Floyd Mayweather vs Shane Mosley - News, Latest Updates, HBO 24/7 Boxing Videos, Streaming

Quickness at center of bout

2010-05-01T03:11:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS - "Sugar" Shane Mosley will have a lot more to worry about than just the hand speed of Floyd Mayweather Jr. when the two square off tonight in the welterweight main event at MGM Grand.
Mayweather's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather, appropriately pointed that out the other day when a reporter asked him if Mosley might be the fastest fighter his nephew has ever faced.

"People don't even understand about boxing," Roger Mayweather said. "One of the fastest guys in the history of the sport of boxing was a 1976 Olympic gold medalist. It was Howard Davis Jr. He had tremendous speed, but he never won a championship, and he fought guys that were much slower than him.

"It's not about speed that wins fights. Skill wins fights. And he (Floyd Jr.) is the most skilled fighter in the sport of boxing, period, hands down."

Not an easy point to argue. Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is probably the most difficult fighter on which to land a clean punch and the way he avoids punches even when he's not moving is simply amazing.

Mosley might be the fastest Mayweather has seen. But he is not as clever and if Mosley gets frustrated by not being able to land his array of power shots, it could be a long night for the Pomona native.

Even assuming the speed is the same, Mayweather said they are nevertheless completely different.

"I think he's a fighter who always worries about landing one big shot," Mayweather said. "He's worried about

who is extremely strong and I worry about being smart and winning, so we approach fighting in two totally different ways."
Class was in.

"I mean, Shane may be loading up with wide shots and kind of using not really a fuller jab and I use a fuller jab," said Mayweather, 33. "You know 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, if you go back and look at some of Shane's fights."

The way Mayweather fights, the general thinking is that Mosley will have to cut off the ring. That makes sense, especially if Mosley can get Mayweather in a corner and hit him in the body.

But Naazim Richardson, Mosley's trainer, scoffed when it was suggested Mosley will need to deploy that strategy.

"I haven't read the passage that it's necessary for us to have to cut the ring off," Richardson said. "Nobody's gotten that documentation to me yet, so the game plan I have is that I'm bringing `Sugar' Shane Mosley to the table.

"I'm not bringing those other 40 guys that he (Mayweather) fought. I'm bringing another decorated, documented legend to the table."

Perhaps therein lies the key to victory for Mosley. Yes, Mayweather is undefeated, but Mosley has had a rather terrific career as well. He has won world titles in three weight classes while compiling a record of 46-5 with 39 knockouts.

There are plenty of experts out there who think Mosley has a solid chance to win, that Mosley's combination of talent and mettle makes the perfect recipe for victory.

Mosley certainly thinks so.

"Floyd is a great fighter and there are a lot of different things he can bring to the ring," Mosley said. "But there are a lot of things I bring as well."

Like quickness.

"I think he has good hand speed, but I think my hand speed is good, too," Mosley said. "I don't know if I'm going to be faster or slower, I have to get in the ring and see. I believe I'm faster."

And more vicious, said Mosley, whose title will not be on the line for Mayweather to win because Mayweather said titles don't mean anything to him these days (he probably didn't want to pay the sanctioning fees, either).

"People should be picking me because I have proven that I can knock people out in any round," said Mosley, 38. "I'm experienced and I have the speed, power and agility to win this fight."

He plans on letting it all hang out, too.

"I'm going to do everything," Mosley said. "I'm going to attack, I'm going to box a little. I'm going to do it all."

Apparently, the oddsmakers aren't convinced, Mayweather being a 4-to-1 favorite.

Part of that could be Mosley's age combined with Mayweather's uncanny defensive ability. Mosley also hasn't fought in 16 months.

But Mosley is not just any 38-year-old, and he cautions those who think he can't be the one to hand Mayweather his first loss.

"A victory over Floyd Mayweather would definitely rank in my top victories," said Mosley, like Mayweather, a certain Hall of Famer.

"It would let people know that once again they overlooked Sugar Shane Mosley and that was a mistake."

Here's something to consider. Sugar Ray Leonard, one of the all-time greats, is in town and he had this take on the fight:

"I have yet to see him (Mayweather) hurt, knocked down or whatever," Leonard said. "On the other hand, I see `Sugar' Shane Mosley as a guy who could penetrate his impeccable defense. I had a premonition the other night and I saw a knockout by someone. I am not a guru, I am not a psychic, but I did see a knockout."

Mosley tipped the scales at the 147-pound limit at Friday's weigh-in. Mayweather weighed 146. Not including pay-per-view upside, Mayweather has a guarantee of $22.5 million. Mosley's is $7 million.

Source: sbsun.com

Will Mayweather Ever Have To Pay The Price For Boxing Immortality?

2010-05-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

Whether they like it or not (and who would?) greatness for a prize fighter comes only with the display of a high pain threshold. It is a sad requirement of the sport, a demand put on boxers to define themselves not simply by their most triumphant moments but by overcoming their most difficult ones.

Would the story be the same for Ali if there had never been a Joe Frazier to knock him to the floor and challenge him at every turn? Would Sugar Ray Robinson be so sweet without Jake LaMotta, Carmen Basilio, Max Schmeling and even Randy Turpin tormenting him?

Leonard and Hagler needed Thomas Hearns as much to test their mettle as to prove their greatness. It is a truism of boxing going back that goes back to the days of bare knuckle brawling. Even though these days one can gain world rankings and even world titles without facing so much as one true challenge, the price of boxing immortality is higher for it demands a hard night or two when all seems lost and still you triumph.

That is what is missing from Roy Jones’ resume (judging by the poor performance of his chin when finally tested one can understand why he avoided such challenges for so long) and from Mike Tyson’s. Neither got off the floor to win, at least not when deposited there in the kind of crushing way that leaves the sound of wind chimes in their head long after they are again upright.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. seems to have no interest in facing such a moment and one can understand why yet he needs such a night to validate not his boxing talent, which is obvious, but to test him in the hot cauldron of adversity.

Mayweather may finally face such a test Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena when he steps into the ring against four-time world champion Shane Mosley but he wants no part of such a test. In fact, he mocks the very idea of it and why wouldn’t he?

As Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, the former champion Roger Mayweather, said recently when asked about his nephew’s apparent distaste for being hit, “I don’t know anybody that likes to get hit.’’

It’s a good point but the difficult fact when it comes to assessing Mayweather is that we have yet to see him face the kind of adversity Leonard did in his first bout with Hearns or the type of hellish, soul-searching moments Ali encountered when in the ring with Joe Frazier.

In boxing, fair or unfair, that is when we decide who and what a fighter really is. This is not to promise Mosley will be able to take Mayweather to such a dark and difficult place but it is where he needs to go to win over the remaining doubters and skeptics who insist he is still untested even after winning 40 straight fights and world titles from 130 pounds to 154 pounds.

Yet in Mayweather’s opinion that whole concept is borderline insanity. Why must a fighter struggle to prove his greatness? Why isn’t dominance enough?

“I take less punishment, I land the highest percentage and I work the hardest,’’ he said of himself recently not long before insisting he not only compared favorably to Ali and Ray Robinson but was better than both, a position that has been hotly debated ever since.

“My father taught me defense and no one can break through it. I just know if a punch is coming. I can feel it. I know what my opponent is going to do.’’

Perhaps he does for those are the instincts that separate good boxers from great ones. But what happens to him on the night he doesn’t know? What happens on the night he takes more punishment, not less?

Can he still find a way to win then, when he is wounded and vulnerable in the way Leonard appeared to be in his first fight with Hearns or the way Ali was against Frazier? Frankly, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would rather not find out.

“Shane is a solid welterweight with great accomplishments but I have been fighting these kinds of fighters my whole career without much appreciation,’’ Mayweather said. “Shane has talent. I have a God-given gift. No one gives me credit for who I’ve fought during my career because I can make anybody look like a nobody.

“Shane’s done some things in this sport but 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 and didn’t do.

“I don’t rate myself. I’m a harsh critic of myself so no matter how I go I always say to myself I could have done better. When I fought (Diego) Corrales I said I could have done better. When I fought (Arturo) Gatti I said I could have done better. My main thing is I don’t worry about it.’’

He doesn’t worry about the need for a bloody night of triumph either. If Mayweather leaves the MGM early Sunday morning looking like he’s been there for a night of blackjack rather than as if he’d been hit by a blackjack it’s no bother to him because, the way he sees it, bruises are not the definition of greatness in boxing.

“I don’t get paid to get hit,’’ Mayweather insisted. “I wasn’t taught to get hit. I was taught how to hit and not get hit. That’s what I’m about. I don’t need my nose all over my face to prove I’m a great fighter. When I get in the ring I’m trying to get that boy off my ass.

“I love the fans but I fight for me first because the truth is you’re just an object. Once they’re done with you, it’s over so it doesn’t matter to me what other people say.

“There’s nothing cool about taking punishment. What’s cool is dishing it out so when your career is over you still have all your senses. When my career is over fans will appreciate my skills and my boxing ability. I know who Floyd Mayweather is. I’m a great fighter…a great fighter.’’

Maybe so great that he won’t ever need to overcome great difficulties and difficult nights to prove it but, boxing being boxing, I wouldn’t bet on it.  

Source: thesweetscience.com

Mayweather, Mosley weigh in

2010-05-01T01:56:00.000-07:00

From the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for tomorrow night’s “Mayweather vs. Mosley: Who R U Picking?” megafight on PPV, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions:

Shane Mosley 147 vs Floyd Mayweather 146
Saul Alvarez 150 vs JM Cotto 149
Daniel Ponce de Leon 125 vs Cornelius Lock 125
Said Ouali 146 vs. Hector Saldivia 147.5
Arturo Morua 141 vs. Jessie Vargas 142
Gilberto Sanchez Leon 130 vs. Eloy Perez 129
Dion Savage 168 vs. Tommie Speller 166
Luis Ramos 136 vs. Allen Litzau 138*
* Contract was 135.
Daniel Reece 136 vs. Angel Soto 137

Source: fightnews.com

Mayweather vs Mosley 24/7 Episode 2

2010-04-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley 24/7 Episode 1

2010-04-15T02:21:00.001-07:00

Mayweather and Mosley's dads speak up

2010-04-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – The fathers of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley stood up for their sons with less than a month until their “Who R U Picking?” main event on May 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mayweather and Mosley used to be trained by their trainers, Floyd Sr. and Jack, respectively.

Floyd Jr. is being trained by his father’s brother, Roger, while Shane’s trainer is Naazim Richardson.

“Shane and I have both been in the sport a long time and have tremendous backgrounds coming from boxing families. When you take the two and put them together you get a very exciting fight,” Floyd Jr. commented in a FightFan.com article by Ace Freeman.

It was natural for the fathers to root for their sons in the upcoming fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

But Floyd Sr. countered Jack’s prediction that Shane would win.

“First off, I heard these crazy things from Jack about what Shane is going to do. Shane is going to get his ass whooped. This is what's going to happen because little Floyd is faster than Shane, much faster, much slicker, more clever, smarter and he has so many things that he can do,” Floyd Sr. said in articles posted on BoxingScene.com and FightHype.com.

Despite writing Shane off, Floyd Sr. said that the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight super champion is a tougher opponent for the undefeated Floyd Jr. than 7-division world champion and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

“On the real, I think Shane would be the tougher fight. Shane would be the tougher fight because of certain reasons, so figure it out. Shane would be a much tougher fight than that ‘whatever’ over there that fights like a machine,” added Floyd Sr.

Pacquiao was supposed to be Mayweather’s opponent last March. Their fight did not push through because of their disagreement on the drug testing protocol.

The Filipino boxing icon even sued Floyd Jr., Floyd Sr., Roger Mayweather and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar de la Hoya and Richard Schaefer for alleging that he was taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Shane's power-boxing

Jack, on the other hand, said that Shane will get the better of the undefeated Floyd Jr. with his immense power and notable speed. He said his son “hits like a heavyweight” and is “fast enough to hit Floyd over and over and over again.” (Click here)

He continued: “Shane is a boxer-puncher. I call it power-boxing. I'm thinking that when you're boxing a guy who may be defensive in all of his other fights, he may not be as defensive against a guy of Shane's talent. In that respect, I think Shane will be too much for Floyd to handle. He's too powerful.”

Shane was slated to face Andre Berto last January but the latter pulled out because his family was affected by the Haiti earthquake.

Moreover, Jack revealed that Team Mosley already had a fight strategy against Floyd Jr. 10 years ago.

“We've had strategies to fight Floyd, since Floyd's been boxing... so if we ever had the chance to fight him - we already knew how to fight Floyd, and beat him. It won't be a surprise to me when Shane beats him. We already studied him over and over and I'm sure Floyd studied Shane over and over,” noted Jack. – With reports from FightHype.com and BoxingScene.com

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Mayweather vs. Mosley: Is this as good as it gets for Floyd?

2010-04-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

By Jason Kim: For Floyd Mayweather Jr. his fight against Shane Mosley next month on May 1st might just well be the pinnacle of his career. It’s sad to say, but I think this could be the final really large mega fight of Mayweather’s career. He’s not likely to face Manny Pacquiao in the near future or every because of Mayweather’s demands that Pacquiao take the Olympic style random blood tests, which Pacquiao is totally against and not likely to give into to satisfy Mayweather.

Without a fight against Pacquiao taking place, there really isn’t anyone else with a big enough name to make a huge fight with Mayweather. Heck, it took Mayweather 14 years of his career before he finally faced Mosley. Mayweather probably won’t be taking on any other dangerous fighter like Mosley for the remainder of his career. There really isn’t any big names in the welterweight other than Mayweather, Mosley and Pacquiao.
Andre Berto, the WBC welterweight champion, isn’t hugely popular and has looked flawed vulnerable since capturing the WBC title. It’s doubtful that Berto will rise up become a mega star in the future, and he’ll likely get beaten in his next bout with Carlos Quintana anyway. It’s too bad that the Mosley fight could be the last huge fight of Mayweather’s career.

At 33, Mayweather is starting to look noticeably older, and you can imagine he’s probably going to start slowing down in the next couple of years. Usually, fighters start to show signs of deterioration of their reflexes by the time they hit 35. Mosley, 38, is kind of a different case in that he wasn’t just blinding fast, but also a very tough fighter who didn’t mind going to war with his opponents.

Mosley has had that part of his game to fall back on as he’s started to lose some of his hand speed in the past few years. Mayweather may not have that advantage when he reaches 35, if he’s still fighting by then. I expect Mayweather’s hand speed and youth to be the deciding factor in his fight with Mosley, but it’s not going to be easy because Mosley is going to take the fight to him and make Mayweather work hard to get the win.

I wish I could say that Mayweather will give in about the drug testing and seek out a fight with Pacquiao in the future, but I don’t see that happening. I expect Mayweather to stick to his demands about the drug testing. The Mosley fight then could be the zenith of Mayweather’s career. From here, I expect everything to go downhill for Floyd with him going back to taking on smaller fighters like he’s been doing the past couple of years.

I hope Mayweather doesn’t back to hand picking opponents from the lower weight classes, but that’s what I see happening. And if Pacquiao retires, there won’t be any pressure put on Mayweather for him to take on the best fighters. We could then be seeing Mayweather extend his career in one mismatch after another in dull fighters.

Source: boxingnews24.com

Pacquiao picks Mosley, Roach chooses Mayweather

2010-04-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – American trainer Freddie Roach and his prized fighter, Filipino 7-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, failed to agree on who they think will win on May 1 when “Sugar” Shane Mosley takes on Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr.

According to Joaquin Henson of The Philippine Star, Roach predicted that Mayweather (40-0, with 25 KOs) will remain undefeated as he will beat Mosley by decision.

“Shane’s my friend and I hope he wins but he has trouble with speed and movement and likes guys to come to him so it’s going to be difficult,” Roach said in a guest column on London’s Boxing News as quoted in The Philippine Star article.

Pacquiao, on the other hand, has been saying that Mosley would prevail over Mayweather.

“I’m for Shane Mosley,” the pound-for-pound king said in an article by Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star.

“He must do the right preparation. If he does, then he has a very good chance against Mayweather,” he said of the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion who has 46 wins (with 39 KOs), 5 losses and 1 no contest.

FightFan.com earlier reported that Pacquiao said on the Krystal Hart Show that he thinks Mosley will win.

“I think Mayweather vs. Mosley will be a good fight,” he said ahead of his March 13 bout against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey.

Pacquiao, who was originally slated to fight the undefeated Mayweather, defeated Clottey via unanimous decision at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt.

Mosley, for his part, vowed to crush Mayweather, adding that their fight will be better than the lopsided Pacquiao-Clottey clash.

'The better Mayweather'

Negotiations for the Pacquiao vs Mayweather blockbuster match crumbled after the former refused to give in to the latter’s demand for Olympic-style blood testing.

Pacquiao even filed a defamation complaint against Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr., uncle Roger, and Golden Boy Promotions executives Oscar dela Hoya and Richard Schaefer after they alleged that he was taking performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

Roach reacted, “I get upset that some people can’t accept that Manny’s just a great fighter.”

The American trainer, for his part, said that Floyd Jr. has been respectful of him: “I like Floyd as a person ...out of the Mayweathers, he’s one of the better ones.”

But he noted that he will not allow Floyd Jr. to dictate his terms for the fight.

“I let him use my gym when he was doing ‘Dancing With The Stars’ before the Ricky Hatton fight and I’ve known him since he was a little kid. He’s not a bad guy. But the only way the fight with Manny is going to happen is we go by the commission drug-testing rules,” said Roach.

He also wished for “Pretty Boy Floyd” to stop making his own demands because “Floyd doesn’t realize that he’s killing his own sport.”

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Pacman sees Mosley win vs Mayweather

2010-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is rooting for the big underdog in May.

“I’m for Shane Mosley,” said Pacquiao, referring to the reigning WBA welterweight champion who will have his 38-year-old hands full when he faces Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1 in Las Vegas.

Mosley, who happens to be five years older than Mayweather, is the bigger fighter. He enjoys a one-inch advantage in height (5’9”) and a two-inch advantage in reach (74”), and is a true welterweight.

Mosley has fought at 147 lb, and even as high as 154 lb, 20 times over the last 11 years for an overall ring record of 46 wins (39 knockouts) and five losses, the last one against Miguel Cotto in 2007.

Mayweather is of course the undefeated ex-pound-for-pound champion who came off a nearly two-year retirement to beat Juan Manuel Marquez last September, and is now saying he’s still the best out there.

Mayweather, undefeated in 40 fights, has fought as a welterweight no more than half a dozen times, and defeated Oscar dela Hoya in a light-middleweight contest in May of 2007 to set the all-time pay-per-view record.

For their coming fight at the MGM Grand, Mayweather is the favorite. He’s a minus 340 favorite, meaning one needs to put $340 to win a hundred bucks. Mosley, despite his size, is at plus 260 ($100 wins $260).

There’s a lot at stake in the fight. If Mayweather wins, then all questions, and all roads lead to a super-fight with Pacquiao later this year. If Mosley wins, then he suddenly becomes one of the contenders.

Pacquaio’s promoter, Bob Arum, said there are only three fighters looming as Pacquiao’s next best opponent, and they are Antonio Margarito, who lost to Mosley last year, Juan Manuel Marquez and of course, Mayweather.

But that’s assuming that Mayweather would walk past Mosley.

Still, Pacquiao is putting his money on Mosley, and in a recent interview, he said Mayweather should “handle his business” by beating Mosley in order for him to keep his chance of facing the Filipino icon.

“Otherwise, I may end up facing Mosley,” said Pacquiao.

The 31-year-old Pacquiao, who hasn’t lost a fight since March of 2005, said he likes Mosley’s style against Mayweather, who works harder on defense, and is always happy to win on points.

“Mosley is bigger. And he throws more punches. In boxing, it’s always important to throw more punches,” said Pacquiao, now the reigning pound-for-pound champion and a congressional candidate in the Philippines.

But he said the work’s cut out for Mosley.

“He must do the right preparation. If he does, then he has a very good chance against Mayweather,” he said without elaborating.

What’s known is that Pacquiao is putting his money on Mosley, the big underdog.

Source: philstar.com

Take Your Pick!

2010-04-03T18:34:00.000-07:00

Barely a month to go before the welterweight clash between compatriots Sugar Shane Mosley (46-5-0, 39 KOs) and Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (40-0-0, 25 KOs), boxing pundits still don’t have a clear consensus about who has the upper hand in this very intriguing bout. Here, we are going to examine closely the possibilities, as well as the positives and negatives of either fighter. Hopefully after reading this piece, you, my beloved readers could come up with an educated guess as to who will come out victorious.

Let’s start our discussion with the tale of the tape. The undefeated Mayweather is listed at 5’8” with a 72-inch reach. Throughout his entire professional boxing career, the man they call “Pretty Boy”, “Money”, and at times “Chickenjoy” or “Gayweather” has enjoyed the effective reach advantage in all but one of his bouts. Six-division champ “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya was his only opponent who had an effective reach advantage over him. (This topic is comprehensively discussed in one of my previous articles. If you want to dig deeper, you may want to go to this article Mayweather: Untried, Unproven, and Untested at Welterweight! before you continue reading.) “Sugar” Shane Mosley, on the other hand, stands 5’9”, with a 2-inch reach advantage over Mayweather. Judging from the tale of the tape alone, not to mention the fact that Mosley is a relatively far more established welterweight than Mayweather is, then common sense dictates that the 38-year-old fighter out of California should have his hands raised at the end of the bout. But before all you anti-Mayweather fans start rejoicing, take note that the key word there is “alone”. There are still several factors to consider, which we will tackle later on in this piece.

Speed is another important parameter to reflect on. Mosley is known for his incredible hand speed, but his opponent is not bad in this area, either. Conversely, Mayweather is known for his vast foot speed, which is however not among Mosley’s strong points, especially at this point of his boxing career. Both pugs are accurate punchers, but Mayweather’s uncanny ability to elude his opponent, together with a knack for creating angles for his counterpunches, the flamboyant Grand Rapids, Michigan native should have an advantage in this department.

Now, let’s move on to what could very well be the determining factors in this bout – power and durability. Mayweather was a beast at lightweight, knocking opponents out and imposing his will over them. The same, though, cannot be said of him north of the 135-lb weight limit. He has employed more caution rather than taking risks for an explosive finish. We can perhaps blame it on his fragile hand, which explains why he prefers to use gloves with more padding. His chin is rather untested, too. Zab Judah stopped him on his tracks when the former welterweight champ connected with clean shots to the jaw, which apparently hurt him. On the flipside, Mosley has carried his power and durability all the way to the heavier weight divisions. He has faced some of the hardest punching individuals in the sport and has taken a few solid punches as well. He toyed and beat Antonio “Loaded Hands” Margarito from pillar to post. Of course, there’s a very huge difference between fighting someone who is tad slow and constantly charging forward (Margarito) and someone who has cat-quick reflexes and likes to run (Mayweather).

The line separating victory and defeat generally depends on Mosley’s ability to cut the ring and impose his will on his very elusive opponent. Mosley’s jab will also prove to be a crucial factor to keep Mayweather at bay and give him problems unloading his own offensive. Mosley has two choices. He can basically rely on his effective reach advantage and wait for Mayweather to come in, hoping that the judges will grant him the benefit of the doubt if exchanges should ensue… or he can bring the fight to Mayweather and perhaps go for a knockout, not leaving any chances for the judges to take the fight away from him, knowing fully well that these people would certainly want the much anticipated Pacquiao-Mayweather encounter to push through.

The notion of a fixed fight still floats around boxing circles. Reasons cited include the fact that Mosley also has a stake with Golden Boy Promotions, and that a Mayweather victory could salvage the much anticipated battle for the sport’s top dog featuring the current and former pound for pound kings. Nevertheless, there is so much reason not to believe these rumors. If you were in Mosley’s shoes, would you rather lose and let someone else gather the moolah for you, believing that you have a more than decent chance at becoming the first person to get a 1 on Mayweather’s clean slate on May 1? Your guess is as good as mine.

Now that practically all the essential factors have been laid out, who do you think will earn the chance at challenging the sport’s best fighter pound for pound?

Source: socyberty.com

FIGHT PREVIEW AND PREDICTION

2010-04-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

Preview: The biggest fight of the year thus far takes place on May 1 in Las Vegas, as Floyd Mayweather fights Shane Mosley. It is a rare match between two fighters who have been at or near the top of the pound-for-pound best list for the past decade. They are both still very viable and in great form. Boxing fans eagerly await this fight.

Floyd Mayweather is the favorite, a perk that comes with being undefeated over a career that spans nearly 14 years. The 33-year-old has bad hands, but is generally well preserved, having not been subjected to beatings and hard fights. Some might say this is due to careful matchmaking or perhaps it is just due to Mayweather’s brilliance. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Putting the questions surrounding the quality of recent Mayweather opponents aside, he is facing a top guy in this fight and deserves credit. Mosley is coming off a destructive knockout of fearsome Antonio Margarito. Shane looked renewed after some had begun to write him off. He battered Margarito at will, looking as good as ever in the process. Sure he is 39, but he has lived a Spartan lifestyle that allows him to still be a top guy.

Floyd doesn’t have the losses Mosley has, but he might if he fought the same level of competition. Mosley’s resume reads like a who’s-who of boxing over the last 2 decades, highlighted by two wins over a prime Oscar De La Hoya. He lost twice each to Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright and dropped a close one to a then-undefeated Miguel Cotto. His win over Margarito, however, confirmed his stature at the top of the sport is still solid.

Mayweather could grow old overnight. Fighters don’t continue unabated forever. He will have had only fight in 28 months by the time he climbs into the ring on May 1. Mosley hasn’t been too active himself, as this is his first fight since beating Margarito in January of last year. Old pros like these shouldn’t have too much of a problem. Sometimes layoffs are good for aging fighters.

I think Mosley will be Mayweather’s toughest fight in quite a while. Mosley has great speed and can still hit extremely hard. He is probably the puncher in this fight. Mayweather is just so clever in the ring, knowing how to shade the conditions in his favor. He is a master of distance and a defensive whiz. After over a decade at the world-class level, he has yet to be in deep peril. His chin and fighting pride are also strong suits.

Prediction: I see a fast-paced and even encounter over the first half of the fight. Mayweather will be troubled by Mosley’s speed and combinations, while keeping Mosley honest with snappy counters and a strong jab. As the fight wears on, Mayweather will settle into more of a groove and begin to better time Mosley with combinations that will take a little wind out of his sails. I see Mayweather’s ring IQ playing a major role. Mosley, a clever fighter himself, will not be able to adjust late as the fight gets away from him. Mayweather will outbox Mosley to win a clear unanimous decision.

Source: belmont.com

HBO 24/7: MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY PROMO VIDEOS

2010-04-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

The Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. match fell apart, but boxing fans were given an excellent replacement with Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, a fight over a decade in the making. The much anticipated match-up between long time rivals, Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. and Sugar Shane Mosley is only a couple weeks away and to stir up some hype for the fight HBO is launching another installment of the Emmy award winning, HBO 24/7 series, with 24/7 Mayweather-Mosley. April 10, will be the first episode of four. Watch the fighters get ready for their May 1 HBO Pay-per-view.

An all new HBO Boxing 24/7, premieres April 10, 2010 on HBO. Follow Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley as they prepare for their May 1 fight only on Pay-Per-View. For more information on HBO Boxing and upcoming fight schedules, log onto HBO.com.

Make sure to order the Pay-per-view “Who R U Picking?” Mayweather vs. Mosley Live from MGM Grand, Las Vegas, May 1.

Source: nowboxing.com

Who visits Pac-Land Next, Money Mayweather or Sugar Shane?

2010-04-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

By Ronald C Charles One of the most anticipated bouts of the year so far is fast approaching, One month from today Floyd Mayweather Jr will meet Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout is intriguing for a number of different reasons, for one a few in the game who’s opinion I respect have actually tipped Mosley to win, I don’t see it myself but hey there would be less to debate if we all picked the same guy. The other interesting factor is Mosley will be the first true welterweight Mayweather has fought since Carlos Baldomir way back in 2006.

Most pundits and fans alike have been harsh to the Grand Rapids born fighter for his insistence on fighting smaller men like Juan Manuel Marquez and Ricky Hatton, or his fighting an on the slide De La Hoya. The same people fail to recognise Mayweather began his career at 130 pounds (Super Featherweight)

We live in an era where fighters are always on the move, making the transition from one weight to another has become a whole lot easier since the creation of the intermediate divisions. I don’t like it myself but we must stay consistent, to ridicule one you must ridicule all.

I feel the Mosley fight gives the self styled Money Mayweather the perfect platform to display his greatness, however should Mayweather win convincingly I have no doubt some detractors will find an angle to further ridicule his performance. To small, too slow, over the hill, he never had his corn flakes this morning; the truth is the confident outspoken Mayweather will always have his detractors.

When thinking the possible outcome of a fight I don’t put too much stock in either fighter’s last performance, I like to delve a little deeper. Analysing the last 5 fights and searching for the last time either fighter faced someone with a similar style.

Mosley
When looking at Shane two things are blatantly obvious, he is 38-years-old and has been inactive for over a year. As you study his previous performances you will notice he does really well against come forward fighters, the typical Mexican stand and fight style like that of Fernando Vargas (who Mosley stopped twice) or a Ricardo Mayorga who Mosley knocked out when the two met in 2008.

Then you analyse the two fights Mosley lost in 2004 to Ronald Wright, Winkey was a defensive fighter, a ring technician who put head before his fists. A style a younger Mosley could not cope with and lost the first bout by a wide margin, the second by majority decision.

Mayweather is another level altogether whose modus operandi is defensive mastery, so if a younger, fresher and faster Shane could not figure out the Wright riddle, I give him no chance of figuring out the most gifted defensive fighter of this generation in Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Shane has proved in the past he is a versatile fighter who can both box and move and has certainly faced the better opposition, however at 38 he may have bitten off a little more than he can chew in Mayweather.

Mayweather
When Mayweather returned to the sport in 2009 he faced Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez who at the time was ranked no 2 pound for pound, and the number one lightweight champion of the world. The former “lightweight” was the problem for most. Before Floyd’s temporary retirement he was competing in the welterweight division while Marquez had never competed above 135 pounds. A contractual catch weight of 144 pounds was agreed, the day before the fight Mayweather weighed in 2 pounds over and was forced to pay Marquez $600,000, (300,000) per pound.

If we took anything from the fight it was Mayweather came back as good as he left, the speed, reflexes and movement where better than ever as Mayweather boxed his way to a 12 round unanimous decision.

Mayweather usually dominates his opponent and as yet no-one has come close to scripting the blue-print on how to beat the five weight champion. Mexican Jose Luis Castillo came closest when the two met in 2002. Other have said Mayweather’s most troublesome rounds have come against southpaws DeMarcus Corley and Zab Judah, however in both fights Mayweather managed to overcome both en-route to a convincing unanimous decision win.

Most are of the opinion a Mosley vs. Pacquaio fight will be more fan friendly than that of a Mayweather Boxing clinic; and they may be right. But in my opinion the outcome will be more predictable than a Mayweather - Pacquiao fight where I can see a scenario playing out for either man being victorious. Boxing needs a Pacquiao – Mayweather fight, both are atop the pound for pound summit with the boxing world is split down the middle as to who they think will win.

Source: theboxinghistorian.com

FLOYD MAYWEATHER VS SHANE MOSLEY LATEST ODDS AND FREE TIPS

2010-04-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

The Floyd Mayweather vs Shane Mosley fight is just over a month away and the betting action is already starting to get fairly heavy on this fight. Many are predicting another Mayweather roll-over as he seeks to keep his undefeated streak alive. Many of us were bracing ourselves for the Manny Pacuiqo vs Floyd Mayweather superfight before doping allegations and drug-testing controversy derailed the fight. For now.

Unsurprisingly, the odds are heavily-skewed in favour of a Mayweather victory by decision. He is priced extremely short to win the fight outright, with a 1.2 listing, and his odds to win via decision or technical decision are available at a slim 1.44.

If you’re looking for any form of value in this one, you’ve either got to bet on Mosley to win or Mayweather to win via a KO or TKO. There is betting available on the draw or technical draw, but that never really happens at this level and is basically a waste of money.

If you are backing Mayweather to win in a specific round, your shortest odds are coming in rounds 8-10 where you’ll find them priced at 26.0. Mayweather is paying 34.0 to win in any other round but the first round, where he is listed at his highest price with odds of 41.0.

Sugar Shane Mosley is listed at 67.0 to win the fight in any round and a solid 6.0 to beat Mayweather via decision or technical decision.

Blue Square will also be offering up a stellar free bet offer on this bout so be sure to cash that in if you’re looking to have a big bet here.

If you have the utmost confidence in Mayweather, you’ll do well to back him via the decision even though there really isn’t much value there. I think that Mosley’s best chance to cause a massive upset would be a late round KO. I think Mayweather is a strong contender to go the distance, but may have a few kicks at the can with the round betting as the prices are quite solid.

Source: bettingchoice.co.uk

Who do boxing fans want to win?

2010-04-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Boxing fans are divided on who is going to win in the upcoming fight between Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley scheduled for May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Most of them though are rooting for the undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

One month before the Mayweather-Mosley fight scheduled on May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, sportswriters are getting mixed signals from boxing fans around the world on who they prefer to win in the highly talked-about boxing event this year.
Feedback or comments from various sports articles show that boxing fans prefer a win by Floyd Mayweather, jr over Shane Mosley. The reason seems to be the boxing fans great anticipation for the resumption of the scuttled fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather.

It may be recalled that the failed match between Mayweather and Pacquiao has generated so much publicity for both boxers and boxing fans want the fight to happen within the year or early next year.

Boxing fans' preference for a Mayweather win over Mosley, seems to point to a number of unfinished issues which they believe should be dealt with sooner than later. These issues range from Mayweather's accusation that Pacquiao was taking steroids or performance enhancing drugs during his previous fights, to the question of who is the real current pound-for-pound king in boxing,

These two major issues remain unresolved to this day and boxing fans say that they should be resolved not in court of law or in questionable popularity ratings but they should be dealt with inside the ring.

On the other hand, a good number of boxing fans and analysts predict that Mosley will defeat Mayweather on May 1. They think that Mosley, being the aggressor on account of his natural offensive stance, will dictate the tempo when they collide inside the ring. Mayweather is known for his mastery of the art of defensive boxing.

Boxing fans want to see a good fight. Many believe that a Pacquiao-Mayweather match is a crowd-drawer. That is why they want to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather match.

At the same time it could also be a boring fight as Freddie Roach has opined. He said that Mayweather, just like Clottey is a defensive fighter and he will be busy inside the ring defending Pacquiao's flurry of punches as the pound-for pound king is known for his speed and punching power.

Source: digitaljournal.com

Gearing Up For HBO's Mayweather/Mosley 24/7

2010-03-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

We are a little over a week away from HBO's Mayweather/Mosley 24/7. I'm a huge fan of the show, and it deserves all of its accolades and Emmy awards. I was thinking of ways to make the series better, whether it be changing the narrator or altering the length. But I couldn't come up with any necessary changes based on those factors. The lengths of the episodes and series duration are all fine. Narrator, Liev Schreiber, is smooth, and really, just perfect. I haven't seen Schreiber in a film since the totally unnecessary Manchurian Candidate remake, so I don't know how his acting career is going, but he's doing great work with HBO. The show is excellent, but I'm not as stoked as I should be for this next installment. It's Mayweather. I need a new angle on him.

This is Floyd's fourth go around, and I feel like we've covered just about all of the areas. We know about his wealth and love for money. The relationship between he, his father, and his uncle have been beaten to death. Although, if they want to add something new to this topic area, subtitles for Floyd Sr. and Roger would help viewers immensely.

They've shown Floyd's children. Oh yes, the children. Um, where did these children come from? Who did he sire them with? This is the one angle in Mayweather's life that's completely lacking. Who is he banging?

I'm sorry, I know many of you may think I need to Wikipedia him, or look up old issues of US or People, but why should I, when HBO's 24/7 should be touching on this for me. I remember seeing the "significant others" for De La Hoya, Hatton, Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez and Cotto, but never Mayweather. Sex and intimacy are a part of a person's life, and I would like to get a look at who the fighter is sharing his time with. Why is this aspect so absent from Floyd's life?

It would be awesome if he was gay.

I'm not making an allegation, so I hope Floyd doesn't find out about this column, and I wind up getting shot at next time I go skating in Vegas. Nor am I making an insult. Those who know me, understand that I'm the most pro-gay/lesbian person you'll find. I'm in favor of homosexual marriage, adoption, right to serve openly in the military–the whole nine. Also, I think it's juvenile and insulting when others try to slur Floyd with terms like "Gayweather" and the such.

I actually think that an openly gay Floyd Mayweather Jr. could do enormous good for the gay cause-more than Ricky Martin for instance. Imagine one of the greatest boxers of the past 20 years, and a first ballot Hall-of-Fame legend, as an openly gay fighter. It would be huge. I know the great Emile Griffith was rumored and understood by many to be gay in the 60's and 70's, but that's not the same at out and proud.

It would be one of the most talked about moments in television history, if one of the 24/7 episodes ended with Mayweather Jr jumping into the arms of some muscle-head for a full on hardcore make-session. People would be dropping their drinks in slow motion, with their mouths agape, all across the world.

Don't start berating me with the "evidence" that Mayweather's children are proof of his heterosexuality. We've all heard of "down-low". Plus, plenty of gay men have had intercourse with women, and have sired children-it means nothing. Again, I have no idea if Pretty Boy Floyd is gay, but if he is, 24/7 would be a great opportunity to kick the closet doors open.

If Floyd is straight, can I at least see a segment or two showing who he's dating, or having "relations" with? Does Floyd date outside of his race? Is he into skinny super models, or full-figured "more to love" types? Does he spend his time with ghetto "chickenheads", or do preppie sophisticated types appeal to Floyd?

Look, every part of Mayweather's life has been turned inside out on 24/7, and it's getting a tad tired. I simply want this one last, unknown, angle placed on display. Any man or woman who shares a special intimate place in Floyd's life is a compelling figure. Floyd has a fascinating personality. Who puts up with him on an intimate basis? I want to know. And so do you.

Mosley on 24/7

I'm so glad that Shane Mosley is going to be featured on 24/7. His career has fascinated me. He's been an elite fighter for almost 15 years in three different weight classes. Mosley has been compared to Sugar Ray Robinson because of his flashy, fighting spirit and hand-speed. Mosley has good looks, and is extremely well spoken-long thought of as one of the nice guys in the sport.

Why hasn't this guy ever become a crossover star?

I've never understood it. I guess the easy answer is that Oscar De La Hoya took on that role during the same era. However, Foreman was a talk-show and commercial staple during the Holyfield era. Mayweather and Pacquiao are both big stars right now. Why didn't Mosley make it big; particularly after his first victory over Oscar?

I hope the 24/7 series delves into this. Sure, Mosley headlined some high grossing pay-per-views, but only with Oscar as the marquee draw. Mosley has never been a humongous draw on his own. I'd like to know his thoughts about this. Mosley's career has had a lot of professional and personal ups and downs, and I'm very anxious to see it all on display-including his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions.

Of course one issue that 24/7 will have to focus on is Mosley's performance-enhancing drug (PED) use. You got to figure that PEDs will be a major aspect of the show because of the unprecedented Olympic-style blood-test program both fighters will be on. Also, the PED issue killed the proposed Pacquio/Mayweather showdown. Mosley is the poster-boy for PED usage in boxing. He doped up prior to his last victory over De La Hoya in 2003.

Mosley–who closely worked with PED manufacturer, BALCO–claims that he didn't know he was taking any banned substances. His claims are dubious and refuted by BALCO representatives. This needs to be touched on, but shouldn't be the focus. To Mosley's credit, he's agreed to Olympic-style blood-testing this time around, to prove that he's not cheating anymore.

Another major issue from Shane's past that needs to be featured, is his relationship with his father. By all accounts they're still close, but Shane Mosley's father was fired from being his son's trainer on two separate occasions. Mosley is currently trained by Nazim Richardson, who not only led Mosley to one of the best performances of his career last January versus Antonio Margarito, but also helped bring about the revelation that Antonio was a cheating glove loader prior to that bout. Nazim Richardson, who is also Bernard Hopkins' trainer, needs to be introduced to the broader sports public on the HBO 24/7 showcase. He deserves the notoriety, and he's a damn good trainer to boot.

It should be quite an interesting series this go around. Mosley v. Mayweather has been a decade in the making. Both have called each other out at various points in the past 10 years, but for some reason or another, the two have never gotten a chance to "get it on". After Pacquiao/Mayweather, this is the "biggest" bout that can be made. HBO always does these episodes well, but I hope that they touch on a few of the issues I've focused on in this column.

In a couple of weeks, I'll breakdown who will win and why. Honestly, I haven't decided yet. Initially, I favored Mosley by knockout, and then due to Mosley's layoff, I tended to favor Mayweather by decision. Now after spending lots of time watching some of both fighters' previous bouts on Youtube, I'm favoring Mosley again. I'll be breaking it all down soon enough. Till next time, enjoy this weekend's fights.

Source: 411mania.com

Mayweather vs Mosley 2010 Fight, Predictions, Tickets and Pacquiao Lawsuit Update

2010-03-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Mayweather vs Mosley 2010 Fight, Predictions, Tickets and Pacquiao Lawsuit Update. Last December, we were all hoping for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. That didn’t transpire, and Pacquiao recently took on Joshua Clottey and Floyd Mayweather, Jr is set to take on Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas.

The fight between the formerly retired fighter and Mosley is highly anticipated, and if Mayweather does defeat his opponent everyone will be crying that much harder for a fight against Mayweather and Pacquiao.

The Filipino fighter isn’t backing down from his lawsuit threats. There are some rumors floating around saying that if Mayweather drops his blood testing requirements, the Pac Man will drop his lawsuit and fight him. These rumors have been denied by representatives of the fighter, who claim that he has lost millions of dollars in potential endorsements and that his reputation has been irreparably tarnished.

Pro Boxing Fan predicts that Mayweather will win the fight, although Mosley will put on a strong offensive. They predict that the fight will end via unanimous decision instead of a knockout.

Mayweather has a lot on the line – a lot more than Mosley. If Mayweather defeats Mosley, he’s just adding himself to a laundry list of top-knotch fighters that have fallen to Floyd’s tactics. Mayweather has scored wins against some of the biggest names in boxing, such as Oscar de la Hoya.

If Mayweather loses, then a fight with Pacquiao loses its luster. Despite their strong rivalry, the Pac Man wants to be the one to de-throne Mayweather from his undefeated status.

What do you think the odds are that Mosley will beat Mayweather or vice versa? Do you think we will still get to see a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight?

Source: cnmnewsnetwork.com

Preliminary Perspective

2010-03-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Back in 2006, I wrote that Sugar Shane Mosley's savage KO of Fernando Vargas II was evidence that like a perfect storm, everything was coming together......just the right things in the mix and with just the right timing for him to fight Floyd Mayweather. Team Mosley was running on all cylinders and it seemed unlikely for anyone to slow it down. But that was then and this is now.

Since then, Floyd (now 40-0) has vanquished Carlos Manuel Baldomir, decisioned Oscar De La Hoya, waxed Ricky Hatton, and dominated Juan Manuel Marquez. Mosley has beaten Luis Collazo in a fight where Collazo suffered a fractured left thumb during the second round. He then lost to Miguel Cotto, but came back to beat clownish Ricardo Mayorga in a fight that was extremely close on the score cards until Mosley's spectacular left hook knock out at the very end which sent Mayorga to Matador Dreamland.

Sure, against Collazo, Sugar Shane (46-5) showed a display of effective jabs and great hand speed, once again using feints, quickness, and crafty head and body movement that served him so well in his wins against Oscar De La Hoya and especially Fernando Vargas. But Collazo is not Mayweather, and Vargas had taken brutal beatings at the hands of De La Hoya and Trinidad by the time he met Mosley.

Curiously, Mosley lost two to the "Viper" getting beat up in one, while Mayorga beat Forrest twice. But then Mayorga, an "old" 34, got starched convincingly by De La Hoya who Mosley "beat" twice. Of course, that was then and this is now and a lot has changed.

Shane's demolition of Antonio Margarito in January 2009 raised everyone's eyebrows. However, one theory that has not been given much traction (and one to which I partially subscribe) is that Tony may have been so discombobulated by pre-fight events, that he simply was there for the taking. Whatever the case, Mosley made the most of it and destroyed the disgraced "Tijuana Tornado." Interestingly. Mosley likely did not even get hit flush in that fight, but then, neither did Mayweather against Marquez.

The Age Factor

However, Sugar Shane is getting a bit long in the tooth and his considerable skills are in jeopardy of eroding. Age has a way of impacting speed, quickness, hand-eye coordination, movement, and putting punches together. Moreover, the fact he has fought tougher opponents than Mayweather (Vargas twice, Winky Wright twice, De La Hoya twice, Vernon Forrest twice, Jesse James Leija, John John Molina, Philip Holiday, Collazo, Mayorga, Margarito, among others), is not necessarily an advantage at this point. The reputation for never having ducked an opponent can back fire and render a boxer's body old overnight. That said and notwithstanding the Margorito beat down, I no longer believe Mosley is at the top of his game and I'm betting the ingredients for the perfect storm that once existed have now dissipated to the point where the momentum is clearly in favor of the man with the heavyweight ego.

Fighters like "Pretty Boy," don't come around very often. He uses old school stuff, but he does it so subtly, he is seldom given proper credit for it. As I have said before, he just might be too good for his own good. His use of shoulder rolls, feints, parrying, upward jabbing, giving angles, counter punching, crossover defense, strategic lateral movement, and deflecting punches is all part of the old school mix. So is his mastery of the basics...the three levels of defense, slipping punches, and fighting off the jab. If a purist is one who appreciates the technical aspects of the Sweet Science, Floyd Mayweather Junior is a purist's delight. His fights with Phillip N'dou and Juan Manuel Marquez showcased these attributes to a tee.

However, if one definition of "Old School" is that it combines the aforementioned with a violent dimension (one that reflects a boxer's propensity to engage in a pier six street brawl), then Floyd may be somewhat lacking. Aside from his give and take with Emanuel Augustus, we have not yet seen Floyd be required to demonstrate this dimension. However, his blow-outs of the late Diego Corrales and Arturo Gatti suggest he may be capable of the same kind of mayhem Mosley showed against Margorito, but I doubt he can do that to Mosley.

While I intend to break down this fight far more definitively as we get closer to May 1, my tentative feeling at this point is that a well-rested Floyd Mayweather Junior will dominate Sugar Shane Mosley over 12 rounds and cop a unanimous decision.

Source: badlefthook.com

Mayweather vs Mosley Face Off with Max Kellerman

2010-03-25T05:49:00.000-07:00

Running around in circles: can we just get on with the fights?

2010-03-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

One man WADA Floyd Mayweather and his opponent Shane Mosley will begin the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) anti-doping program on Monday, ahead of Mayweather vs Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Great fight, but such a lot of kerfuffle.

Fine. It is the first time in history that athletes from any U.S. professional sport have reached out and demanded World Anti-Doing Code compliant drug testing, setting a new precedent.

The program will involve no-advance-notice sample collection of the athletes’ blood and urine prior to and after the fight so that all banned substances, some of which do not show up in urine alone, are tested for thoroughly, and with both athletes subjected to the testing program leading up to as well as after the fight.

But it is unlikely to herald a complete change in the sport.

Yet Mayweather thinks so. “I am excited that Shane Mosley and I are willing to take these tests to ensure a fair fight on May 1. I just want to show the world that boxing is a clean sport and it is my hope that all fighters will take a similar stance and responsibility which reflects sportsmanship at the highest level and sets a new standard for safety in boxing.”

Mosley, of course, agrees. “I think the testing program is a great idea and I did not hesitate for a minute about agreeing to it. Let’s hope that the rest of the boxing world follows Floyd’s and my example.” I doubt it.

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions said, “Floyd is leading the way for changing the sport and I commend him for that. Some people have asked why he has not asked for it in the past but it is never too late to take a stand on an issue that is prevalent in all sports today and ask for something that can only have positive results on the future of boxing.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions said, “Shane Mosley is one of the greatest fighters of this era and I commend him for agreeing to participate in a testing process that can only help the integrity of the sport. I commend both of these fighters for setting a new precedent in the sport and giving others an opportunity to reflect on its current state and how, as a collective group, we can continue to make the sport better, safer and fairer for anyone who steps in to the ring.”

We continue in circles. Paulie Malignaggi says Amir Khan is a stronger opponent than Hatton. Khan says Malignaggi is ‘stupid’. Malignaggi continues to assert that there are drugs cheats in boxing…the pair clash in New York on May 15. Khan is likely to slice through the Brooklynite with a flair for hairstyles.

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Drug testing detailed for Mayweather-Mosley fight

2010-03-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Representatives of boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley and Golden Boy Promotions on Thursday revealed their anti-doping procedures for their May 1 welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, said Mayweather and Mosley will be subjected to random urine and/or blood tests from now "until and after the fight." In addition to urine tests for steroids, blood tests will be implemented to search for such performance-enhancers as human growth hormone, synthetic hemoglobin and blood transfusions, Tygart said.

A positive test, Tygart said, would leave the boxer suspended from the sport for two years, a condition he said both fighters have agreed to.

Mayweather's desire for a more stringent testing program than what Nevada offers — random urine testing before and immediately after the bout — contributed to the failed negotiations to stage a fight against Manny Pacquiao earlier this year.

-- Lance Pugmire

Source: latimes.com

Mayweather, Mosley OK tests

2010-03-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and welterweight champion Shane Mosley will undergo Olympic-style drug testing for their May 1 fight in Las Vegas.
Representatives of the two fighters joined Travis Tygart of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency on a conference call yesterday to discuss the program, which is more extensive than the testing that now falls under the jurisdiction of state athletic commissions.

Mayweather and Mosley will be subjected to an unlimited number of unannounced blood and urine tests before and after the fight, and the results will be stored so the USADA can test them in the future.

Most state athletic commissions test only urine samples, which Tygart said cannot detect several performance-enhancing substances, including HGH.

Mayweather's insistence on Olympic-style testing is the main reason negotiations fell through in January for a fight against pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao.

Mosley has acknowledged using steroids before a victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2003, claiming he did so inadvertently.

Source: philly.com

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency outlines drug-testing regimen for Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_spo

2010-03-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

There will be blood.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Thursday outlined parts of the Olympic-style drug-testing program it has put in place for the blockbuster May 1 fight between boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and former BALCO customer Shane Mosley.

USADA's regimen, which includes random blood sampling and other strict measures, outpaces any other anti-doping effort in professional boxing. Both fighters volunteered for the USADA program. Prospects for a previous bout between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao foundered over disputes over drug-testing procedures.

In a conference call Thursday, representatives for both boxers were joined by USADA CEO Travis Tygart, who said Mosley and Mayweather will notify USADA of their whereabouts at all moments between now and the fight in Vegas. USADA may keep the fighters' samples in storage for testing in the distant future, when anti-doping science may have evolved to detect now-invisible substances and methods.

"These athletes are courageous in their position and their desire to be held to the most stringent anti-doping program to protect their right to compete clean," Tygart said. "At this point, both athletes have agreed to USADA's testing protocols, including both blood and urine testing, which is unannounced, which is anywhere, anytime."

Blood testing is customary in Olympic sports, but professional sports leagues in the U.S. have resisted implementing it. Such tests are the only way laboratories can detect the use of human growth hormone and several other doping methods thought to boost strength and stamina.

The new agreement also brings USADA into an awkward sort of partnership with Mosley, who testified before the BALCO grand jury that he injected himself with drugs supplied by BALCO founder Victor Conte, but escaped the kind of punishments other BALCO athletes faced. Mosley has claimed he didn't know the drugs he took were the endurance-boosting EPO and steroids, and has spent two years suing Conte for defamation for saying he told Mosley what the drugs were.

"We thought long and hard about it and its impact on us, whether we could be a part of this effort," Tygart said when asked if there was an investigation into Mosley's BALCO links. "At the end of the day we asked ourselves, what would clean athletes want us to do. From that perspective, clean athletes in this sport and in this event have asked us to be involved."

Tygart said that if USADA had had jurisdiction over boxing in 2003, it would have aggressively pursued evidence implicating Mosley, but that any hypothetical suspension would have been complete by this point.

"If he did cheat, and he does again, he will be caught and exposed in our program," Tygart said.

Source: nydailynews.com

THE OTHER MADNESS: MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY

2010-03-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

BY ARON PHILLIPS

Just as millions of people have filled out their brackets for March Madness, boxing fans have already begun to debate the winner of the Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley fight set for Saturday, May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And while the NCAA Tournament lasts only a few weeks, it has taken six-time World Champion Mayweather and five-time World Champion Mosley a lifetime of dedication to finally reach what will be the biggest fight of their respective careers.

The path to Mayweather vs. Mosley has been a long and hard fought one. They have both paved Hall Of Fame roads by fighting the biggest and best in boxing. Check out the bracket below which shows the paths that they both have taken to get to this mega-fight. If you have brackets on the brain, you can alos vote for who you believe will be victorious HERE.

Source: dimemag.com

Mosley vows better bout vs Mayweather

2010-03-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – Shane Mosley, the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight super champion, said his May 1 fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will surely be a showdown unlike the one-sided fight of Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey last Saturday.

“I would like to congratulate Manny on his victory Saturday night even though I think it put most of the fans watching to sleep,” Mosley said in a 411mania article posted by Ramon Aranda.

Pacquiao successfully defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt against Clottey via unanimous decision last Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Mosley, who will face Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, even declared that he will score a knockout against his opponent.

“Now it's time for the world to focus on May 1 when I promise you nobody will be sleeping except for Floyd after I knock him out and send him back into retirement,” added Mosley.

Pacquiao was supposed to fight Mayweather but negotiations collapsed after they disagreed on the Olympic-style drug testing protocol which Mayweather called for.

Mosley, meanwhile, was slated to face Andre Berto last January. Berto, however, pulled out of the fight because his family members in Haiti were affected by the massive January 12 earthquake.

No comment from Mayweather

Talks of the much-awaited yet botched Pacquiao-Mayweather bout gained ground again after the Filipino boxing icon’s latest victory.

“‘Yun naman ang gusto ko (That’s what I want),” Pacquiao told Abac Cordero of The Philippine Star. “It’s up to him. I have no problem fighting him. But I don’t think he’s ready now.”

Pacquiao’s adviser, Wakee Salud, for his part, said: “I think the fight will happen. It has to happen… “I think it (Pacquiao-Mayweather) will happen this year.”

The undefeated Mayweather, however, has not yet commented on the Pacquiao-Clottey bout.

According to BoxingScene, a Team Mayweather member said: “Floyd did not do any interviews. Floyd has not watched the fight yet.”

This was in response to an alleged interview wherein Mayweather purportedly said that Pacquiao was a one-dimensional fighter. Such interview was deemed “100% fabricated.”

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, meantime, told BoxingScene that he does not believe Mayweather did not watch the Pacquiao-Clottey “The Event” clash.

Mayweather, Clottey worlds apart

It was Mayweather’s uncle, Jeff, who gave remarks on the Pacquiao-Clottey bout.

He told Percy Crawford of FightHype that Pacquiao gave a decent performance but the fight was “very boring and very one-sided.”

“You can't really look spectacular if a guy isn't taking chances or taking any risk to try to win the fight. You had one man working and one man working to survive. With that being the case, it didn't even give Manny the chance to actually look good because there were very few exchanges where both guys were trying to hit each other simultaneously,” he continued.

Jeff then addressed the comparisons being made between Clottey and Mayweather, who are known to be defensive fighters.

He even said the comparisons are “asinine.”

“You're talking about one guy who is a pure boxer, and the purest boxer in the history of the sport, that can actually hit you and not be hit and be right in your face at the same time. And then you got one guy that lies on the ropes and allows you to beat on him. That's the difference is that one is a boxer and one is a sitting duck,” he noted.

Jeff elaborated on his nephew’s boxing style, pointing out that Floyd is not just all about defense because he is a mobile fighter.

“Floyd's defense is why he's moving and while he's actually throwing punches. He will make you miss while he's in the heat of the battle. Floyd makes you miss and makes you pay. Clottey doesn't make you miss. He allows you to hit him on the elbows and hit him on the arms and that's not really defense.” – With reports from 411mania.com, BoxingScene.com, FightHype.com and The Philippine Star

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Mayweather and Mosley Give Fans a Choice

2010-03-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Just a little more than a week away from an event in Texas, welterweight great Sugar Shane Mosley and the volcanic defensive dynamo that is the superstar boxer known as Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. came to downtown Los Angeles’ L.A. Live complex to finish off of a three-city hype parade to announce the most significant welterweight fight since Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad squared off in 1999.

"These kinds of fights come along once in a lifetime and this is going to be one of the most promoted fights in the history of the sport,” said Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer. “We are here to set new records and set new standards. We have NASCAR-like sponsors. This is going to be the most promoted fight in the history of the sport."

If the press conference was any indication, I have no doubt that this fight can give the record 2.4 million pay-per-view buys that Mayweather and Golden Boy founder Oscar De La Hoya set in their May 5, 2007 junior middleweight boredown known as “The World Awaits.”

While that fight was billed as the fight to save boxing and did extraordinary numbers, the combat itself left a lot to be desired and was not close, no matter what the cards said.

It’s been three years since that fight. Three years of waiting for what that fight promised. And now the fans wait no more. Make no mistake; Floyd Mayweather Jr. is in the fight of his life.

Not only is he facing Shane Mosley (who, despite the fact that on fight night, will have spent nearly a year-and-a-half out of the ring), who is coming off a career-best win over Antonio Margarito in January of 2009, Mayweather faces one of boxing’s best strategists in Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson.

In the L.A. Live courtyard, a large proscenium stage was set up with bleachers at stage right, with a gate bordering the crowd gathered in the plaza. Two platforms bookmarked the stage and following a brief clip of each fight on the large video screen above the action, each fighter emerged one at a time amidst a geyser of steam. Two Tecate girls, one ill-fated (she would later faint from standing in the sun), the other a “blonde”, stood on either side of an attached runway where Mosley and Mayweather faced off, jawed at each other in a face-off before strutting down to strike a pose.

Mosley, 39, an aging-but-competitive and dangerous fighter, dreams of returning to the top of the mythical pound-for-pound list via a win over Mayweather, 33, who despite a brief retirement, resides atop that list. This fight is nearly ten years in the making and one that will be hard to wait another two months for. It really is that good.

“May 1, MGM Grand or live on HBO Pay-Per-View,” Schaefer said to the crowd of fans and assembled media. “Floyd Mayweather vs. Sugar Shane Mosley. Two of the best fighters, pound-for-pound. Two of the best fighters, period.”

The bout is being called “Who R U Picking?” (A sort of text message from the boxing gods) and is the kind of fight that already has both casual and hardcore fans choosing sides, which is a great thing for boxing.

“I tell you what; I’m going with the undefeated guy,” Mayweather’s right hand man Leonard Ellerbe told the crowd. “The guy who has never been defeated, faced the top competition throughout all his career. I take nothing away from Shane Mosley. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer, a great fighter. He’s been one of the best fighters of this past decade. And we know, come the night of May 1st, he’s going to bring his best. But his best won’t be good enough. Because when you’re facing Floyd Mayweather, you’re facing simply the best. 40 have come and 40 have gone.”

For Golden Boy Promotions founder and President Oscar De La Hoya, the choice seems easy as he teased the audience with a playfully vague play on words pick.

“I fought both guys. I know both guys. They both beat me,” he explained with his trademark smile, “But I already know what’s going to happen. I already know what’s going to happen and you know what? It ain’t going to be pretty. Because this fight is going to be not only [about] who wants it more. Not only [about] who has the more skills. The determination. No, it’s going to be about who has that whole package. And both of them have proved that they have everything and anything to win fights.”

“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again,” began the always eloquent and often funny Brother Naazim Richardson. “I’m not one to that’s going to stand here and belittle the opponent about what can’t be done and what he’s not capable of doing. I’ve had the privilege of watching [Mayweather] since he was a young kid fighting in the amateurs. Fighting a young man from your area called Carlos Navarro. Like I said, he’s always been an outstanding athlete so I respect him on that level. And I respect the support team around him. Come the first, you have guys that are champions and then you have guys that are elite. Like the Ricky Hattons and the Margaritos. Then you have guys that are special. You’re privileged on May 1 to see two guys that are special. These are not champions. They are bigger than championships. They’re bigger than belts. These guys are special athletes. And that makes for a spectacular performance. Shane Mosley is an outstanding athlete. I feel he is elite at the 147-pound weight class. I feel its premier for him. They say ‘Can he knock the guy out?’ I say Shane Mosley can knock anything out that weighs 147 pounds. Anything he hits solid that weighs 147 pounds, even a farm animal, he’ll knock it dead.

“But we also know that Floyd Mayweather has the kind of defense [where] it’s hard to hit him in the ass with a handful of rice,” continued Richardson. “So we can’t take nothing from him. Just what I tell you. You’re dealing with special. People ask me ‘What do you bring to the table?’ Jack Mosley trained [Mosley] since he was baby and he did a spectacular job. My job is to dissect Floyd Mayweather, find the flaws, and then implement an attack that can exploit those flaws. That’s what’s in front of us. You’re going to see May 1. You’re going to want to be there. They say ‘The guy’s undefeated.’ I say, ‘I wasn’t there for any 40 of those fights. And in those 40 fights, he never fought Shane Mosley.’ I appreciate any man that does what he does as long as he does. It’s going to take hard work to convince him to do something else. I don’t eat pork. You can’t convince me to eat pork. But here’s the thing. We’re going to have no choice but to convince this man that he is going to have to find something new and that’s how to lose. Now he can drop the habit right after us but, on May 1, we’re going to have to convince this man that now he’s going to have to take a shortcoming.”

Before this fight ever became a possibility, Shane Mosley was set to fight WBC titleholder Andre Berto in a showdown on January 30 of this year. But when Haiti was devastated by their earthquake, the Haitian-American Berto, who lost family members in the disaster, pulled out for obvious reasons.

Meanwhile, Mayweather and fellow pound-for-pound headliner Manny Pacquiao were unable to come to terms for a March 13 showdown, due to Pacquiao refusing Mayweather’s demand for more stringent pre-fight drug testing. Mayweather had asked that Pacquiao undergo Olympic-style, random blood tests, which is above and beyond the regular urine screening the Nevada State Athletic Commission requires for all participants in combat sports, but a much-needed change in the ever-evolving world of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs).

The two sides went back and forth, negotiating over the blood tests, agreeing to do them, but ultimately they were unable to agree when the testing cutoff date should be. Mayweather asked for a 14-day cutoff. Team Pacquiao wanted it to be 24 days. This writer was told by a source close to the Pacquiao camp that the final offer was 20 days. Despite the efforts of a mediator brought in to help matters along, the fight died on the vine. Pacquiao filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayweather and went off to fight Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas and Mosley vs. Mayweather came to fruition.

“When the Berto fight fell through and the Pacquiao fell through, there was no other choice,” Mosley would say later that day. “That was the best choice to make the most money in the sport and for the fans to get their money’s worth. This is the best fight right now in boxing.”

According to Richardson, the fight also serves another purpose.

“I’m more comfortable [with the Mayweather fight] than the Margarito fight and the Berto fight,” Richardson would say after the main presser’s initial proceedings were finished. “There’s champions, elite level guys and then there’s special. When one of these special guys goes back and fights a champion, they can say what they want, do the job but it’s still hard for them to zero in.”

Before he was ever a star boxer and future Hall-of-Famer, Shane Mosley was a badass kid from Pomona who had an explosive stand-up style full of aggression and combinations that boxing hadn’t seen in years. Both the style and willingness to fight champions in the gym, as early as age 16, combined to form a throwback package that earned Mosley the storied nickname “Sugar.” Richardson feels that this fight can only solidify Mosley’s claim to the nickname.

“I want him to stay at the level where he can solidify his status as the third “Sugar” in the history of this sport,” explained Richardson. “There’s Robinson, Leonard and now there’s Shane Mosley. Because they’ll be another young fighter coming up behind him. They’ll be some young kid who will earn the name of ‘Sugar’. So raise the bar high for him like Robinson and Leonard did for you. So you should be fighting the Mayweathers, the Pacquiaos, the guys who are deemed special.”

“Hello L.A. How you doing out there? P-Town’s in the house, baby,” Mosley said to his L.A. fans with a sheepish, mild manner that did nothing to hide his fighter’s confidence. “You know, first of all, I just want to thank all you great fans. [Mayweather] took the fight and I’m happy because, before, he was fighting everybody else, but he wasn’t fighting me. So I’m happy. I’m happy for this. I want to thank my team for being so inspirational in my boxing camp. I want to thank everybody. Everybody. The media for coming out to Staples. There is one thing I’d like to say. The fight is going to be on May 1. But you know May 1st is going to be May’s first [loss]. I’ll make sure of that.”

Since Mayweather burst on the scene and made his mark at 130 pounds with stellar performances over Genaro Hernandez and Angel Manfredy, a fight with Mosley- who was making his mark at lightweight, at the time- seemed a natural. But despite callouts from both sides at various times in their careers, the timing was always off. Mosley first moved from lightweight to welter to fight Oscar De La Hoya. Years later, Mosley would cite the need for a vacation with his family and there was an infamous “toothache” excuse that few fans and Mayweather have let Mosley forget ever since.

When Mayweather returned to the sport last year, a Mosley fight was dismissed as either too tough for a comeback fight or, according to Mayweather, it didn’t have any heat because Mosley had five losses.

But that was then and now Mosley has the fight of all fights in front of him against an undefeated, defensive genius trained from the day his eyes first looked upon the world by his father/ex-fighter/trainer, Floyd Sr. and then later taken to championship heights few have known by his uncle/ex-fighter/trainer, Uncle Roger. Not only that, but Mosley has a fighter in front of him who desperately wants to silence all his critics with an emphatic win over an elite fighter his own size and skill level. Because of this, Mosley understands that he isn’t the only starving-to-win fighter in this match.

“The guy’s been chasing me all his life,” claimed Mosley in a roundtable interview with the print media. “So I have to be able to box, move side-to-side, give him angles. I have to do a lot of different things. I have to give all of myself. I have to be ‘Sugar Shane’ to the fullest.”

For Mosley to win, he has to not allow Mayweather to get comfortable by changing up both his style and the tempo, round to round.

“[Tempo] could be a factor in the fight,” conceded Mosley. “There’s a lot of different things that I can do to make Mayweather to feel uncomfortable. Maybe I’m going to do body shots; I’m going to do head shots. I’m going to go forward. I may even go backwards a little. I might box a little bit. I might do a lot of everything. I’m not going to just do one thing. You can’t say ‘Ok, Shane’s coming right at me and I’m prepared for that.’ He has to prepare for everything just like I am.”

What makes Mosley dangerous in this fight is not just his experience against the best boxers and fighters of the post and current modern eras. It is his retention of the majority of his formidable attributes as a fighter. Comparable speed, agility, endurance, and a powerful right hand remain, as well as one of the best chins in the game. While the speed of his combinations may have dwindled a shade, power is the last thing to go in a fighter and if his ninth-round destruction of Antonio Margarito is any indication, Shane hasn’t lost his one bit.

“They may doubt but it’s not up to the people how I‘m going to attack this fight,” said Mosley. “My job is to win the fight. I’ll definitely win by knockout if I catch him on the chin and he wobbles a little bit. That’s a knockout. If not, then I have to be prepared to fight 12 hard rounds. This is going to be a tough fight.”

Mosley is right for a few reasons. Not the least of which is an extended layoff that can’t be good for a fighter his age. But tell him that and he’d disagree.

“It doesn’t concern me because when I fought Margarito I had a long layoff,” explained Mosley. “And I jumped in the ring and looked even better. The way I stay in the gym all the time and train, it just doesn’t make a difference. I’m always ready to go.”

For the record, Mosley had roughly a four-month layoff coming into his bout with Margarito. This layoff eclipses that one by over a year.

In Mayweather, Mosley also faces the second defensive wizard of his career. The first was in two consecutive fights with former junior middleweight champion Winky Wright. Even in losing efforts, fighting an elite fighter yields experience but Mosley said that from a style standpoint, this new puzzle doesn’t resemble Wright in the least.

“Mayweather’s a different guy because Winky was bigger than me. A southpaw. Just different altogether. Mayweather is going to be a little smaller than me and he’s defensively pretty good at swiveling and moving, but I am too. When I fought Winky, I was more flat-footed than anything. Now I have more movement. It’s going to be a different fight, even for Mayweather.”

Beyond making history by being the first to defeat Mayweather, this bout also has a different kind of significance for Mosley. According to leaked grand jury testimony and later sworn statements by the now-defunct BALCO Labs founder, Victor Conte and former Mosley strength and conditioning coach Derryl Hudson, Mosley knowingly used the substances known as Tetrahydrogestrinone (or “The Clear”) and a testosterone cream mixed with epitestosterone (or “The Cream”) as well as Erythropoietin (or EPO) in preparation for his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. In the fallout from these allegations, some in the sport have called for the bout to be called a “no-contest” (though the Nevada State Athletic Commission has yet to do so) and defamation suits and counter suits were filed by Mosley, Conte and Hudson.

While Pacquiao, who has never tested positive in any commission, pre or post-fight test for PEDs, refused to agree to Mayweather’s demand, Mosley had no problem at all submitting to the tests. At the same time, he feels this fight isn’t about redemption of any kind.

“Well I’ve been clean,” insisted Mosley. “I’ve been clean my whole career. It’s just in 2003, which is seven years ago, they talk about it. I haven’t tested positive for anything. I didn’t even test positive in 2003. And this wasn’t even considered an enhancement drug back then. It was considered after the fact. And what they had on TV and all that different stuff. I mean, whatever, I think that the sport should be clean. People should know what they are taking. And they should know they are taking the right stuff, the clean stuff. They don’t know that it can be a problem for their health later in life.”

For the record, it is true that Mosley has never tested positive for PEDs.

No matter how Mosley feels or doesn’t feel about redemption in the eyes of the public, beating Mayweather while undergoing extensive blood testing will go a long way to restoring the public’s faith in his greatness at his advanced age.

To Mosley, however, the victory would simply be icing on a future Hall of Fame cake.

“Each victory has its value,” explained Mosley. “When I beat Oscar the first time, that gave me a lot of respect and credibility. And then, me and Margarito, at that time and at my age, that also gave me a lot of notoriety just to make this fight. If I beat Mayweather, I’m already in the history books, but that would be icing on the cake. This is a chance for me to shine; a chance for me to show the people that I am truly the best welterweight right now on this Earth.”

When asked about testing and how and if it would be happening, Schaefer had this to say, “It’s going to be up to the USADA. Whenever they decide to start it. But thing is of random. Random, you don’t know. If I could tell you, then it wouldn’t be random anymore so I really don’t know when. It could happen right now.”

According to one source, the random testing period began the day after the final press conference.

If there is a figure as polarizing as Mayweather, it’s his uncle/trainer Roger. A man known for dismissing both boxing writers as knowing nothing about the sport and Mayweather Jr.’s opponents as not being up to the task, no matter how prepared they are. In the case of Mosley, Uncle Roger was more respectful than ever while explaining why Shane Mosley, though great, would be a tough fight for his nephew.

“Shane has the biggest amateur background,” Roger explained. “I had a guy Shane beat four times.”

When reminded that Mosley’s first loss came against the taller, rangier Vernon Forrest, who fought nothing like Mayweather, Roger said, “Even if Forrest was tall, Floyd is still the most skilled fighter Shane has ever faced. It doesn’t matter how tall he is. It’s about skills. Skill wins fights.”

Uncle Roger understands that as much as Floyd has accomplished, there is always more; that there is always a fighter who can push you to the limit and take you to greatness. In short, he understands who Shane is and how he can lift his nephew to heights he has yet to know.

“There is only one Sugar Ray Robinson,” explained Roger. “Everything is up there but there is only one Sugar Ray Robinson. That’s why he’s called the best ever. So if this is going to be the defining fight about what Floyd will be in history, we’ll see.”

The best is generally saved for last and on this day, no exception was made.

“I’ve been here before so I know what it takes,” Floyd Mayweather Jr. said to the crowd. “I want to test my skills against the best guys they got out there. And me and Shane were supposed to fight back in 1998-99. It didn’t happen, so we moved on. Things happen in life, you know? We’re fighting in 2010. I want Shane to believe in his skills. I want him to believe in himself because I’m a fighter who believes in myself and I believe in my skills, just like Shane. He has a great family; he has great backing, people that love him. I have the same thing on my side. We know that I have a great trainer, Roger Mayweather. He has a great trainer. We must understand our trainers can’t fight for us. Come May 1, I want to get out there and display my skills. Display my talent. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer. I’m a future Hall-of-Famer. It’s going to be a tremendous fight. It’s going to be a great fight. And that’s what I want to do. I want to test my skills against the best guys they’ve got out there. Like I said before, I just want to change the way the sport of boxing is. I just want to clean up the sport and say that my sport is clean. That’s why me and Shane is taking [random urine and random blood]. I’m pretty sure Shane’s going to have a tremendous camp. I’m going to have a tremendous camp.”

There is no fighter today, in boxing in or out of the ring, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. He’s more polarizing than politics or religion rolled into a giant-sized talk show burrito. He could read the phonebook in a crowd of boxing fans and half would be angered by the way he did it while claiming he left a few names out and the other would stay until he got to the Zs, while claiming no one had ever read so well.

Early on in his career, when he infamously turned down a multi-million-dollar HBO contract and referred to it as “slave wages,” it cost him fans and cast him in a negative light. In 2010, three years after the De La Hoya fight and the first episodes of the Emmy award-winning HBO boxing “reality” show “24/7,” it’s clear Mayweather has mastered the art of self-promotion. Appearances on “Dancing with the Stars,” a WWE wrestling pay-per-view event against “The Big Show” and commercials have proven his crossover appeal. A million PPV buys for his return to the ring against Juan Manuel Marquez has proven he doesn’t need a crossover name on the marquee with him to sell fights. Mercurial, arrogant, funny, and combative, Mayweather seemed in his element, surrounded by fans and boxing press in a question-and-answer session following his speech to the crowd.

“I’m just me. And you know I just like to go out there and be me,” he was telling members of the press as I approached the tight circle enclosing him. “There are those who say Floyd is too much of a defensive fighter. And because I make an extraordinary fighter look ordinary, then they say I’m boring. It’s not my fault that God blessed [me] with that good of an ability to be that much better than my opponents. Marquez was the number-two pound-for-pound guy and once I faced him, it’s no disrespect to the Mexican heritage or the Mexican background. There are those who say he was too small but, once again, I came from a small weight class and moved my way up through the ranks. When I did it, there were no excuses. Like I said before, no matter who I face, I’m always in a no-win situation. ‘He was too old’, ‘He was too slow’, ‘He was flat-footed’. I just want my just due. One day, I will get my just due. Ten or 20 years from now, I will get my just due.”

Mayweather was referring to his fight with Marquez, a career featherweight (with a handful of outings at junior featherweight) who had recently made a move to lightweight and, upon beating Juan Diaz in one of the best fights of 2009, called out Mayweather. Floyd took the challenge and returned to the sport to face Marquez in a 144-pound welterweight catchweight (a weight Mayweather ultimately did not make, missing it by two pounds and paying $600,000 in penalties to Marquez). It’s a fight many criticized as being a physical mismatch and added to the perception that Mayweather has picked and chosen his opponents carefully since he left the lightweight division.

“I don’t pick and choose my opponents,” said Mayweather of that perception. “The thing is this: Marquez was one of the best guys when I came back and went right at him. Once again, Marquez called Mayweather out after his fight. He called me out. He had just knocked out a hungry young pup but they didn’t say nothing about that. But then, I had taken two years off boxing. The thing is this: I think if I was boxing toe-to-toe and banging head-to-head with these guys, you guys wouldn’t be here right now giving me an interview. It’s just I haven’t taken no abuse. If you don’t believe, I’m being honest; just look at Shane’s face, he’s slurring. He’s taken a lot of abuse in the sport of boxing and there’s nothing about that that’s cool. I’m still smart, still sharp, still intelligent and that’s the main thing that counts. Making a lot of money and not taking abuse in the sport of boxing.”

When asked about if he is bothered by the possibility that the L.A. fans, who are largely Hispanic, may feel some sort of animosity for that win, Mayweather answered “I love the Mexicans. I love the Latinos. I’m not fighting against nobody but Shane. It’s not my fault. To be the best, you have to beat the best. And in my era, Mexican fighters were some of the best fighters and they got some of the best fighters. Right now, in the sport of boxing, when you see somebody from another race in the sport do something that just makes a little bit of noise, that’s abnormal; but when you see a Mexican or a black American dominating the sport of boxing, that’s normal.”

There has also been talk that when the Pacquiao fight fell through, Mayweather was stuck having to take the Shane Mosley fight. With it being a tough fight and with the previous perception out there, some fans and writers felt he was forced to take a tough fight he never wanted. Floyd would disagree with that.

“I’m not ducking no one,” he said. “There’s just options in the sport of boxing. Shane was one of our options, so that’s what we went for. When you look out there in the sport of boxing, you got heavyweights that want to fight Floyd. Light heavyweights. Middleweights. Flyweights. Super flyweights and, like I said, all roads lead to Floyd Mayweather. I think that I’m in a position where I should be able to pick and choose who I want to fight because to get to pound-for-pound before in the ranks, that means you have to have fought everybody and that has what I have done in my career.”

“You earned that,” chimed in a nearby Leonard Ellerbe.

“I earned the right to pick and choose,” agreed Floyd.

When the subject turned to blood testing and why Mayweather decided why now would be the best time to make that change in the sport (a full Q&A of this portion of the interview is available here: http://www.maxboxing.com/news/promo-lead/montoyas-saturday-mailbag-), he answered “Because I’m the face of boxing. I just want to show the world that my sport, that I’m in, is a clean sport. That’s all I’m saying. And you’ve got to realize this, I don’t read negative articles, but you know I hear the fans say ‘Floyd, don’t listen to the media; don’t listen to the writers because of this.’ The thing is this: I’m fighting against the media; I’m fighting against all the writers, all the photographers; I’m fighting against everybody. I’m fighting against all the internet blogs AND I’m fighting against the opponent. You have to be mentally strong to be able to do that and to be able to hold up 15 years as a professional and dominate in the professional ranks.”

When pressed further to provide the moment of inspiration for this stand on PEDs and better drug testing, Mayweather explained that change happens all the time and that for every change, there is a moment it begins.

“It’s out with the old and in with the new. At one particular time, fighters didn’t have to take a urine test at all. At one particular time, fighters didn’t have to take HIV tests. But they do because somebody had to make a stand. So I’m making a stand. That’s all I’m saying.

“The thing is this about boxing,” he continued when pressed for further clarity, “a guy don’t come from- and understand I am saying any guy in the sport- he’s not going to be ordinary and then get to the age of 25 or over-25 and then become extraordinary. So you should ask yourself that question. As a reporter, you should know that.”

As a reporter, I know one thing about this fight: it’s going to be a great one. Two fighters, neither in their prime, but at a place where their skills and experience are enough that they will be a problem for the other, all night long, when they meet on May 1st at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be a historic night because, for the first time in a long time, Floyd Mayweather will face a fighter every fan can agree they want him to. Additionally, it will be the first time ever that any two fighters subjected themselves to stringent blood testing to prove to the world they are on an even playing field.

“May 1. Don’t miss this,” said Mayweather. “It’s going to be a blockbuster. Two of the best welterweights of this era meet toe-to-toe in a blockbuster fight.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Source: maxboxing.com

Pacquiao vs. Mosley May Very Well Happen, Says Arum

2010-03-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum says a unification fight between welterweight champions Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley is almost sure to happen if both men win their upcoming fights. Pacquiao defends the WBO title this Saturday against Joshua Clottey and Mosley defends against Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1. During a recent interview with our friends at boxingnewsonline.net, Arum said he likes Mosley because of his non-trash talking personality. The remark is clear on who he would rather not do business with. Arum later says he would rather not deal with Mayweather, a fighter who loves to talk pre-fight trash.

“[Pacquiao-Mosley], that may very well happen,” said Arum. “Mosley’s a good guy and he’s always been a good guy and a Mosley fight would be attractive because I am at a stage with my career where I don’t tolerate any of this trash talking, any of this nonsense. I like to do fights with guys who are respectful of each other - like Ricky Hatton and Manny, like Miguel Cotto, like Joshua Clottey and Mosley’s the same way."

"Shane’s a very high class fellow and he’s a high class athlete and to do a fight with Mosley would be fine. To do a fight with Mayweather is not fine. We don’t need trash talk in boxing."

Arum is no fan of Mayweather, or his the rest of the clan, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roger Mayweather. He would rather not deal with anything that has to do with them.

"Boxing is on a new high, coming into a stadium like this, going to New Yankee stadium in New York [June 5 Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto], it’s going to be in all of the big buildings now. We don’t need anyone in the sport who embarrasses it,” Arum said.

Source: boxingscene.com

Arum and Roach prefer Pacquiao to fight Mosley next

2010-03-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

By Chris Williams: If Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and trainer Freddie Roach had their ways, World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao would be facing WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley next and not unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. Both Roach and Arum see it easier to deal with Mosley and set up a fight compared to Mayweather, who will likely ask for Olympic style random blood testing to be done before he’ll step in the ring with Pacquiao.

Roach also believes that a fight between Mosley and Pacquiao would be much more of a boxing fan friendly fight, because of Mosley’s tendency to go toe to toe with his opponents. There’s no question that Mosley would be trying to slug it out with Pacquiao all night long rather than boxing from the outside like Mayweather will probably do. Despite his wanting Pacquiao to fight Mosley, Roach is realistic about what the fans want to see. He acknowledges that most fans care more to see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao rather than Mosley vs. Pacquiao. Roach says that he thinks that Mayweather will beat Mosley when they meet on May 1st at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Roach believes that Mayweather’s movement will cause problems for Mosley, who doesn’t do well against fighters that move a lot.
The problem with Arum and Roach’s wanting Mosley to fight Pacquiao is that it’s not likely to happen. Mosley is 38-years-old and probably not going to do well enough to beat Mayweather. Arum and Roach are going to have to deal with that, accept it and try to get their fighter Pacquiao to agree to the random blood testing that Mayweather wants. This is the fight that fans really care about.

If Arum and Roach become stubborn and unyielding about that issue and leave it up to the Athletic Commission to decide, then they might as say they don’t want Pacquiao to fight Mayweather, because the blood testing is part of the deal with setting up a fight with Mayweather. If Arum, Roach and Pacquiao want the truly huge money that comes with a fight against Mayweather, then they have to be willing to make some minor sacrifices about random blood testing.

They can wish all they want that Mosley comes out on top, but it’s probably going to leave them feeling frustrated in the end when Mayweather comes out on top. It would be better for Arum and Roach to accept that Mayweather will probably win, and start early trying to make Pacquiao understand the importance of him taking the random blood tests that Mayweather is asking for.

Pacquiao will have to face the fear of having blood taken from him, but once he realizes that it’s not logical for a fighter to be weak from having small amounts of blood taken from him, he should be okay with taking the fight. Arum and Roach should put Mosley completely out of their mind and focus entirely on Mayweather. He’s the one that will likely win, and besides that, he’s the one that boxing fans want to see.

Mosley is a nice guy, but if boxing fans don’t care to see him, then why waste time wanting Pacquiao to fight him? They already have Pacquiao fighting Joshua Clottey this Saturday night. Although there are a lot of people coming to see the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, this fight hasn’t generated a lot of interest mainly because Clottey is an unknown fighter, and is coming off a loss in his last fight to Miguel Cotto.

It’s a credit to Pacquiao that he’ll probably bring in good pay per view numbers, but those numbers for the Clottey fight are nothing compared to what they would have been had Pacquiao fought Mayweather. That’s the fight that boxing fans care about.

Source: boxingnews24.com

Pacquiao versus Mayweather on as Clottey demolished in Dallas

2010-03-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

After demolishing Joshua Clottey before a crowd of 50,994 in Dallas, Texas, the third largest ever for an indoor fight in boxing history, Manny Pacquiao declared that the fight that he wants, and that everybody else wants, is against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

His trainer Freddie Roach went further by telling Mayweather's camp to “let the Nevada Commission do their job.” The Nevada Athletic Commission only allows random urine testing which should be in line with the requirements of both camps. Roach also confirmed that he already has Pacquiao preparing for a Mayweather showdown with some of his sparring partners imitating the so-far undefeated fighter.

Only one thing could still prevent that fight and that is Sugar Shane Mosley beating Mayweather in their bout on May 1 in which case Pacquiao has said he would fight him as well.

Manny Pacquiao versus Joshua Clottey

The patrons who attended the all new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night were given their money's worth as Ghanaian went the full 12 rounds with Pacquiao.

That said it was all one way traffic as all 3 judges scored a convincing win for the Filipino superstar who retained his WBO welterweight title ; 120-108, 119-109, 119-109

The pattern was set in the first round and seldom varied throughout the fight. Pacquiao lightening quick on his feet bombarding Clottey with combinations while the 32-year-old from Ghana tried to fight from behind a peek-a-boo defence.

Occasionaly such as in the second round where Clottey managed to get in a couple of good jabs and the third where he hit the champion with a straight right and a solid left uppercut there was hope for the challenger but in the end it proved to be scant reward for the torrent of punishment that rained down on him.

The longer the fight went on the further Clottey fell behind on points and while he maintained his proud record of never having been stopped there must have been times while he was on the receiving end of machine-gun-like barrages that he must have considered abandoning it.

After the fight he confirmed that Pacquiao was the quickest fighter he had ever faced.

In response Pacquiao said that Clottey was not an easy opponent. He said the man from Ghana, who is ten pounds heavier than him, was "very strong and took a lot of punches and was never hurt."

The result leaves Pacquiao 51-3 with two drawn and 38 knockouts against Clottey, who fell to 35-4.

What's Next?

Obviously Pacquiao will be keeping a careful eye out to see who wins the Mayweather vs Mosley bout on May 1.

In between however he plans to have another go at winning a congressional seat in the Philippine national election in May. He did try previously in 2007 but failed to get elected.

That is highly unlikely this time around with his popularity in his native country now off the chart.

Either way if the richest fight in boxing history becomes available during May everything else will take a backseat to the fight that all boxing fans are dying to see.

Source: therichmarksentinel.com

Pacquiao pounds Clottey, calls out Mayweather

2010-03-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

ARLINGTON, Texas – Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sees Manny Pacquiao as boxing’s version of Michael Irvin, the team’s Hall of Fame wide receiver, or perhaps Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

Pacquiao certainly is the boxing equal of those legendary players, as he conclusively proved before a crowd of 50,994 on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in a one-sided beatdown of a thoroughly outclassed Joshua Clottey.

Jones couldn’t rave enough about the Filipino superstar, who won every round on judge Duane Ford’s scorecard and won all but the third in the view of judges Nelson Vasquez and Levi Martinez. Yahoo! Sports also scored it a shutout, 120-108, for Pacquiao.

It was another magnificent performance in a string of them for Pacquiao, who fired an astronomical 1,231 punches at Clottey. Clottey kept his hands high in front of his face and rarely took a chance, fighting cautiously to avoid a knockout.

Pacquiao attacked Clottey’s body and dug hard hooks into his rib cage, occasionally making Clottey wince in pain.

“Part of the game plan was to go hard to the body and bring those hands down,” trainer Freddie Roach said.

Clottey wasn’t much of a challenge to Pacquiao, who was better in every phase of the game. Looming large over Pacquiao’s future, however, is the specter of unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr.

And if Pacquiao is Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith, then Mayweather is, say, Jerry Rice and Walter Payton.

A Pacquiao-Mayweather bout would be a legitimate fight for the ages, a rare match that would be as even and compelling as any made in more than a quarter of a century.

Mayweather, who fights Shane Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, could have and should have been Pacquiao’s opponent on Saturday instead of the stunningly passive Clottey. Because of an asinine dispute over a drug-testing regimen, however, what would have been the most lucrative fight in boxing history fizzled and failed to be made. Mayweather demanded random, Olympic-style blood and urine testing, which Mosley, an admitted steroids user, agreed to do. Pacquiao, though, declined to do it unless ordered by a state athletic commission and the dream fight fell apart.

If Mayweather holds up his end of the bargain, though, and wins against Mosley, neither Mayweather nor Pacquiao may have any other option but to fight each other. And that bout would pit a defensive genius with uncanny instincts and blazing-fast hands against an offensive savant who adds nuance to his game each time out.

It would have been ludicrous to compare Mayweather and Pacquiao circa 2005 because Mayweather would have won hands down.

Five years later, however, Pacquiao has more than closed the gap. He is at the very least Mayweather’s equal at this stage, and he’s as good defensively now as he is offensively. He has a complete arsenal of punches and has proven in wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and Clottey that he’s at no disadvantage when facing naturally bigger and, supposedly, stronger men.

Promoter Bob Arum signed Mayweather off the 1996 U.S. Olympic team and tried to develop him into the next Sugar Ray Leonard. Mayweather became every bit the fighter that Arum thought he would be, but the relationship between the two became incredibly bitter and the two now despise each other.

Don’t underestimate the significance that the hard feelings between the two will have on getting a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight being made. Arum, who called his willingness to negotiate the drug-testing terms in December a mistake, suggested that Pacquiao would be able to solve Mayweather’s defense.

“Manny will break down any defense because he throws a million punches,” Arum said. “He threw 1,200 tonight. If Mayweather doesn’t break out of the [defensive] shell, Manny would just pile up the points.

“Manny’s a buzzsaw. And when you’re in with a buzzsaw, it’s very, very difficult to do anything. Manny could always prevent Clottey from throwing his own. And he throws from so many different angles and with both hands, these unbelievable combinations, that you’re just defending yourself from getting knocked out.”

Mayweather is a far different, and far better, defensive fighter than Clottey. Clottey used the tortoise-shell defense on Saturday, where he held his arms in front of his chest and shoulders with his gloves protecting his face.

However, he was always straight in front of Pacquiao, who simply whipped hard hooks into his midsection, at one point making Clottey wince in agony and stumble back into the corner.

It won’t be so easy to get at Mayweather’s body, and not simply because Mayweather has a jab that he uses expertly to keep opponents at bay.

Mayweather is an expert at angles and blocks a lot of punches by using the shoulder roll, or using his shoulder to guard the vulnerable areas of his body.

“If we get that fight, I have no doubt in my mind that Manny would break through that defense by just pounding on his shoulder until it breaks,” Roach said.

Mayweather’s weakness has been against pressure fighters. The closest fight of his career was his first against Jose Luis Castillo in 2002. Castillo, who announced his retirement Saturday after a loss to Alfonso S. Gomez on the undercard, got in Mayweather’s face by pressuring him and forcing him back.

Pacquiao is an efficient pressure fighter and has the kind of sting on his punches that would bother Mayweather, should he land them.

“Manny Pacquiao is fast,” Clottey said. “He’s extremely fast. That’s the best thing about him, his speed.”

Mayweather has said he wants the fight and on Saturday, Pacquiao reiterated his desire to face Mayweather.

For a long time, as the public has begun to ask for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, Mayweather’s team has played a game of semantics and insisted that Pacquiao hadn’t called out Mayweather.

Of course it’s ridiculous and it’s taking advantage of someone who comes not only from a different culture but who has English as a second language.

Pacquiao, though, made it clear on Saturday that he wants to stand across from Mayweather the next time out.

“I want that fight, but it’s up to him,” Pacquiao said. “I’m ready to fight any time. Maybe if Mosley wins, I’ll fight him. Floyd’s style isn’t that difficult, though.”

There’s a long way to go before a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout could be realistically discussed. Mayweather, obviously, has to beat Mosley for talks to even begin.

Should it happen, it would not only become the richest fight in history, it would be one of the most intriguing, most closely matched bouts ever.

It’s an incredibly difficult fight to call and the difference between the men is slim. It’s hard to compare great stars like Smith and Payton, or Rice and Irvin, because they are all superb.

On Saturday, though, Pacquiao made a believer.

“Manny Pacquiao,” Clottey said after the fight, “is without a doubt the very best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Source: yahoo.com

Mosley, Mayweather bring out fans in force

2010-03-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON -- Your weekly random thoughts …
• Wednesday in the nation's capital was a nasty, rainy, cold day, so I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of turnout when I made the half-hour drive from my house in Northern Virginia into the District (that's what we locals call it) to attend the second of three Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather promotional tour stops ahead of their much-anticipated welterweight title showdown May 1 at the MGM in Las Vegas.

It was a nice surprise to see the weather sure didn't keep any of the fans away. The Lincoln Theatre was packed to capacity (about 1,000 people) with fans and media for what I'll refer to as more of a pep rally than a news conference. Even after the doors were closed, there must have been at least another 500-plus people standing around outside wanting to get inside. Washington is definitely a good fight town.

The folks who did make it inside were treated to video presentations about both fighters, music, and an endless loop of audio and video hyping the fight's promotional theme, "Who R U Picking?" (I'll disclose my pick the week of the fight.) Then the fighters were introduced, which included Mosley and Mayweather standing nose to nose and jawing at each other for the second consecutive day before they had to be separated.

Unlike the previous day in New York, however, they didn't put their hands on each other. You have buy the pay-per-view to see that. I just hope Mayweather is as aggressive during the fight as he was when he went right to Mosley's chest after his introduction.

The "news conference" was standard fare but I am sure quite exciting for fans who have never attended such an event.

Golden Boy's Richard Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe hyped the pay-per-view and their impressive array of sponsors. HBO's Mark Taffet said his piece. So did the MGM's Bob Halloran (including an unexpected but very kind shout-out to yours truly). Naazim Richardson, Mosley's trainer, spoke eloquently. And the fighters spoke amid cheering (and some booing) from the crowd. Everyone spoke about what a great match it was and what a great fight it will be.

What I thought was great was that both Mayweather and Mosley did their best to sign every autograph, pose for every photo and chat with the fans after the formal program. In what other sport can a regular Joe get so close to the stars?

This fight is going to be huge. Maybe not Manny Pacquiao-Mayweather huge, but huge. Like all promoters, Schaefer loves to predict big numbers for his PPV fights. He should. He's trying to sell as many units as he can. He predicted that Mayweather-De La Hoya would break the all-time PPV record in 2007, and it did. Last year, he predicted that Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez would crack a million buys, which few believed. It did. So when Schaefer predicted Wednesday that Mosley-Mayweather would break the Mayweather-De La Hoya record, I didn't laugh this time. It could.

Source: espn.go.com

Mayweather thinks he's in Mosley's head

2010-03-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES — Floyd Mayweather Jr. has known he was inside Sugar Shane Mosley's head from the moment Mayweather's last fight ended.

That's when Mosley jumped into the ring last September to challenge Mayweather, who had just demolished Juan Manuel Marquez in his comeback bout from a 19-month layoff. After Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao couldn't make a deal, Mayweather accepted a deal to fight Mosley, already confident he had a mental edge.

"Shane is out of character in this whole thing," Mayweather said. "He doesn't talk trash. That's not like him to call out somebody. I think Bernard Hopkins (Mosley's business partner) put a battery in his back and pumped him up to say those things."
With a whole lot more civility, Mayweather and Mosley wrapped up a publicity tour in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday before several hundred fans mostly cheering for Mosley, a native of nearby Pomona. Mayweather, a Michigan native, has long called Las Vegas home.

This stop had a definite West Coast flavor: The crowd stood in a packed grandstand in picture-perfect sunshine while a deejay bumped Tupac, Snoop and Dr. Dre over the loudspeakers at a downtown plaza. Both fighters emerged from behind curtains and smoke for a brief jaw-to-jaw trash-talking session, followed by civilized speeches to the crowd.

"This fight is going to be on May 1st, but it's also going to be May's first (loss)," said a grinning Mosley, who showed up in a tailored green suit while Mayweather wore a quilted brown jacket and jeans.

Except for the fainting Tecate Girl, everything about the event suggested a smooth, professional fight when Mayweather and Mosley meet at the MGM Grand Garden.
A scantily-dressed woman representing the fight's sponsoring beer company swooned in the mild sun, falling down in front of the podium and prompting promoter Oscar De La Hoya to call for help before she recovered and walked away.
Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer is setting a formidable standard for the fight, proclaiming HBO can sell 3 million pay-per-view buys to make it the biggest fight in boxing history. Mayweather has sold about 4.5 million buys for his last three fights against De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Marquez, making him the sport's top pay-per-view draw.
Schaefer also is putting the fight in movie theaters and making a litany of sponsorship tie-ins for the bout, further promoting boxing to the interest of mainstream advertisers. But none of it will work without a solid fight, and Mosley trainer Naazim Richardson believes this bout will catch every fan's interest.

"Shane Mosley can knock out anything that weighs 147 pounds," said the affable Richardson, Hopkins' longtime trainer. "If a farm animal weighed that, Shane could knock him out. We're going to have to convince this man that he has to learn how to lose. He can forget it after us, but he's going to have to learn."

The fighters' comments were remarkably civilized after the contentious start to the tour in New York, where they shoved each other and had fewer positive things to say about each other. Mayweather practically fawned over Mosley and the fight's organizers in his comments, praising everybody on the stage.
"We didn't put him down because he's a good fighter," said Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer. "Everybody knows what Floyd can do. We don't have to remind them. Boxing is won by skill, and Floyd is the most skilled fighter in the sport."
Although Floyd Mayweather sees an uneasiness in Mosley's eyes, Mosley claims it's all for show, noting the two have been acquaintances for years. Mosley and Richardson have watched most of Mayweather's fights, searching for weaknesses.

"We'll dislike each other before May 1 — and actually, I'm not even sure I dislike him now," Mosley said. "But after May 1, we won't dislike each other unless we have to fight again."

Richardson agrees with the criticism that Mosley only fights to his potential in his biggest bouts — but Richardson sees it as a positive.

"You've got to keep him at his level," Richardson said. "You can't ask Baryshnikov to come dance down the street and then ask him why he didn't win the contest. That's not his level. With Floyd, you've got a guy who's worthy of fighting the best like Shane, and that has got Shane's attention."

Source: google.com

Mayweather, Mosley tout May Day bout

2010-03-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES — Shane Mosley vowed to hand Floyd Mayweather jnr his first professional defeat as the two fighters touted their May 1 welterweight showdown in Hollywood style.

"This fight is going to be on May 1st, but it's also going to be May's first (defeat)," said Mosley as the fighters wrapped up their cross-country publicity tour in the sunshine of downtown Los Angeles on Thursday.
After the obligatory nose-to-nose stare-down, each fighter reiterated his respect for the other - a contrast to some of the trash-talking that marked their earlier press conferences.

"Shane is out of character in this whole thing," Mayweather said of their previous acrimonious exchanges, including a shoving match in New York.
"He doesn't talk trash. That's not like him to call out somebody. I think Bernard Hopkins (Mosley's business partner) put a battery in his back and pumped him up to say those things."

Mawyeather, who returned from near two-year layoff with a dominant victory over Juan Manuel Marquez last September, brings a record of 40-0 with 25 knockouts to the bout.
He had been expected to take on Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao on March 13, but negotiations unravelled over the American's demands for unprecedented pre-fight blood testing for performance enhancing drugs.

Enter Mosley, who owns a record of 46-5 with 39 knockouts and was supposed to face Andre Berto in a unification bout in January before Berto withdrew to focus on family in Haiti in the wake of the earthquake there.

Golden Boy promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer insists Mayweather-Mosley can sell three million pay-per-view buys, which would make it the biggest pay-per-view fight in history.

Mayweather has sold about 4.5 million buys for his last three fights against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Marquez, making him the sport's top pay-per-view draw.
Mosley's trainer Naazim Richardson said Mosley has the ability to stop Mayweather.
"Shane Mosley can knock out anything that weighs 147 pounds," said Richardson. "If a farm animal weighed that, Shane could knock him out. We're going to have to convince this man that he has to learn how to lose. He can forget it after us, but he's going to have to learn."

Source: google.com

Shane Mosley has something to prove against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

2010-03-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

The odds aren't the only thing against Shane Mosley. He is 38, hasn't fought for more than a year, and he's fighting a skilled tactician who's never lost.

All of this, Mosley and his veteran cornerman insist, is an advantage.

"I rise to the level of my competition," said Mosley, the WBA welterweight champion, when he appeared Thursday with his May 1 opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a public, pro-Mosley news conference crowd at downtown's LA Live.

"This is the chance for me to shine, to show I'm the greatest welterweight of this era."

Mosley's veteran trainer, Naazim Richardson, similarly pointed to his fighter's showdown with an elite foe, Mayweather, 33, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as a major element in projecting how this bout will play out.

Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) has been at his best when he has the most to prove. In 2000, he upset Oscar De La Hoya in a split decision at Staples Center. Three years later, in an effort stained by his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, Mosley beat De La Hoya again in a close decision. And, on the heels of some lackluster efforts, amid talk that age had caught up him, Mosley in January 2009 pounded Antonio Margarito to claim a ninth-round technical knockout.

Richardson explains he's more confident in Mosley fighting Mayweather than he was before facing Margarito, and far more than he was for Mosley's canceled January bout against lesser-known Andre Berto.

"You have to keep a guy like this at his level, that's how he performs best. If not, it can be like asking Baryshnikov to go win a dance contest on the street," Richardson said.

But Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) pointed to what he perceives as the reasons why Las Vegas bookmakers have installed him as a 3-to-1 favorite over Mosley.

"Age has to be a factor, he thinks he's a young 38," Mayweather said. "He hasn't been in there in so long. I've already shook off the cobwebs from my [21-month] layoff. I'm active, agile. Shane is basing everything on power … he doesn't use his jab. I think I'm a very smart fighter."

Smarter than Mosley? "I make the extraordinary fighter look ordinary," Mayweather said. "I just want my due. I haven't taken the abuse. Look at Shane: his face, he's slurring [words]."

Mayweather and Mosley have been considered possible opponents for more than a decade. When Mayweather's talks with Manny Pacquiao crashed earlier this year, however, the next best matchup in boxing was created.

"You're going to see two experienced, seasoned guys. Now, this is about who's the best fighter," said Mayweather's trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Source: articles.latimes.com

Ringing in fight night

2010-03-06T20:14:00.002-08:00

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley nearly came to blows during the first stop of a whirlwind publicity tour at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square.

They began shoving each other before their promoters separated them. Mayweather and Mosley have been circling each other for years and their animosity has simmered.

They'll meet for real for the WBA welterweight title May 1 in Las Vegas.

HURTING HAAS A HAS-BEEN, FOR NOW

BERLIN -- German tennis player Tommy Haas faces a long absence from the ATP Tour after surgery on his right hi.

He said Tuesday that he had no alternative because "the pain's simply too great."

Germany's Bild daily reported, without citing sources, that Haas -- the winner of 12 career singles titles -- could be sidelined up to six months.

The 31-year-old top seed at the Delray Beach International Championships was upset in the first round last week.

PRO BOWL MAKES DATE WITH SUCCESS

HONOLULU -- The Pro Bowl will be played at Aloha Stadium next Jan. 30 --the Sunday before the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl had historically been played in Honolulu the week after the Super Bowl, but was changed when the all-star game moved to Miami this year.

The NFL says playing the Pro Bowl before the big game generated greater excitement.

Source: vancouversun.com

Selling the Mayweather vs. Mosley Fight

2010-03-06T20:14:00.001-08:00

The Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley May 1 fight in Las Vegas is "historic" according to the hype. That was made clear at the fight's press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday when various promoters likened it to Ali vs. Foreman or one of numerous Sugar Ray Leonard classics.

And they said it with a straight face. Among those spouting the hyperbole was the president of Golden Boy Promotions, the home of Sugar Shane Mosley and a former fighter himself. You might know him, Oscar De La Hoya? He lost to both of the contestants in this mega-fight and now promotes one and has an interest in the other if and when he fights Manny Pacquiao.

As if that weren't enough, De La Hoya and his fellow exec at Golden Boy, Richard Schaefer told the assembled crowd (the presser was open to the public) that this kind of fight only comes along once in a generation. But it wasn't over yet, not even close.

De La Hoya announced that

"You have the two best fighters on the planet today fighting on May 1."
That's where the cringing started and the crowd didn't react as I'm sure he had hoped. No one booed or threw things but there was no particularly positive reaction either. Among the assembled media we looked at each other and just rolled our eyes.
The elephant in the room was the name that was never spoken: Manny Pacquiao. Even Floyd Mayweather must have felt obliged to make some reference to why he was fighting Mosley in Vegas rather than Pacquiao in Dallas next weekend.

Mayweather is a crusader now. He's fighting for truth, justice and clean boxing. He gratuitously threw out the following,

I'm trying to clean up my sport", Floyd said. "That is why we are both (he and Mosley) taking random urine and blood tests.
The stated goal of the promotion companies is to sell three million pay-per-views for this fight. That would blow away anything numbers Pacquiao has pulled in for his bouts and surely will be used in any new negotiations between the Mayweather and Manny camps. Maybe they are thinking of trading the demand for blood testing for a larger share of the gross revenue rather than the 50/50 split.

To accomplish the PPV goal the hype and talking points were added to the Procter & Gamble-like marketing plan outlined by Schaefer. Pay-per-view discounts are available with the purchase of six and twelve-packs of Tecate beer and De Walt power tools sold at Home Depot. They've already got a soap opera up and running so why not use consumer products to sell it. Hey, it's historic, right?

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Schaefer: Give Mayweather respect he deserves for drug-test request

2010-03-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Should Floyd Mayweather be admired for insisting he wants to clean up boxing with random blood testing prior to major fights ? Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, certainly thinks so…insisting that Mayweather should be afforded respect for his stance…

Schaefer, speaking exclusively to telegraph.co.uk, said the schism between his promotional group, and that of Top Rank, who promote Manny Pacquiao, may never heal. Yet it is a fight the boxing world wants to see.

“Mayweather/Pacquiao going forward is a matter of discussions, and negotiation. There is nothing to do with the Nevada Commission. The testing is just a belief of Floyd Mayweather that boxing needs to clean up its act, and I think he should get great respect for that,” Schaefer told me this week.

“It was a non-issue for Shane Mosley. I think it might be the beginning of a change in boxing. It is impossible for that [issue] to go away because Floyd Mayweather has made it clear that he will require it [a drug testing procedure, presumably blood-testing] in all future fights.”

“But Mayweather is now facing a much more powerful man than Pacquiao, more dangerous and not for more money. This guy really believes it is time to introduce proper drug testing into boxing, and he has put his money where his mouth is. Look – he was willing to walk a way with a smaller purse against a lesser opponent. That’s how much he believed in it.”
“In my eyes, Pacquiao has also moved to a smaller purse against a less dangerous opponent in Joshua Clottey. Love Floyd or hate Floyd, I said it the first time when we did de la Hoya versus Mayweather.

“He has fans who admire his skills in the urban markets – they look up to him and admire him – and there is the other group who really don’t like him because of his bragging and what he stands for with the money throwing. They don’t like him, and want to see him lose. Those who watch Floyd either love him or hate him, and he continues to win. This is a guy who always finds a way to win.”

“Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather could never happen, but my answer is not because I think there is not the will to do it. It is more that I think that Sugar Shane Mosley is going to win that fight. I have never seen Shane so hungry to win a fight.”
“It will become an issue if Mayweather wins because he made it clears that any opponent he faces will have to be tested …there is one thing in boxing, you never say never, but I have not seen in 30 years in professional business have I seen two sides with such and conviction that they were right. There is a deep divide right now – andI really don’t think suddenly, somehow later this fall everything will be nice and peachy…between the Mayweather and Pacquiao camps.”

Source: telegraph.co.uk

Pacquiao picks Mosley to win over Mayweather

2010-02-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

MANILA, Philippines – The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter made a prediction on the outcome of the May 1 fight between Americans Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley.

“I think Mosley will win,” Manny Pacquiao declared on the Krystal Hart Show as quoted by FightFan.com.

Even if he thinks that Mayweather is a "boring" fighter, Pacquiao said that the fight between "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Sugar Shane" will still be a treat for fight fans.

“I think Mayweather vs. Mosley will be a good fight,” he said.

Pacquiao then went on to give another reason why his scheduled March 13 bout with Mayweather did not push through.

“I’m not concerned about the Money (that would have come in a fight vs. Mayweather). I’m concerned about what I can give in terms of my performance to the people who love boxing. My concern isn’t only with myself, but with the people who buy tickets looking for a good fight,” he said.

“I don’t want to disappoint people with a boring fight. I feel you need to entertain the people who watch your fights.”

Pacquiao, meanwhile, assured a very good fight against Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, whom he will face on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s going to be a good fight because he has a good style. It’s a different kind of style and I want to fight. He’s bigger and he’s taller than Miguel Cotto.”

Pacquiao won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title last November by beating Cotto via technical knockout in Round 12.

Clean fighter

After Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto, talks on the Mayweather-Pacquiao match-up swirled immediately. They were supposed to face off on March 13 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Talks to seal the deal collapsed when the fighters’ camps disagreed on the drug testing protocol.

Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr. and other members of his team even alleged that Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. The Filipino boxing icon already filed a defamation complaint against them.

“I’m not against blood testing. Just not the day of the fight. I’ve had that happen in the (first) [Erik] Morales fight. I lost that fight and my body felt very weak. I don’t feel I recovered. That is why I don’t want blood testing close to the fight,” explained Pacquiao.

He also mentioned that he is a “very honest person” who prays and believes in God. He said his success in the ring only reflects the hard training he undergoes before every fight.

“I’m a clean fighter who trains very hard. People don’t know how hard I train and the sacrifices I make.”

He even hit back on Mayweather, saying that the American probably did not really want to face the 7-time world champ.

“I don’t think Mayweather wanted the fight. He had too many reasons (that lead) to cancel the fight. I’m not disappointed because I know I’m not the one who didn’t want the fight and I have to defend myself.”

Clottey’s disappointment

Pacquiao, who is training in the United States for his title defense, said he is not underestimating his opponent.

“I didn’t expect I would end up fighting Clottey but I will prepare myself and train hard,” he said.

“Clottey is a strong guy and a good fighter. He’s a former world champion. I am sure we will have a good fight and create a lot of excitement in the ring.”

The Ghanian, on the other hand, is still encountering problems in his fight preparations because his trainer, Godwin Dzanie Kotey better known as Alloway, has not yet secured a US visa.

“I am fine but tell Ghana that they’ve disappointed me by not giving my trainer visa to come here with me,” Clottey said in a GhanaWeb.com article.

“The only thing I can tell you is everything is fine with me and I’m ready to fight [even] if the government can’t help because it’s my life on the line,” added Clottey. – With reports from GhanaWeb.com and FightFan.com

Source: abs-cbnnews.com

Mayweather-Mosley and Pacquiao-Clottey analysis

2010-02-14T19:25:00.000-08:00

By By Benjamin Dover: I have been thinking hard about the two bouts coming up and i’m going to start with the main one. On May 1st you have Mayweather-Mosley, a fight boxing fans have been waiting and waiting for and now it’s finally happening. You have Floyd Mayweather 40-0 (25 KO’s) and Shane Mosley 46-5 (39 KO’s.)

I see this fight being a close one for the first 4-5 rounds with Mosley looking to pressure Floyd and trying to make him fight. I see Shane throwing a lot but not landing many along the way, similar to the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight.

I see Mayweather using the shoulder roll and the defensive genius when Mosley has him on the ropes and when Mosley gets him too the centre of the ring, Mayweather will be using that whiplash like jab and printing it on Mosley’s already very flat nose. Shane has a lot of power and can trouble Floyd if he can connect but how can you hit a guy who is so technically smart and has the skills and IQ that Mayweather has. It’ll be a great fight between two of the greatest fighters of their era’s but in the end I see Mayweather winning around an 8 rounds to 4 decision. Mosley has a lot of power and speed but he does throw wild at times and he does have trouble with boxers and there isn’t no better boxer than Floyd Mayweather.

On March 13th we have Pacquiao-Cottey, a completely different fight compared to Mayweather-Mosley. I see Pacquiao-Clottey being more of a brawl in a sense that Pacquiao will be using his speed and angles to hit Clottey. I think Clottey is a tough welterweight and a good fighter but he is tailor made for Pacquiao. He doesn’t move and has the tendency to stop throwing in the last few rounds and just stand there taking shots, against a fighter who throws and pressures like Pacquiao, this isn’t a smart move. I see Pacquiao winning a clear decision or maybe being the first person to stop Clottey in the later rounds. It all depends on Clottey, he needs to cover up well and use his boxing skills and power, because he does have that in his locker. He just has the tendency to take his foot off the gas I think it’s a stamina and weight issue because he does struggle to make weight limits.

After both of these bouts I see Mayweather and Pacquiao both coming out on top and again everyone will be talking about who’s better than who and debating the two fighters. Hopefully after May 1st were talking about Mayweather-Pacquiao once again.

Source: boxingnews24.com

Mosley thrilled to finally have signed fight

2010-02-12T03:14:00.000-08:00

Two of the best 147-pounders in the world will meet May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in what is easily the biggest fight in boxing that doesn't involve a Filipino fighter named Manny.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is a five-division champion whose flamboyance has made him a crossover star, with interests as diverse as WWE's "Wrestlemania" and "Dancing With the Stars." He's been involved in some of the richest fights in boxing, but is still hounded by critics who claim he's never fought a true welterweight in their prime.

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) is a three-division champion who has pursued Mayweather since the late 1990s, when they were both in lighter divisions. He's faced just about every big name available, from De La Hoya to Antonio Margarito, but has dealt with his own critics after admitting to unknowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

"It won't be the fight of my life, but I just want to make a point that I'm the best fighter," Mosley said. "There's not a welterweight out there who can beat me. I don't just want to talk about, I want to do it."

After years or negotiations and the fight repeatedly falling through, Mosley and Mayweather wound up together in a sort of fortunate accident.

Mayweather was left looking for an opponent after acrimonious negotiations to fight Manny Pacquiao fell through and the pound-for-pound king signed to fight Josh Clottey instead. Mosley was supposed to face Andre Berto in a unification bout on Jan. 30, but Berto withdrew after the earthquake in Haiti killed several family members.

Even though Mayweather took his time signing the contract -- leaving Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions on edge -- everything officially came together last week.

"He was waiting for that opportunity for so long and finally it's here. He couldn't be happier," Schaefer said. "Sometimes with those big fights, when you don't try too hard they happen, and when you try too hard they don't. You just have to let things fall into place."

Another issue that needed to be overcome was the protocol for drug testing, which scuttled the proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style testing and refused to budge off blood tests two weeks before the fight, while Pacquiao claimed he feels weak when he gives blood and refused to do so less than 24 days out.

Mosley readily agreed to blood testing, which is far more extensive than the normal urine tests that are required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

"The people have in their mind that it's Manny Pacquiao, it's Mayweather, and everybody's focusing on that," Mosley said. "I'm coming through the backdoor and I'm going to make sure they know I'm here. This is my era, and I'm not going to let nobody take that from me."

Sure, Pacquiao is considered by many the best fighter in the world regardless of weight. And others believe Mayweather is even better than him. But there is little disputing the resume that Mosley has put together, especially over the past few years.

After dropping a pair of close decisions to Winky Wright, Mosley rattled off five straight wins, beating Fernando Vargas twice and Luis Collazo for an interim belt. After losing another close decision, this time to Miguel Cotto, Mosley stopped Ricardo Mayorga to set up a showdown with feared puncher Antonio Margarito.

Mosley looked nothing like a 39-year-old fighter at Staples Center that night, battering Margarito from post to post before ending the fight in the ninth round.

"Put the guys I fought against the guys he fought and what happens?" Mayweather said, joining in the criticism of Mayweather's opposition. "I fought guys that come into the ring at 172 (pounds), he fought guys that don't even reach the 147-pound limit. I'm fighting guys that are taller and bigger than me in every way, and knocking them out."

Considered one of the most affable fighters in the game, it's little surprise that Mosley has trouble wiping that smile from his face. He stops mid-sentence to sign autographs and take photographs with fans, then gets right back to answer whatever question he was asked.

All the while, he wears a giant grin on his face.

And it's never been bigger.

"He was down there for two days meeting with the media," said HBO Sports vice president Mark Taffett, referring to the Super Bowl festivities in Miami. "He was simply phenomenal. He has the energy of a 20-year-old."

Source: usatoday.com

No drugs turns a chin to granite

2010-02-12T03:12:00.000-08:00

MENTION drug-taking in sport and most people's eyes glaze over.
The subject is about as sexy as a nun's habit. But, thanks to Manny Pacquiao, boxing has had the finger of suspicion levelled against it.

Allegations have been flying that boxing has a major drug problem that it is sweeping under the canvas. This has come about because Pacquiao refused Floyd Mayweather Jnr's demand that he must undergo Olympic-style testing before any showdown between them.

The damaging inference from the Mayweather camp could not be made any clearer.

They claim Pacquiao's success in winning world titles from flyweight to welterweight has been possible only because he has been taking performance-enhancing substances - and that is the main reason he's been able to remain so strong as he travelled up through the weights from eight to 10½st.

Pacquiao, understandably, is incensed by such a derogatory accusation aimed at ruining his reputation.

He should have been fighting Mayweather in the ring next month. Instead, the pair will be battling it out in court.

The Filipino is suing Mayweather for defamation and he said this week: "I feel hurt and disappointed because I don't even know what a steroid is."

Victor Conte does. He is the Californian who went to jail a few years ago for supplying sprinter Marion Jones and many other sport stars with steroids.

Conte has attacked boxing authorities for being less than vigilant in pursuit of drug cheats. The World Anti-Doping Agency agree.

He said: "I don't believe professional boxing wants to know how rampant the use of drugs really is.

"It's time for positive change. There should be random blood and urine tests leading up to fights. Taking samples just before and after fights is not effective."

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Conte's remarks were aimed at the US where Roy Jones Jnr, Shane Mosley and James Toney are the only high-profile fighters who have tested positive for steroid use.

For legal reasons I can't name names but in my time covering major fights in the States there were a number of household names under suspicion.

Even Muhammad Ali was found guilty of taking diuretics to lose excess weight before he fought Larry Holmes.

The British Boxing Board of Control carry out approximately 70 random tests a year.

In the past seven years only seven of our boxers have been found to have taken illegal drugs - none of them champions.

Board secretary Robert Smith told me: "We are certainly not complacent but I honestly don't think we have anything to worry about in this country."

James DeGale, who fights Matthew Barr at Wembley tomorrow, is surprised he hasn't been tested since he started life as pro a year ago.

He said: "In Olympic year I had three random tests before I even got to Beijing."

The chemists who supply the drugs and masking agents are clever scientists.

But I defy them to produce a pill that will put steel in a fighter's heart or granite in his chin.

Source: thesun.co.uk

Mosley Makes It "Clear:" He Doesn't Need PEDs To Beat Mayweather

2010-02-12T02:38:00.000-08:00

Despite his own shadowy past, Shane Mosley is unafraid.

He’s unafraid of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and just as importantly he’s unafraid of being asked to prove he’s no longer using performance enhancing drugs, which is why he’s in a position to prove he’s unafraid of Mayweather and anything else to do with boxing.

The two of them will square off May 1 in Las Vegas in the biggest fight of the year to date, a bout between the two best welterweights in the world. Just as significantly, it will be the first fight where the participants are willingly submitting to random blood testing for PEDs, the Mayweather demand that proved to be the undoing of a potential $40 million per man mega-fight this year between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s refusal to submit to random blood testing up to within a few days of their fight was, for reasons only he can know for sure, not something he was willing to do. His reasons included a fear of needles, a fear of being weakened by blood loss, a fear of this and a fear of that.

Mosley heard such excuses recently during a lengthy interview with TSS and laughed. He didn’t say he thought Pacquiao was lying. He didn’t say anything about Pacquiao. What he said instead was about himself but it seemed to make all things clear on the matter.

“I’m not afraid of needles,’’ Mosley said, grinning. “I’m not afraid of blood tests. They can show up at my doorstep in Big Bear (the mountain retreat east of L.A. where he will train) at 3 a.m. I have no problem being tested.

“I think it’s a good thing, to tell you the truth. There are track people and baseball players (using). These (strength and conditioning) trainers come in and act like they’re doing something for the athletes. We don’t need them. Boxing needs to stay with the old (training) style. The worst part of my career was when I had a sports trainer. I lost five times.’’

He also beat Oscar De La Hoya and in his preparation for their second fight later learned he’d used EPO (blood doping) as well as “the clear’’ and “the cream,’’ two nearly undetectable forms of steroids provided to him by his former strength and conditioning trainer Darryl Hudson and Victor Conte, who ran the notorious BALCO lab that was the center of the Barry Bonds and Marion Jones steroid controversies.

Mosley admitted under oath to a Federal grand jury that he’d injected himself with EPO and used both the clear and the cream but claimed he had no knowledge these were illegal PEDs. Conte and Hudson have disputed that and the story has lingered for six years, never seeming to go away.

Hudson and Mosley have an ongoing legal battle over the issue and Conte has served time for his part in the distribution of the illegal drugs to a number of professional athletes including Mosley. But now, in the weeks and months leading up to one of the biggest fights of his career, the 38-year-old WBA champion seems eager to not only face Mayweather but also to prove all he needs to win are the performance enhancers given to him at birth and developed over nearly 30 years in boxing.

“I feel insulted I’m still talking about BALCO stuff,’’ Mosley (46-5, 39 KO) said. “I never tested positive in 2003. If I was a juicer I would have been caught in 2003, 2004, 2006. It should have been erased.

“It’s been put out there for media purposes. That’s fine with me. I’m in a sport that is not really about strength any way. It’s speed, timing and the mental side. You can be the strongest man but if you can’t hit the guy nothing is going to happen. Floyd is a great fighter. He’s smart. Being strong doesn’t win Floyd fights.’’

The undefeated (40-0, 25 KO) Mayweather is still considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world despite having ceded that position to Pacquiao when he left the sport for a 21-month self-imposed exile. He came back in September and dominated one of the most skilled boxers in the world (and a long-time nemesis of Pacquiao’s), Juan Manuel Marquez, in a fight that impressed many people in boxing, but Mosley was not among them.

It’s not that Mosley doesn’t respect Marquez, who is one of his stablemates at Golden Boy Promotions. It’s simply that he and Mayweather are welterweights and Marquez is, well, a dozen pounds short of that.

“I’m the best welterweight in the world but taking myself out of the equation it’s Pacquiao,’’ Mosley said. “At least Manny fought (former WBO champion Miguel) Cotto. Cotto wasn’t the best welterweight in the world but at least he fought a real welterweight.

“You can’t come back and fight lightweights and junior welterweights (like Ricky Hatton). The last welterweight Floyd fought was Oscar and he’d been off for how long? You can’t come back for two months and say you’re a serious fighter.’’

Despite the fact Mosley hasn’t fought in over a year he has been training for fights that never happened. The latest was with WBC champion Andre Berto, who was forced to pull out of their match after the destruction suffered in his native Haiti left him unable to mentally prepare for a boxing match when he had friends and relatives left homeless and abandoned.

Mosley understood and is thankful the fight did not come off not solely because it allowed him to open negotiations with Mayweather after the Pacquiao fight collapsed but because he saw in Berto something Berto didn’t see in himself – a void.

“He’s not ready for it (such a big fight) mentally,’’ Mosley said. “I like Berto. I would have understood if he didn’t want to fight me in the first place. He wasn’t ready to fight me but he was willing to test himself.

“That’s what you like to see in a young fighter. He wanted to fight me but I don’t want to ruin a good young fighter. It’s not a skill factor. Mentally he’s not ready.’’

Mosley, on the other hand, is always ready. Or so it seems. At least he has been since ridding himself of Hudson and going back to the old ways in boxing – hitting bags, running, exercise, diet, sparring. Returning boxing to what it has always been – a sport of speed, wiliness and courage.

“I was always ready,’’ Mosley said of his own career. “I wasn’t ever intimidated. My first fight with Oscar people asked if I was intimidated. Why would I be afraid of something I wanted?

“If they told me in my first professional fight to fight the champion, Phillip Holliday, I would have done it. And I would have won.’’

That confidence, competitive spirit and willingness to be tested (now in more ways than one) is what has kept Mosley at or near the top for so long. It is the same thing, he believes, that will return him there on May 1 in Las Vegas when he and Mayweather offer to the world what boxing needs – a big night at the fights.

“It’s been very frustrating to sit there and watch different guys fight, but I was in the gym getting better and better,’’ Mosley said assuredly. “I was fighting, just not in front of people."

The last time Mosley was in front of people it was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 24, 2009, the night Antonio Margarito was found wearing tampered hand wraps that the California Athletic Commission said were laced with a hardening agent similar to plaster of paris.

The wraps were removed and the fight went on, with Mosley dominating Margarito six months after Margarito beat Cotto half to death and less than a year since he’d done the same to Kermit Cintron. But on this night Margarito had no answers for the chin questions Mosley kept asking, questions that finally left Margarito totally beaten down after nine one-sided rounds.

Although Margarito was suspended for a year (and returns March 13 on the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey card in Dallas) after the fight, Mosley insisted he had no hard feelings about his opponent’s hardened handwraps and would willingly fight him again after he beats Mayweather and then grants Mayweather a contractually-obligated rematch that Mosley believes his opponent is going to need.

“So what?’’ Mosley said when asked his reaction to Margarito’s effort to load his gloves. “He hit Cotto with them. A lot. How many times did he hit me?’’

Told “None,’’ Mosley beamed.

“Exactly,’’ he said. “That would have made no difference. I would have murdered him the same way, loaded gloves or not.’’

Mosley feels the same about Mayweather. While he concedes Mayweather is a vastly talented fighter who is quick and a master of defense, he looks at him, then looks at himself and concludes what he always has felt and what he believes is unchanged today. In a boxing ring, or anywhere else within the sport, he rules.

“I think the match with me and Floyd is a mega-match,’’ Mosley said quite rightly. “The real megafights are between the three or us (including Pacquiao), not with Clottey.

“I love to beat anyone out there. I love to challenge myself. That’s my competitive nature. I’ve always been that way. I love to win.’’

Shane Mosley made evident how much when it was suggested that Mayweather had won the negotiation with Pacquiao because he ended up in a mega-fight in Vegas with him while Pacquiao ended up with a far less high profile opponent in Texas.

“I wouldn’t say he won it,’’ Mosley said, smiling. “I won it.’’

So did boxing, which won because two of the finest fighters in the world agreed to fight but not to fight the idea of coming in clean of anything but what God and training will give them. In Shane Mosley's opinion, that’ll be quite enough, thanks.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Sugar Shane is not the Manny to beat Floyd Mayweather

2010-02-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

There are plenty of things that frustrate me about Floyd Mayweather - but that does not alter my opinion of him as the best fighter in the world.

Bouts are made on his terms, he can be too safety first in the ring and risk averse when choosing opponents.

That said, his May 1 bout with Sugar Shane Mosley is fantastic news for boxing. It will be a great fight but ultimately it has come too late for 38-year-old Mosley.

Mayweather has built a career on avoiding hungry fighters at the top of their careers. He wouldn't even spar with James DeGale last year as he said he was too big.

He is facing Mosley at the right time. He looked shot a couple of years ago. I mean gone. He was beaten comprehensively by Miguel Cotto and then came back to fashion wins against Ricardo Mayorga and Antonio Margarito.

He looked reborn. You ask yourself how he did it. It is an obvious question given that Mosley's past is blighted by steroid association.

He claims he inadvertently used drugs supplied by the infamous BALCO lab before the Oscar De La Hoya bout in 2003, which he won.

Since Mosley has agreed to a meet the demands of Mayweather for a more rigorous Olympic-style drug-testing schedule, the sting is taken out of the issue.

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Though how much confidence anyone can have in testing programmes is questionable, given the history of success enjoyed by drug cheats.

Screening agents are so powerful these days that catching offenders in any sport is not straightforward.

The point is the boxers have a scheme that both agree on, though it will be interesting to see if the drug issue is brought up by Mayweather as the talk turns trashy near the fight.

The undefeated 33-year-old is in for a tough night, but ultimately is too quick, young and fresh. Sugar Shane is tremendously brave and will go for it like he did against Mayorga. He is quick and restless and does not give a hoot about anybody. And he can punch.

But we shouldn't forget that Mayorga, a crude slugger compared to Mayweather, was boxing the ears off Mosley until the old equaliser landed in the final seconds. If Mayweather could have avoided Mosley he probably would have done - but he is chasing the money.

His lifestyle and his love of gambling on American football have left him with huge bills to pay.

That is why I believe a Mayweather v Manny Pacquiao fight just has to happen. There is too much money at stake for a truce between the pair's respective camps not to be reached.

It is the best fight out there by a country mile. So much so that you wonder if there is not some strategy at play to inflate the numbers when they do get together? I suspect we'll find out later in the year. In the meantime, Mayweather v Mosley will have the cash tills ringing. I'll be buying, that's for sure. CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE: www.barrymcguigan.com

Source: mirror.co.uk

Mayweather signs Mosley deal

2010-02-07T18:43:00.000-08:00

Floyd Mayweather's bout with Shane Mosley is set to go ahead on May 1 in Las Vegas after the six-time world champion signed the contract on Wednesday.

In a statement released by Swanson Communications, Mayweather confirmed he would take on Mosley at Las Vegas' MGM Grand.

With Mosley already having signed the papers, Mayweather's signature was the final piece in the jigsaw.

The 32-year-old welterweight said: "This one is definitely for the fans as I wasn't going to waste anyone's time with a meaningless tune-up bout and asked to fight Shane immediately.

"I have said ever since I came back to the sport that I only wanted to fight the best. I think Shane is one of the best, but come May 1, he still won't be great enough to beat me."

Mosley was delighted to have the final details confirmed and predicted he would have little trouble inflicting the first defeat of Mayweather's career.

"I have always wanted to fight Floyd and now it is finally coming true," he said.

"I am already in great shape and ready to show everyone on May 1 that I am stronger, faster and better than he is. I will have no problem beating him."

Source: google.com

Mayweather still hasn't signed contract to fight Mosley

2010-02-03T05:59:00.000-08:00

Sitting on desk in Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer's office in Los Angeles is Shane Mosley's signed contract to face Floyd Mayweather on May 1st in Las Vegas. Conspicuously missing, however, is Mayweather's.

Though both sides have agreed to the terms of the fight -- which will include random blood testing done by the USADA -- Mayweather has still not signed the deal. And Schaefer doesn't understand why.

"I have no idea what's going on," Schaefer told SI.com. "Every time I talk to [Mayweather's advisors] they tell me it's coming the next day. Every day it's the next day."

Schaefer had initially planned to bring both fighters to the Super Bowl in Miami to begin promoting the fight. That plan, however, has been scrapped.

"The Super Bowl was going to kick off the promotion," said Schaefer. "It would have been a great platform for promoting a fight this big. But I'm not going down there until I have a signed contract from Mayweather."

While Schaefer said he is willing to wait longer for Mayweather, he said Mosley was "getting close" to reaching the point where he will start looking for other opponents.

"Shane just wants to be in great fights," said Schaefer.

Source: cnn.com

Mosley vs Mayweather set for May 1

2010-02-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

Shane Mosley has signed his contract to face Floyd Mayweather Jr in a welterweight megafight on May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Mosley’s attorney Judd Burstein said last Friday.

Earlier in the day, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe said that a deal had been agreed upon, as reported by Yahoo! Sports and that contracts were being drawn up.

Ellerbe said Mayweather would sign the deal as soon as it was ready. Promoters turned to a Mayweather-Mosley match after attempts to make a fight between Mayweather and top-ranked Manny Pacquiao failed in a dispute over drug testing.

Mosley, who said he unknowingly used two anabolic steroids and EPO prior to a 2003 fight with Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas, has agreed to the testing Mayweather requested. Both fighters will be subject to random blood and urine testing which will be administered by the US Anti-Doping Agency.

Mosley flew to Las Vegas last Friday to meet with Burstein and sign the contract.

Ellerbe on Friday vehemently denied that Mayweather ever considered fighting Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell, both of whom are super lightweights. A news conference to formally announce the fight is expected to be held in New York within the week.

’Floyd tried to fight the guy everyone thought was the best guy available and we couldn’t get that fight done, so we went to the next guy on the list,’ Ellerbe said. ’As I’ve said many times, when Floyd decided to come back to boxing, he did it to be in major events. He’s going to face all of the top welterweights and one by one, knock them all off.’

Source: trinidadexpress.com

Shane Mosley signs contract to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1

2010-01-31T03:02:00.000-08:00

Shane Mosley's attorney confirmed to The Times today that the Pomona world welterweight champion has signed a contract to fight unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1, most likely at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mosley's purse for the 147-pound fight will be his "biggest ever," attorney Judd Burstein said, declining to reveal terms. Mayweather has yet to sign his own deal agreement, but Burstein said he has been assured by the boxer's lead advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, that the signature would come sometime "in the next two days."

It is unclear whether the fight will be for Mosley's World Boxing Assn. welterweight belt, Burstein said.

Mosley, said Burstein, drove himself Friday to the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, where a Burstein-represented fighter had a bout, and signed his deal in a hotel room.

"It's a fight people have wanted to see for a long time, but never happened for whatever reasons," Burstein said. "Now that it's going to happen, Shane is looking forward to doing what he and many of his fans have long thought he would do."

The fighters, who each spent the last decade ranked somewhere among the top in the lists of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, have won world titles in eight different weight classes.

The deal was struck with Mosley agreeing to all of Mayweather's stipulations for a stringent drug-testing protocol that will subject him to random blood and urine tests for performance-enhancing drugs all the way to fight night. Burstein said Mosley agreed to the arrangement "as long as Floyd takes the same test at the same time."

Mosley's 2003 decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya was tainted by his acknowledged use of designer steroids "the cream" and "the clear" and energy boosting EPO in the days before the bout. Mosley later explained that he took the substances unknowingly, believing they were legal supplements. He met with BALCO founder Victor Conte before using the substances.

Mayweather's push for drug testing resulted in the scrapped plans for him to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13 in Las Vegas. Pacquiao will now fight Joshua Clottey in a welterweight bout on March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

The 38-year-old Mosley was originally supposed to end a one-year layoff tonight after beating Antonio Margarito by ninth-round TKO last January at Staples Center, but his opponent Andre Berto had to withdraw because of the devastation of the earthquake in Haiti, where has family members.

Mosley prodded Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight him last year to no avail, as Mayweather (40-0) accepted a comeback fight that he won handily against the lighter and smaller Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mayweather, earlier this decade, suggested Mosley was dodging him, and after Mayweather's fame was boosted by a 2007 victory over De La Hoya, Mosley has claimed Mayweather was ducking him.

Now, with a Mayweather autograph, the long-awaited bout will happen.

-- Lance Pugmire

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Mayweather vs Mosley overshadows Pacquiao vs Clottey

2010-01-31T03:00:00.000-08:00

By Dave Lahr: If this was a chess match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, Floyd would have knocked off Pacquiao’s king with his latest move of setting up a May 1st bout against World Boxing Association welterweight champion Shane Mosley. In contrast, Pacquiao will have to settle for fighting former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey, who is coming off of a recent loss to Miguel Cotto. There’s really no comparison between the Mayweather-Mosley and the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.

Hands down, the Mayweather-Mosley fight is the much more interesting bout of the two, and you got to give Mayweather a ton of credit for being intelligent to see the opportunity for a fight with Mosley and then be courageous enough to go for the fight. Pacquiao had an opportunity to fight Mosley last year but instead chose to fight Cotto for some odd reason.
In hindsight, the fight against Cotto seems like a mistake in my book because Cotto had been recently pulverized by Mexican Antonio Margarito only a year earlier, and many boxing fans felt that Cotto wasn’t the same fighter he once was. Pacquiao fans like to point out that Cotto won a controversial 12 round decision over Mosley in 2007, but what they fail to point out is that was before Cotto’s brutal beating at the hands of Antonio Margarito.

Yeah, Cotto beat Mosley by a controversial decision, but Cotto didn’t look like the same fighter after Margarito got through with him. This is why the Mosley fight should have been the opponent that Pacquiao fought instead of Cotto. But I can also understand why it would be an appealing fight. After all, with Cotto not looking like the same fighter, he would be less dangerous and the easier bout.

I got to hand it to Mayweather for setting up the Mosley fight. This was sure brilliance on his part. I think this fight is going to do a lot better than the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight on pay per view. It might not do as well as far as selling more tickets to the fight. The MGM Grand, where the fight Mayweather-Mosley fight will be taking place, is much smaller than the Dallas Cowboy stadium.

But if the Mayweather-Mosley fight was going to take place at the Dallas Cowboy stadium, I have no doubts that it would do better than the Pacquiao-Clottey fight. The reason is because this is a competitive fight. You don’t know who’s going to win the fight. Mosley is a huge talent and is still fighting at a high level despite his advanced age. You can’t say the same thing about the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.

That’s going to be an easy win for Pacquiao. Clottey just lost to Cotto, and has few wins against top tier talent. He also has only one knockout in his last eleven fights, has a poor work rate and history of fading late in his fights. Clottey doesn’t move well and likes to cover up and focus on defending rather than attacking. In other words, Clottey will be like a punching bag with gloves.

That to me spells mismatch. If you had the choice of seeing a mismatch between Pacquiao and Clottey or a competitive fight between Mayweather and Mosley, which would you rather see? I think for most people it will be the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

Source: boxingnews24.com

Mosley, Mayweather reach terms

2010-01-30T06:35:00.000-08:00

Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to terms for a welterweight super fight, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Friday. Later Friday, Mosley signed his contract in Las Vegas, Mosley's attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com.

"Shane has signed. I sat with him [Friday] and we went through every provision of the contract and he signed," Burstein said. "He is excited to move forward with the bout."

Mayweather's signature is a formality, according to Burstein and Ellerbe.

"I confirmed with Leonard [on Friday night] that there are no issues," Burstein said.

"All of the deal points have been agreed to," Ellerbe said. "We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to. It's with the lawyers. Shane is a great fighter, one of the best of his era, and so is Floyd. It's going to be a great fight. It's a fight fans have wanted to see for a long time."

Ellerbe said that he expected Mayweather's paperwork to be completed in the next few days with a formal announcement likely next week.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but Mayweather has the option for an immediate rematch in the event he loses.

The fight came together after an unexpected turn of events.

First, Mayweather became available for a fight three weeks ago when negotiations with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao disintegrated. They had agreed to all terms for a March 13 fight that loomed as the biggest in boxing -- except for a drug testing protocol.

They had agreed to random urine testing, but Mayweather also wanted random blood testing, even though that is not required under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pacquiao agreed only to three blood tests, but none within 24 days of the fight, and the third one immediately after the bout.

Mayweather has alluded to Pacquiao using performance-enhancing drugs, even though he has never produced any evidence, and Floyd Mayweather Sr. has outright said he believes Pacquiao uses.

The rancor over the drug testing issue caused the fight to fall apart and Pacquiao moved on. He will defend his version of the 147-pound title against former titlist Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Then Mosley became available two weeks ago. He was scheduled to meet Andre Berto in a title unification bout at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday night. However, Berto, a Haitian-American, withdrew from the bout after eight members of his extended family were killed in the earthquake in Haiti.

Immediately after the cancellation of Mosley-Berto, Mosley and Mayweather -- the former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound king until giving up the mantle during a brief retirement -- began negotiating.

"The negotiations were very cordial and went very smoothly," Ellerbe said.

Mosley has agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather, Ellerbe said.

Mosley has admitted to using PEDs and was connected to the BALCO scandal. Although he publicly denied using PEDs for years, Mosley admitted during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the lead-up to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley said he took the steroids unknowingly.

"Floyd only wants to be sure of an even playing field no matter who he fights," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course since the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

Although their careers took different paths, talk of a potential fight heated back up in 2006 after Mosley's two knockouts of Fernando Vargas, but talks never got too serious.

However, Mosley stepped up his call for a fight with Mayweather, 32, last year after Mayweather ended his 18-month retirement. After Mayweather easily beat lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided decision in September, Mosley crashed his post-fight interview in the ring and called him out to his face.

It didn't look like Mosley would get the fight because two months later, Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto and talks began for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Mosley, 38, hasn't fought since last January, when he upset Antonio Margarito to win his title via ninth-round knockout.

Source: espn.go.com