MOSLEY PREDICTS A KNOCKOUT EITHER WAY

Shane Mosley has told Filipino fight fans that in his clash with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7 “somebody is going to get knocked out.

Mosley, in an exclusive interview with Dyan Castillejo of ABS-CBN Sports told Filipino fight fans it will be a great fight because “styles make fights. He (Pacquiao) is an exciting fighter and I’m an exciting fighter. With the way we both fight
somebody’s going to get knocked out. That’s the beauty of the whole thing. People will come to see a good match.”

Winky Wright Weighs In on Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley

Eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, has three opponents in common with three-division, five-time titlist, Shane Mosley, the man against whom he will defend his WBO welterweight (147 pounds) crown in a Top Rank Promotions event on May 7 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in an HBO pay per view televised bout.

Pacquiao - Mosley, A Better Match-Up Than Most Believe

 

by Kevin Smith
Boxscore News - Texas
January 2, 2011

The announcement that Manny Pacquiao's next fight would be against Shane Mosley on May 7th was not a surprise to boxing insiders. Mosley, the former three division champion, was a solid choice from a field of contenders that included Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. The surprise fact with this fight, if it is to come, will be how each of the fighters approaches it— has trained and prepared. Pacquiao is looking to extend his boxing credentials, legacy and growing worldwide fame; Mosley seeks to re-claim his, in what could likely be his swan song to boxing, following his most recent loss to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

LINDER'S LOOK PACQUIAO-MOSLEY

By Doveed Linder

Going into 2011, the biggest gripe in the boxing world seems to be the match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. After all, Pacquiao is at the top of his game and many consider him to be unbeatable. And Mosley is coming off of two of the worst performances of his career (against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Sergio Mora). Since Pacquiao is currently the pound-for-pound king, the boxing public wants to see him against a fresh opponent who presents a worthy challenge. But in my opinion, given the circumstances in the welterweight division where Pacquiao resides, Mosley is a logical choice for Pacquiao’s next fight.

Manny, money, Mosley and Marquez

One day, Shane Mosley is not a viable opponent for Manny Pacquiao. The next, he is the best possible challenger for the eight-time world champion. Suddenly, all the machinery is in motion, and we’re moved along with it like a heavy flood of lahar through Central Luzon. We want to see Pacquiao fight, and because he’s wiped everybody out in so many weight classes, we care increasingly less who the opponent is. We’re hungry for the next cliffhanger in the telenovela.

Mosley: 'I'm not as slow as Margarito'

Shane Mosley said he also has in his arsenal what Manny Pacquiao has in his: Speed and power.

Four months before they square off in May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mosley told the LA Daily News that the scheduled 12-round welterweight title fight is “more of a scary fight for Pacquiao because I can hit and I do have speed.”

IF PACQUIAO-MOSLEY IS BAD, MARQUEZ-MORALES IS WORSE

As soon as the Pacquiao-Mosley fight was announced, many postings immediately started to pop-out calling it among others, a “terrible fight”. Pacquiao they said is fighting an old washed-out fighter who is well past his prime. In fact, even the guys that set the odds don’t see it as a close contest. They are calling it a 9-1 fight in favor of Pacquiao.

Contortionist Bob Arum does backflips, cartwheels on Sugar Shane Mosley

It's no coincidence that through 43 years, Bob Arum has stood on the top of the boxing promotional totem pole, much of that with his archrival Don King being the other grand poobah.

Let's face it, Arum is a greater contortionist than the Indian Rubber Man and Mary Lou Retton combined.

The 79 year old may not practice “trickeration” like DK has but Arum put the “v” in versatile and the “f” in flexibility.

Flash back to the day after Sugar Shane Mosley struggled to eke out a draw against Sergio Mora.

Here's what Arum told me on Sept. 19:

“What I've read is not very supportive to make any Mosley-Pacquiao bout. Look, he’s going to be 40 and he’s in the lighter weights where speed is so important. He’s on a show with guys (example, 20-year-old Saul Canelo Alvarez) old enough to be his son.

“I read them saying Mosley was huffing and puffing for air in the fourth or fifth round,” stated Arum. “To me, that is the real tipoff for an aging fighter. Even Big George Foreman did that in his 40s but he always had that big, big punch like in the (Michael) Moorer fight.”

“It’s like Hopkins, he still knows how to fight but who wants to pay to see him now? His fights are not very scintillating. What you see with Hopkins we’re beginning to see with Mosley.”

Anyone reading these Arum comments would not have bet on Mosley turning up as Manny Pacquiao's first opponent of 2011.

Anyone, that is, except those who know how Discount Bob operates and how he loves to get a big name opponent, and certainly Mosley remains that, for a wholsesale rather than a retail price.

In rapping Mosley, he was just kicking the tires like a prospective automobile buyer does.

Besides, it was generally thought that Mosley wore Golden (Boy) handcuffs.

But then Mosley did some gymnastics, extricating himself from Golden Boy, and the spry and nimble Arum began doing cartwheels of joy.

Arum's timing of the less than formal announcement, which was only a surprise to some cavemen in Lower Slobbovia, that Pacquiao will fight faded glory Mosley May 7 was exquisitely timed for the Christmas break when the Top Rank honcho knew most concerned citizens would not be paying attention.

Arum confirmed the done deal to the Associated Press on Dec. 21, a day on which the janitor at the wire service office probably answered the phone.

It was a variation on the old, tried and true, public relations scheme used by politicians, priests, potentates and other poobahs forever.

When you've got bad news, negative news, let it seep out on a Friday afternoon, preferably the start of a three day weekend so that the nasty reaction will be muted and, most likely, over and done with come the start of the next business day.

Now, with Pacman-Mosley a done deal, some scribes are still hot and bothered and/or surprised how “official quotes” from the lips of Manny and the clarion call of trainer Freddie Roach have become all about what a dangerous foe the doddering Mosley is.

Conditioning guru Alex Ariza, who verbally panned Mosley as unqualified, suddenly got lockjaw.

Knowing that his Golden Boy pals rarely have a civil word about Arum and vice-versa, Mosley and new adviser James Prince jumped the Golden fence quick, fast and in a hurry. Why the Goldens held no paper, no contract, on their vice president from Pomona has never been explained.

Prince must have explained to Mosley that the terms “free” and “agent” combined amounted to a high occupancy vehicle lane pass for Shane to drive himself into Arum's waiting arms.

My advice to the critics, and I feel your pugilistic pain, is to lay back and enjoy it.

Let's keep this in perspective as it is business as usual in the Toy Department, of which boxing is a savage subset.

It's not like a church being blown up by faceless cowards in Egypt or street children in Rio de Janeiro, Angeles City or parts of the United States who go to bed hungry every night.

This is a venture, this fight, designed for your amusement and for the promoter's profit.

Consider it a Pacman triple play, instead of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, we've got runaway bride Clottey, the diminished and rusty as an old gate Margaito and, in the merry month of May, Mosley in a likely swan song.

Swans don't bite, do they? Neither did Joshing Joshua or Tone Loc.

The more kicks Arum gets now, the more he will enjoy playing the Savior of Boxing role when Floyd Mayweather-Pacquiao is put together, at long last, for November.

If, as is expected, Mayweather ducks a jail stint, he will sign up for Pacman in the fall.

And then, some of those kicking Uncle Roberto's backside, will be looking to kiss it in Macy's window.

As for the Goldens, their new mission is to sprinkle fairy dust around about what a scintillating matchup Juan Manuel Marquez and another faded glory named Erik Morales.

There's been a huge public demand for that stirring matchup, at least in the Erik Morales household.

And the merry go round just keeps on spinning.

Or, to use an aquatic metaphor, what is that Arum is doing in the paranha tank?

Looks like the backstroke to me, sir.

Either that or the Mosley crawl.

-examiner.com

Manny Pacquiao Better Not Pity Shane Mosley in the Ring

Manny Pacquiao is a fighter. He is ferocious and tenacious in the boxing ring, he throws thousands of punches all with bad intentions, but he seems to have gotten soft lately.

No longer is he the hungry and ferocious fighter from the mean streets who wouldn’t stop punching until his opponent was out cold or on the canvas no matter how much he hurt them, the Pacquiao you see today is a more civilized one in fact he is a politician now.

Maybe Manny has grown accustom to the finer things in life and doesn’t have the hunger he once had as a poor Filipino teen.

For those of us who witnessed the Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight on November 13 in Dallas Cowboy stadium what we saw was a man who showed pity and was merciful to his already beaten down opponent. Pacquiao carried the fight and kept looking at the referee to stop the fight. That type of compassion and pity Manny showed in the ring was not a good move by him.

The reason it isn’t good to ease up on an opponent like Margarito is because a bigger man will always have that punchers chance especially if he is a warrior who will die in the ring like Margarito. If a fighter doesn’t want to quit that is up to his corner, doctor or referee to stop the fight, the opponent is not the one to make that call.

Freddie Roach keeps telling Manny that he can’t be Mr. Nice Guy with his opponent and it’s his duty to put them out once the opponent is wounded. Roach knows that a fighter is dangerous up to the last round as long as he can still walk and throw punches.

I worry that Manny might show pity on Shane Mosley and could pay the price against a crafty, sneaky veteran like Mosley. Shane Mosley is almost 40 years old but he is still dangerous, actually, he is more dangerous than Andre Berto and Juan Manuel Marquez because Shane has nothing to lose and he is out to prove everyone wrong, that is the most dangerous type of opponent — the one that is counted out.

If Pacquiao shows mercy on Mosley and tries to carry him because he doesn’t want to knock him out cold, he might get caught off guard by Shane. Mosley will not show the same type of pity, he will take advantage of that gracious gesture and go in to take Manny’s head off with a sneaky power punch the same way he knocked Ricardo Mayorga out in the final part of the 12th and last round of their fight.

For Manny he must remember it is not his job to show pity in the ring, he is there to win and at all costs possible. If he doesn’t want to inflict lasting damage on Mosley then the moment he hurts him he must blast him out and not back away and show pity like he did against Margarito. Manny must not stop until Mosley is on the floor or the fight gets stopped by the corner or referee, because I guarantee Mosley will not show pity on the Pac-Man if he had him hurt.

Mosley wanted to kill Antonio Margarito when they fought he never showed an ounce of mercy on a already wounded Margarito. Mosley knows only to be a nice guy outside the ring but merciless inside the boxing ring. If you look at the two fights and compare Shane Mosley vs. Margarito and Pacquiao vs. Margarito you can see the difference. Mosley was throwing everything with bad intentions to really inflict brutal damage on a wounded Margarito not showing any pity, but Pacquiao would hurt Margarito a lot in the fight and then he would back away instead of capitalizing on it.

My advice to Manny Pacquiao would be: Keep the politics outside of the ring and fight to the finish inside the ring because Shane Mosley isn’t someone you can take lightly or show mercy on in the ring.

-bayanihantayo

The Steroid Debate: Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley

During 2010, the issue of steroids became a hot topic in boxing.

For the second time, a lucrative bout between six-time titlist Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 knockouts) and eight-division king, Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), holder of the WBO welterweight and WBC junior middleweight belts, reached a negotiations impasse over the issue.

To test or not to test. That was the general debate.

For the first time in the sport's history, Mayweather and five-time champion, Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) were subject to Olympic style drug testing of both blood and urine by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) prior to Mayweather's unanimous decision victory in May. Prior to that, only urine had been examined in boxing.

Reportedly a past user of the painkilling medicine, Xylocaine, to numb his hands, Mayweather was defended by his adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, who insisted that the fighter no longer used the substance and that his problem had been remedied by hand-wrapping guru, Rafael Garcia.

Former Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor, Margaret Goodman (pictured below, at right), advocates that blood testing, though expensive, is feasible for boxing and included it among her15 ways to improve the sport.

If it meant enforcing stricter guidelines for boxing, USADA executive chief, Travis Tygart, told FanHouse that he would embrace the opportunity to work with BALCO founder, Victor Conte(pictured below, at left), whom Tygart once referred to as, "The Evil Chemist."

In 2003, Mosley admitted to injecting the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," but says that he did so unknowingly after having been supplied the drugs by Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson. 

Should Mosley and Pacquiao both be subjected to random blood testing?

Personally I don't think Manny Pacquiao is using any form of PED's, but why not just take the test to shut everybody up? I suggest that both Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley undergo random blood testing for their fight. Why not? Perhaps by doing so it can set a new standard in boxing. 

Floyd Mayweather Sr in just about every interview that I have conducted with him in one way or another accuses Pacquiao of using steroids. What would he have to say for himself if Manny takes random blood tests for his fight Vs. Mosley and comes back clean all the way through?

If Pacquiao tests clean throughout his camp leading up to his fight against Mosley, what would big Floyd have to say this time? If Manny would just go ahead and do blood testing right up to fight day he would pull off the ultimate knockout. He would give the Mayweathers NOTHING to harp about.

Mosley and Pacquiao should both just do the blood testing and pave the way for a more fair and cleaner sport of boxing. Again, I do not think Pacquiao ever juiced, but he in my opinion should set the standard once again as he has already done in so many other areas, and just take the tests.

We all know the Mosley story and PEDs and Falco, so he should take the test as well. Both guys could set a new standard for the sport.

Mississippians that I have talked to about the blood testing issue are mostly in favor of blood testing for boxers. Most of the fans in Mississippi that I have talked to do not believe that Pacquiao ever did anything illegal, but they do feel as if he should just go ahead and blood test randomly up until the day of the fight. This would just shut everyone up, and it would give Pacquiao's detractors less to gripe and moan about.

In a recent interview that I did with Floyd Mayweather Sr, he once again accuses Pacquiao of juicing, and even suggests in a round about way that Amir Khan may be juicing as well.

At the end of the day the boxing fans just want to know that all of the athletes in the sport are not doing anything illegal. They want to know that the fighters are not juicing, and that the fights are fair. 

Pacquiao is the greatest thing that has happened to boxing in decades. He is the face of the sport, so if he agrees to blood testing, random blood testing, he sets a new standard, and he shuts up his detractors.

-examiner.com

Naazim Richardson: Pacquiao vs. Mosley is an all gladiator type of fight!

By: Albert Alvarez

Brother Naazim first of all let me start this off by saying that you guys beat the brakes off of Jean Pascal, so congrats on that. I realize the final tally being read wasn’t the outcome you were shooting for, but indeed was a masterpiece. Your thoughts on the Hopkins/Pascal fight?

NR- Thank you I appreciate, WE appreciate the fact that you and so many others were able to see and appreciate the work that we put on in that fight. Pascal is a strong fighter and all that but you can’t pull the same card trick on a man that has been around the block a few times.

After the 2 knockdowns especially, did you then feel that the only way out of Quebec with the straps would be for the eXecutioner to go out there and knock out Pascal?

NR- You got to understand that we were outsiders going into a very loud building. We were the visitors so knowing that he had the home court advantage we knew what we were up against from the start. After the first 3 rounds, X remained cool because X and I both knew that there were still 9 more rounds to be fought.

Exactly, I believe I gave Pascal the first 3 rounds and one other one, but from round 4-12, Hopkins put on a boxing lesson. In fact I recently saw the fight again while listening to Don’t sweat the technique, and it went perfect with the fight because Bernard’s technique was a thing of beauty.

NR- Great song by the way, good choice. There was even a time between rounds where I made it a point to tell X that we didn’t come all the way up here to come to the scorecards. X didn’t stop Pascal but X did put on a masterful performance. Pascal deep down knows what went down and I’m sure it aint sitting down with him well.

You now got Steve Cunningham next on deck in January against Licina right?

NR- Yes that fight gonna take place on the 22nd. Steve is looking good as he always does and he will take care of business. We got a little less than a month to go so everything is looking good.

Then in May you will have Mosley on deck against the beast that is Pacquiao. Your thoughts on that clash?

NR- Like I told you before, Pacquiao/Mosley is going to be a clash between 2 gladiators. People and writers out there can say oh well Mosley looked horrible in his last fight against Mora. Well Mora is no Manny Pacquiao, Mora did not want any part of Shane so Mora was out there not really fighting. Pacquiao on the other hand is a born fighter so he is gonna come to fight. Why? Because that’s what he does. Shane is also a fighter so it’s going to be a real fight.

Seems that the majority wanted Berto in there against the Pac-Man, but to me and nothing against Berto but that fight between Pacquiao and Berto is a 5 or 6 round fight. I feel Berto is not ready for a superstar like Pacquiao. Your take?

NR- Look man, Berto is a talented kid but I also agree with you that right now Pacquiao is too much for him to handle. He may not be ready to collide with one of the elites. And if Berto feels like he is ready for the elite, then Floyd is right there waiting for him. Go on and get yourself some. Berto is a good kid and you and I have talked about his fights in the amateurs against your boy Jesus Gonzalez, I was lucky enough to have seen all 4 of their entertaining fights. I even saw when Berto beat Timothy Bradley.

Berto beat Bradley? How was that fight?

NR- It was a fun lil scrap, but you see Berto is a bigger guy than Tim. Berto is a wrestler so he knows how to cut weight. But like I said, I wish Berto the very best but like I said if he wants to collide against an elite, Floyd is right there. Cotto may also be there as well.

Alright Naaz, I will let you go since I know how busy you are. But before I let you go, I want to add that Shane needs to take pointers from Hopkins because Hopkins is the king at fighting southpaws. I also want to add that I can not wait to check out the strategies that Freddie Roach and yourself will put into play for your fighters come fight camp and fight night. 2 masterminds on opposite corners. Thanks for your time.

NR- Bernard gonna definitely give Shane some wise words of advise. And I am also looking forward to challenging Roach. I’m up for the challenge. We have a lot of respect for Pacquiao and Roach, but at the end of the day we gotta do what we gotta do. Alright brother thanks for the call.

-diamondboxing

Mosley Trainer Sees Upset Win

MANILA, Philippines — Just when you are about to count Shane Mosley out, the California-bred fighter always comes up with a huge performance, something his outspoken trainer believes will happen when the California-bred fighter faces Manny Pacquiao on May 7 in Las Vegas.

“I think the Pacquiao fight with Shane will give him a chance to do what he has done several times before,” Naazim Richardson told examiner.com.

Richardson stressed that Mosley has the uncanny ability to bounce back when people begin thinking he is about to assume the role of a cannon fodder.

“You’ve seen Shane lose to Vernon Forrest. (Ricardo) Mayorga slashed Vernon Forrest. Then Shane smashed Mayorga. You’ve seen Shane lose to (Miguel) Cotto. (Antonio) Margarito slashed Cotto. Then Shane smashed Margarito,” Richardson pointed out.

Describing Pacquiao as “a beast,” Richardson said the styles of the two combatants promise fight fans a treat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The scheduled 12-round welterweight title match will be a “barnburner,” said Richardson, who plans to bring Mosley to Big Bear, California, a training facility 7,000 feet above sea level.

Richardson is positive that after the fight, those who have criticized Mosley for being down-the-hill and too old would eat their words.

Actually, Richardson doesn’t want them to eat crow and is just looking forward to saying four little words to their detractors: “I told you so.”

-manilabulletin

The Final Score: Okay Shane Mosley, your turn

By Mico Halili

Manny Pacquiao's fans are neither jumping in delight nor cowering in fear over the promise of Shane Mosley. Since we love Pacquiao so much, believe so intensely in his myth, we treat him like Muhammad Ali. Hence, we want Pacquiao to face his own Joe Frazier. It's the acid test no amount of slick marketing gobbledygook can fake. Mosley is no Smokin' Joe. But a big 2012 fight for our Colossus, ceremonial or otherwise, is still a fight.

Weight issues and the rift between rival promoters aside, Juan Manuel Marquez seems the more intriguing choice. From a dramatic perspective, I think he really is. Mosley will be more determined to prove skeptics that he’s not old, that it wasn’t foolish for him to challenge Pacquiao out loud. Marquez, on the other hand, is dying to show the world that the entire Pacman legend is a farce. Deep-seated motivation makes a world of difference. Yet in boxing, fighting at the right weight, agreeing to an appropriate monetary share and the act of simply shaking hands to close a deal are never simple matters.

Plotting the next steps of a living legend is neither as convenient. Bob Arum's task is not to feed Pacquiao to the lions. His task is to further lionize Pacquiao in the eyes of boxing fans. He seems to be running out of earth-shaking match-ups. I'm referring to duels which give odds-makers something to really think about. Otherwise, Pacquiao fans will again worry about opponents’ perceived advantages in size, reach and strength only to discover there was little to worry about in the first place.

While the world wrinkled its forehead, Bernard Hopkins, 46, must have done cartwheels upon hearing the news. Hopkins wants Pacquiao to "man-up" and face slick, African-American fighters for a change. "Dear Pacman, stop avoiding black fighters." It probably wasn't the best way for Hopkins to say Pacquiao has run out of worthy non-American opponents. It probably wasn't the best way to say anything. Yet at the very least, crudely or not, Hopkins set up the thesis for Pacquiao-Mosley.

Pacquiao fans still want Mayweather even if the possibility is remote. But Mosley is still a big name, even at age 39. Mosley may no longer have a lethal punch but he may still have significant pay-per-view draw. In turn, a highly-publicized, highly-watched Pacquiao-Mosley fight can dismantle Hopkins's initial, even foolish, claim. Pacquiao will no longer be unproven against African-American fighters. Gains will be more evident if Pacquiao dismantles Mosley before the eyes of another large global audience.

The cycle starts. We're initially turned off. We still want Mayweather. But boxing will find a way to push our buttons again. It always does. As the bout nears, while apprehensions mount, when Arum makes Mosley larger than life, as soon as Sugar's reputation becomes our primary concern, even without Frazier on the prowl, we will worry for Pacquiao because he is our Muhammad Ali. In the end, we will fret. On fight night, we will watch.

-gmanews.tv

Mosley of 'old' to come out vs Pacquiao in May

The old Sugar Shane Mosley is the one going to resurface when he climbs the ring against Manny Pacquiao on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Definitely not the Mosley who lost a lopsided decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and certainly not the same guy who was held to a draw by Sergio Mora.

“Manny will come at me and I will knock him out," said Mosley when interviewed by ESPN moments after his 12-round title fight against the Filipino boxing star for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight championship belt was announced.

The bout is set at 147 lbs.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said Mosley clinched the deal over two others – long-time Pacquiao nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez and reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight king Andre Berto.

The legendary boxing promoter believes a fight with the 39-year-old Mosley of Pomona, California is the “most sellable" of all.

“I know they think I’m an old man and that Manny is going to beat me. Let them think that," said Mosley, who won titles as a lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight, “I still have power and speed. So they can think whatever they want. I know what I can do."

That such an impression has been attached to Mosley of late is understandable.

Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) lost to Mayweather Jr. in a 12-round decision last April, and then settled for a draw against Mora, ‘The Contender’ star, in a junior middleweight showdown five months later.

Mosley had his own reasons for his two sub-par performances, claiming he was able to hurt Mayweather despite the one-sided bout, and that Mora didn’t beat him at all, adding that his opponent ran away from him all night.

The same scenario won’t be happening when he faces Pacquiao.

“Come on, man. I’m a bigger guy than him and he gets hit. And you saw how I hurt Floyd. Manny is going to come forward and I will hit him on the chin at some point. His defense is not like Floyd’s," he said

Mosley winning the Pacquiao sweepstakes also signaled the end of his partnership with Golden Boy Promotions, the rival group of Top Rank and with which the American boxer reportedly owns a stake of four percent.

The lure of big prize money just by fighting Pacquiao definitely has something to do with that.

Mosley is assured of a $5 million guaranteed prize for the May 7 fight and a $5 share per pay-per-view buy above 500,000, meaning a 1.2 million sales in per-per-view would translate to a take of $8.5 million take the only man to beat the great Oscar De La Hoya twice.

His biggest career earning was $7 million in his loss against Mayweather Jr.

Arum believes hitting the 1 million mark in pay-per-view is doable. “I thought Mosley was the best draw of the three and it would do the best business."

The 79-year-old promoter also said the fight doing well in pay-per-view sales would give Pacquiao his biggest paycheck to date, as he is likely to receive between $12-$15 million in guaranteed purse.

Of course, it won’t be an easy one, Arum says.

“Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trample says it’s a very difficult fight. I believe it will be an exciting fight," said Arum. “Shane knows how to fight and how to deal with the speed. Manny is in for a hellacious fight. I really believe styles make fights." – KY, JVP

-gmanews.tv

Bob Arum: Pacquiao to fight Mosley on May 7

(Updated 12:21 p.m.) Manny Pacquiao plans to fight Shane Mosley in his next bout on May 7 in Las Vegas.

Promoter Bob Arum told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the deal will be done after Mosley's lawyers approve the final paperwork for the WBO welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Arum said Pacquiao chose the bout because Mosley is the most accomplished and famous boxer in the field of candidates, which included Juan Manuel Marquez and welterweight champion Andre Berto.

"He's the most recognizable name, and it's a difficult fight for him," said Arum, who met with Pacquiao in the Philippines last week. "People are also saying, 'Well, why hasn't he fought an African-American fighter?' He's doing that, but mostly it's because Mosley is the biggest name."

Pacquiao also realizes a potential superbout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. is likely still impossible because of the Mayweather family's various legal troubles.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) is on top of the boxing world after trouncing Antonio Margarito in a one-sided decision in Texas on Nov. 13. The 32-year-old Filipino congressman has won 13 straight fights while claiming world titles in an astonishing eight weight classes, most recently taking the WBC light middleweight belt with his win over Margarito.

Arum realizes he could have trouble selling a fight against a 39-year-old opponent who will be nearly 2½ years removed from his last victory when he faces Pacquiao, but believes Mosley's skill and speed will challenge Pacquiao.

"That was obviously a negative, but Shane Mosley is capable of doing great things," Arum said.

Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) is near the tail end of a remarkable career that began in 1993. The former three-division champion has won just two of his past five fights, getting walloped by Mayweather in an unanimous decision last May before fighting to a dull draw with Sergio Mora on Sept. 18.

The deal further cements Mosley's acrimonious split from Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya's promotional company.

Mosley was a founding partner in Golden Boy, but he has cut ties with the organization since his draw with Mora last September, even refusing to answer phone calls from Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer. Mosley apparently was angry that Golden Boy pushed Marquez, the talented Mexican champion, as Pacquiao's next opponent.

Golden Boy and Top Rank, Arum's promotion, are involved in a bitter rivalry. The companies have become unwilling to match any of their fighters against each other, which likely proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for Golden Boy's Marquez.

Pacquiao and Marquez have fought twice before, with a draw in 2004 and a split-decision win for Pacquiao in 2008. Both fights were thrilling contests that easily could have been decided for Marquez, who has been campaigning for a third bout since moments after their second fight ended.

After straying to suburban Dallas for his victories this year over Joshua Clottey and Margarito in cavernous Cowboys Stadium, Pacquiao is eager to return to Las Vegas, where his fights always attract thousands of fans eager to pump gambling money into Nevada's struggling gaming industry.

"It's great to do a promotion where I can sleep in my own bed," Arum said. — AP

-gmanews.tv