco” Victor Conte and his steroid use in 2003.

Muhammad Ali used the same tactic before his fight with Joe Frazier, Ali, knowing Frazier was a real threat stepped up with his usual antics, but this time was unusually cruel. Ali taunted ‘Smokin’ Joe, calling him an “Uncle Tom”, Frazier never could compete with the quick witted and articulate Ali in a verbal war. Things boiled over, Frazier had enough and the two where on the verge of fisticuffs’ in front of a live studio audience.

Mayweather, the self proclaimed face of boxing says, “as the face of boxing it’s my responsibility to clean up the sport”. People question Floyd’s motives behind this stance, but the principles are to be applauded. No one will argue the ethics; anything that will lead to a cleaner and safer sport ought to be commended.

Once again, Mayweather provided his detractors with another rendition of “I am the man”. He again laid claim to be the greatest fighter of all time, again mentioning the names Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. Just the kind of fuel required for the critics to stoke their fires.

While, Camp Mosley is quietly confident, head trainer Nazim Richardson says Shane will be the fighter to bring Floyd out of his defensive shell, against Shane he will need to stand and fight at some point in the bout. We’ve trained to break him down, with Mayweather there is nothing new, he is great at what he does, but it’s the same every time. When asked if he has been studding fights of Mayweather, Richardson replied, “every night, they are what sends me to sleep”. (Referring to Floyd’s safety first approach)

The two are set to meet at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV on Mat 1st. Mayweather who is undefeated with a record of (40-0, 25KO’s) will be challenging WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley (46-5, 39KO’s). With the winner almost guaranteed a fight with WBO welterweight champion and reigning pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Source: theboxinghistorian.com

One on one with Naazim Richardson (2 of 2): The misleading ways of Mayweather, Mosley and Pacquiao

2010-04-22T04:04:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Las Vegas Boxing Examiner | Chris Robinson

With the upcoming Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley clash less than 10 days away things have begun to intensify in each man’s camp. Floyd Mayweather’s verbal threats have been coming at a fast clip and you can see a definite sense of urgency with Shane Mosley as he trains rigorously in Big Bear, California. There will be much at stake on May 1st at the MGM Grand and the atmosphere surrounding each fighter is a testament of such.

One man who has kept a cool head as the days draw closer is Mosley’s head trainer Naazim Richardson. The North Philadelphian is a pure strategist and seems to have an uncanny way of dissecting the opposition in front of him. Richardson could be seen in the latest episode of HBO’s 24/7 series staying up late at night and breaking down footage of Mayweather, looking for any possible weaknesses to exploit in the ultra-talented fighter.

During the lead up to the bout Richardson has had much to say about Mayweather but you can sense true objectivity in his voice whenever the Grand Rapids fighter is the center of discussion. Richardson respects Floyd but he certainly doesn’t praise him and when asked to elaborate on his thoughts he first points to Mayweather’s god-given abilities.

“Tremendous athlete,” Richardson states. “Every great athlete misleads you and that is kind of why they are great. When you have an athlete like that you can’t get the full picture on them. What I mean by that is this; when you look at Bernard [Hopkins], he talks so much like it is demolition and a gangster that he misleads you on how technical he is because you just think he is going to be a gorilla. Mayweather talks so much trash and where we come from when guys talk that much trash usually they can’t back it up that well but it’s misleading because he can. He can fight as good as he talks and you can get mislead because you think he won’t be on the level that he is talking but he does.”

Suddenly Richardson shifts his attention from one great fighter to another as Manny Pacquiao becomes the focus of the conversation. After starting his career as a junior flyweight, the Filipino icon has had a great run of success between 140 and 147 pounds in recent fights that has left many dumbfounded. While Richardson has certainly been impressed you won’t find him star stuck in the slightest.

“Pacquiao misleads you because he has the world believing he isn’t as big,” Richardson claims. “He used to be fighting at these lower weight classes but calling Pacquiao small at 147 is like calling Mike Tyson a small Heavyweight. Pacquiao has created a stardom that can only be compared to where Tyson was at his height and were Oscar De La Hoya was. It can only be compared to that.”

Mayweather returned from a lengthy layoff by decisively beating Juan Manuel Marquez this past September and two months later Pacquiao dismantled Miguel Cotto to up the ante. The buzz instantly turned towards a potential bout between the two superstars but the fight never came off as they butted heads at the negotiating table. Mayweather was adamant about both fighters going through a strict Olympic style drug testing process but Pacquiao wouldn’t agree to the exact specifics that Floyd was presenting and both men moved on in separate directions. Speaking on the situation further Richardson starts off by putting himself in Manny’s shoes.

“I hear his point, that Floyd doesn’t control boxing,” Richardson says. “He doesn’t dictate to us what we need to follow. At the same time I understand Floyd’s point in that he had a concern and here it is. He was willing to address it the same way Pacquiao would have had to. But like I said, where I come from, if you ask a girl to dance and she says ‘no’ then you go on to the next girl. You don’t ask her all kinds of questions, you just move on to the next person. After Floyd asked Pacquiao and he said ‘no’ I don’t understand what the holdup was to get to Shane. I don’t understand why we were talking about Matthew Hatton and Paulie Malignaggi. We should have already been here.”

Getting further into his personal opinion on the matter, Richardson seems to dismiss the notion that any guilt should be thrown Pacquiao’s way. All the trainer has to go off of is what he has seen in the ring and he leaves all speculation by the wayside when discussing whether or not Pacquiao is up to something illegal.

“I don’t have any proof that he is,” Richardson says. “From what I can see he is just a tremendous athlete. I hope he isn’t on anything because it gives a black eye to boxing and we are all on the same umbrella. When we found out about Margarito and those hand wraps it makes our whole sport look bad. Even in boxing I am so sick of people coming up to me saying ‘You don’t teach your guys to bite ears off do you?’ Oh my god I am so tired of the Mike Tyson ear-biting incidents. I am just tired of that.”

In hearing him speak it is obvious that Richardson doesn’t let any bias or emotions interfere with his thoughts. His view of Pacquiao is one that comes from a man who can both recognize and appreciate the talent in front of him, even if it is in the form of a possible future foe.

“Pacquiao is a beast,” Richardson continues. “He’s all action. All these things you hear about guys not taking chances and being afraid to engage doesn’t apply to him. There is an old saying that says ‘You gotta bring ass to get ass’ and Pacquiao brings his ass to get your ass. He puts his chin on the line. He will get hit and he sacrifices his defense to get his offense. He’s the Larry Merchant of fighters. Larry wants to see two guys step up there and fight and that’s what Pacquiao does.”

One of the keys to Pacquiao’s success over time has been his undeniably strong connection to his trainer Freddie Roach. The Massachusetts native has a strong bond with his fighter that hasn’t seemed to be affected by their fame and Richardson can completely relate.

“We are in the only sport were the trainers belittle the other trainers,” Richardson points out. “I am better than you and all that. I don’t think I need to stand on anybody to be seen. Listen man, Freddie has done a great job with Pacquiao and he has been good enough to just shut his damn mouth and let him go ahead and be what he is. Freddie knew how to not get in the way and to let him be who he is. And Pacquiao believes in Freddie, whether you believe he is good or not, Pacquiao believes in him and he is going to do what he says.”

One fight of Pacquiao’s that stands out in particular to Richardson is his December 2008 bout with Oscar De La Hoya. When the fight was announced many people following the sport felt it was a mismatch due to De La Hoya’s presumed advantage in size but over the course of eight one-sided rounds Pacquiao would bludgeon his elder foe before making him quit on his stool. It was a resounding win and one that Richardson feels Roach had a huge role in orchestrating.

“Pacquiao didn’t think he could beat Oscar but Freddie thought he could and he convinced him that he could,” Richardson states. “He just went in there and followed Freddie’s lead. He was apprehensive but he followed his lead and it worked out for him. He’s a threat in that sense because when you have a trainer that knows what he is talking about and this guy is going to do what this trainer says, and Pacquiao is a threat.”

With the conversation coming to a close Richardson comes full circle by bringing up his charge Mosley. Richardson has gotten to know the Pomona, California fighter as both a man and a pugilist and that has only enhanced his belief that he has on his hands the most lethal welterweight in the world.

“Shane misleads you because there is no fucking way in the world that a guy can be that nice and that likeable outside of the ring and be that ferocious and viscous inside of the ring. All of these guys mislead cats to a degree until you get in the ring with them and then you realize that there is more to this picture than I was lead on. That attributes to their greatness. But I really believe that at 147 pounds Shane Mosley is the best fighter.”

Source: Examiner.com

Floyd Mayweather: Call Me Champ... But I'm Not Paying For It

2010-04-22T04:02:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
Written by Andrew Harrison

Floyd Mayweather must be awfully tired from all of the standing he’s doing of late. First of all, he took a stance against performance enhancing drugs within the sport, one which, to all intents and purposes, cost him his mega-fight with Manny Pacquiao. Now, he’s leaping into action against the alphabet bandits by refusing to pay the WBA a fee so that he can fight for their title. If he’s not careful, he’ll end up blowing his role as Vader to Shane Mosley’s Skywalker.

Whilst the truth behind both of Floyd’s stands can be questioned, the principles are to be applauded. The removal of drugs from the sport is a good thing, of that there’s little doubt. There are many also who would welcome random testing to eradicate alphabet organisations, who charge fighters fortunes each year in sanctioning fees yet offer little in the way of good influence over the sport.

So, in light of Mayweather’s rebuttal, what exactly does that little black belt, the one Shane Mosley pays thousands of dollars to sling over his shoulder for the briefest of spells at the end of each contest, actually represent? Join me now on an odyssey of discovery… (warning: this may cause drowsiness, nausea and mild confusion).

Picture a time when clarity reigned, when times were that little bit simpler… and the IBF hadn’t yet come into existence. It’s 1981. Prince Charles has just wed Lady Diana Spencer, MTV has been launched over the airwaves, Bob Marley has been laid to rest alongside his trusty guitar and two titans of boxing hold welterweight world titles simultaneously.

Maryland’s Sugar Ray Leonard sported the little green WBC number whilst his nemesis Tommy Hearns donned the charcoal WBA version. The two met up in the September (folk weren’t as averse to finding out who was best back in those days) and Leonard was crowned the undisputed king of the welters. Then, after defending against Bruce Finch in Reno, he retired.

With his titles scattered to the four winds, it was decided that the winner of Milt McCrory and Colin Jones could have one of them (WBC), whilst Don Curry and Jun-Suk Hwang would take the other (WBA). Curry and McCrory were victorious and the pair followed the trail their predecessors set by duelling to determine superiority (by which time a WBA splinter group calling themselves the IBF had thrown another trouser-holding device at Curry for beating Marlon Starling).

Curry blitzed McCrory in chilling fashion and lucidity triumphed... for all of nine months. When “The Lonestar Cobra” fell to Bermondsey’s unheralded Lloyd Honeyghan the following annum, the championship fractured after Honeyghan found himself in bit of a pickle. The WBA, in their wisdom, chose Harold Volbrecht as their mandatory challenger; however, Volbrecht was South African, which meant if Honeyghan were to face him, he would receive a two-year banning order by the WBC (who’d have thought the alphabets would interact so incoherently?). Honeyghan withdrew, citing a protest against apartheid, and the WBA title meandered off on its own little journey, which we’ll ignore for now and come back to later.

Honeyghan was then forced to defend his remaining titles separately (IBF title fights were 15 rounds, WBC over 12… sigh…) before he was eventually upset by Mexican Jorge Vaca in London. “Honey” revenged the loss pretty sharpish, yet the IBF belt, which had not been on the line against Vaca first time around, was stripped from him and, like the WBA title (which remember, has veered off course at this point), was passed onto new and willing fee donors.

I think it's fair to stick with Honeyghan here and in a nice linear fashion, we’ll transport from 1988 to 1999 via Marlon Starling, Maurice Blocker, Simon Brown, Buddy McGirt, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar De La Hoya and finally, Felix Trinidad. At which point “Tito” breaks the chain again by moving up to 154 lbs. to ruin David Reid and Fernando Vargas.

Trinidad posted back the WBC bauble Honeyghan once carried, along with the IBF version which had somehow returned to the party via Simon Brown (the WBA title was still off doing its own thing).

As is usual, both organisations went their own merry way, with the IBF hosting a bout between Vernon Forrest and Raul Frank to find their champion, whilst the WBC plumped for the vanquished De La Hoya and former lightweight boss Shane Mosley as their contestants.

Mosley and Forrest would take the spoils and like Leonard & Hearns and Curry & McCrory, they met to consolidate matters. Forrest trumped Shane, twice, yet his IBF title would not survive the fracas ("The Viper" had to vacate to accommodate the showdown).

Yet again, a nice lineage ensues from 2002 to 2006 via Ricardo Mayorga, Cory Spinks, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir and finally, Floyd Mayweather. “Money” then embarked upon an extended sabbatical the following year, leaving the alphabet boys to take flight, again, inevitably, on diverging courses.

Oh I almost forgot, the WBA title had returned to the fold once more by now, only it had now transmogrified into a "super title" just prior to Mayorga trouncing Forrest, so three had become four... spooky… before returning back to three when the WBA decided that describing Baldomir as a "super" anything could invite a visit from the trade descriptions people.

I digress… oh yes, Shane Mosley whupped Luis Collazo for one of the remaining three trinkets (WBC), Kermit Cintron stopped Mark Suarez for another (IBF), whilst Miguel Cotto starched Carlos Quintana for the third (WBA).

Cintron would eventually lose to Antonio Margarito, who would gobble up Cotto, who’d bested Mosley, yet he’d emerge with just the one title, the WBA edition, although crucially, neither IBF nor WBC honours would be lost from any of the four in the ring.

So tentatively, and despite not having gained Ring Magazine approval, we could take a punt at Margarito having been a deserving welter champ. And of course, Mosley tore him a new one last year, so it can be argued that this is a legit welterweight championship fight, despite the actual "title" being anything but. When Mosley fought Margarito, the WBA strap the Mexican took from Cotto, mutated into a "super" version once again with the "normal" version winding up in the Ukraine, around the waist of Vyacheslav Senchenko.

It can be debated as to whether belts really do just gather dust, but you can’t gripe over Floyd’s logic. Why would you pay a fee to fight for something which may or may not relate to something Ray Leonard once held back when the Jheri curl was in vogue?

Source: queensberry-rules.com

Mayweather vs. Mosley - A Throwback to the Rich History of American Fights and the Welterweight Division

2010-04-22T04:01:00.001-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 22 Apr 2010

LOS ANGELES (April 21)...Check your almanac: On the night of September 16, 1981, time stopped for one hour while welterweight champions Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns traded punches in Las Vegas. That's how big a fight it was. On May 1, welterweights Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley will clash in the biggest bout of 2010. The mega-matchup of multi-division champions, pound-for-pound kings and future Hall of Famers summons memories not only of Leonard-Hearns, but also of the rich history of American welterweights.

In recent years, boxing's headlines have been made largely by foreign-born fighters like Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao, Joe Calzaghe and Juan Manuel Marquez. At welterweight or otherwise, there have been precious-few all-American matchups. In that sense, Mayweather-Mosley is a throwback fight.

In the boxing-rich 1980s, the majority of super-fights were contested between Americans. Among the memorable matchups were Leonard-Hearns, Leonard-Marvin Hagler, Hagler-Hearns, Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney, Holmes-Muhammad Ali, Michael Spinks-Holmes and Mike Tyson-Spinks.

The same can be said for many of the major fights of the 1990s, including Evander Holyfield-Riddick Bowe, Holyfield-Tyson, Holyfield-George Foreman, Michael Moorer-George Foreman Roy Jones-Bernard Hopkins, Jones-James Toney and Pernell Whitaker-Oscar De La Hoya.

The first decade of the new century has seen a shift. There have been big fights involving Americans (De La Hoya-Mayweather, De La Hoya- Hopkins, Mosley-De La Hoya I and II), but nowhere near as many as in previous years. Perhaps Mayweather-Mosley represents the beginning of a shift back to the way it used to be.

No one is quite sure of the origin of the word "welterweight," but boxing historians are certain that the 147-pound division's first world champion was Boston's Paddy Duffy, who was crowned in 1888. In the 122 years since, the division has been dominated by Americans.

Consider the following:

*In 1939, St. Louis' Henry Armstrong, who is usually ranked below only Sugar Ray Robinson on all-time pound-for-pound lists, defended his welterweight title an incredible 11 times. This feat took place only a year after Armstrong defeated Chicago's Barney Ross, an all-time great himself, to win the title.

*New York City's Sugar Ray Robinson is remembered primarily as a middleweight, but was at his fighting best as a welterweight. He defended his title five times and was beaten only once, by a middleweight...Jake LaMotta.

*A handful of the fighters who have held the mythical pound-for-pound title did so as welterweights, including Whitaker (Norfolk, Virginia), Leonard (Palmer Park, Maryland), Mayweather (Grand Rapids, Michigan), Mosley (Pomona, California), De La Hoya (Los Angeles) and Donald Curry (Fort Worth, Texas).

*Other legends who held the welterweight title before jumping to middleweight include Mickey Walker (Elizabeth, New Jersey) and Carmen Basilio (Canastota, New York).

*Four of Ring Magazine's 10 best welterweight fights of all time were all-American affairs: Basilio-Tony DeMarco II, Leonard-Hearns I, Simon Brown-Maurice Blocker and De La Hoya-Mosley I.

American athletes have historically been bigger than their foreign counterparts. Scan boxing's various divisions and you'll see that while the vast majority of heavyweight champions have been American, the United States has produced very few notable flyweights and bantamweights.

With a limit of 147 pounds, the welterweight division lies somewhere near the middle of boxing's eight original weight classes. One might say it is the average or median of all weight classes and as a result, there have been great fighters from all over the world competing in the division. Pacquiao hails from the Philippines; Miguel Cotto, Felix Trinidad, and Wilfred Benitez from Puerto Rico; Ike Quartey from Ghana; Ted "Kid" Lewis from England; Joe Walcott from Barbados; Jimmy McLarnin from Ireland; Pipino Cuevas from Mexico; Roberto Duran from Panama and Jose Napoles and Kid Gavilan from Cuba.

Still, Ring Magazine lists Americans as the four best fighters in the history of the division (Armstrong, Robinson, Leonard, and Ross). Until the recent influx of titlists from the former Soviet Union and elsewhere, Americans dominated at heavyweight, and their excellence was best explained by genetics. Not so at welterweight, where the fighters have always battled on an even playing field.

Mayweather-Mosley serves as a reminder not only that Americans remain among the world's best fighters, but also that the welterweight division is still red, white and blue.

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Mayweather vs. Mosley: Who R U Picking? is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Dewalt Tools and StubHub. The 12-round welterweight battle is set for Saturday, May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $1,250, $1,000, $600, $300 and $150 not including applicable service charges, are on sale now and limited to 10 per person and ticket sales at $150 are limited to two (2) per person with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Seven of the MGM MIRAGE properties will host closed circuit viewing of Mayweather vs. Mosley. Tickets for the closed circuit telecasts at all venues are priced at $50, not including applicable service charges and handling fees are on sale now. All seats will be general admission and will be available at each individual property's box office outlets and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith's Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000, or visit www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket sales are limited to 20 per person.

An all new episode of HBO®'s all-access reality series "24/7 Mayweather/Mosley" debuts Saturday, Apr. 24 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Episodes one and two are available on HBO ON DEMAND®. The four-part series chronicles the back stories of the two prizefighters as they prepare for their May 1 welterweight showdown in Las Vegas.

The Mayweather vs. Mosley pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $54.95, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View® and will be available to more than 71 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View®, a division of Home Box Office, Inc., is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For Mayweather vs. Mosley fight week updates, log on to www.hbo.com.

Source: PhilBoxing.com