I recently was afforded the opportunity to speak to future Hall of Famer and former 3 division world champion, ?Sugar? Shane Mosley. Mosley, now 43, is looking towards the next chapter of his career, that of being the trainer. In this interview Shane talks about how he got into the sport, and not being selected to the Olympic team. Mosley also talks about winning his first world title, and shares his thoughts on meeting a prime Oscar De La Hoya in the ring. Additionally Shane talks about Mayweather vs. Pacquiao finally happening. Here is what Shane Mosley had to say.
Robert Brown: I would like to know how your relationship with boxing started and why you choose boxing as a profession, could you give us the background?
Shane Mosley: I got into boxing when I was 8. My mom actually made me go to the gym with my dad who had been an amateur boxer. When my dad taught me to throw my first punch, I was hooked. I loved that it was a 1 on 1 sport.
My problem in school was I would fight with the other kids if we played any sport: football, basketball, soccer, and dodgeball, whatever! because they never worked as hard as me. They didn?t take it serious. I take everything I do serious, I want to win. So I loved boxing from the beginning because I didn?t have to depend on anyone. If I won or lost it was up to me, and I don?t like to lose.
Robert Brown: Despite being an amateur standout and being regarded as one of America?s best bets to win a gold medal, you failed to make the Olympic team. How much of a regret was it to not make it to the Olympics and would your career have been even more successful if you had?
Shane Mosley: I would have loved to go to the Olympics, but their point system wasn?t designed for a boxer like me. I don?t just want to win; I want to knock my guy out. I don?t want to ?win? on paper by playing safe and gaining cheap points on some arbitrary scale. I?m a fighter. I want to fight your ass to the mat, that?s why the fans love me. I don?t know if that would have made me more successful in my career. My career has been one of the best out there. So either way I am happy with what I have done.
Robert Brown: Talk to us about winning your first World Title against Phillip Holiday what are your memories of that fight.
Shane Mosley: It was my first big fight. I was ready, I worked hard, so hard I remember the pain, the sore body, the loneliness of training so many hours alone. I go into my own world before any big fight, but that was my first world title so I was ready, blood sweat and tears, and victory. That?s all I remember.
Robert Brown: After dominating the lightweight division, you moved up to welterweight to fight Oscar De La Hoya who was considered untouchable at the time and you achieved a stunning upset, what are your memories of that fight?
Shane Mosley: I remember going into it knowing I was going to win. I wasn?t about to let anyone beat me. I had beat Oscar as a kid at like 13 in the amateurs. I grew up with him. I wasn?t scared of Oscar, I knew I would beat him. He won the Gold in the Olympics and he got some people behind him that pushed him out in front of me. But he was never better than me, just better represented. In boxing that is probably more than half the battle.
Robert Brown: The second fight against De La Hoya, the decision was highly contentious. Looking back, do you have any doubt that you won that fight?
Shane Mosley: You know, it was a close fight. If you go off the points alone, it was close. If you were there, it was clear I won. There is something about fights that you can?t see through the TV screen. People who have gone to one understand that the most. There is energy, an ebb and flow. A boxing match is different than MMA or karate or some shit. It is a brawl, but it?s also a chess match.
Sometimes you can only FEEL the intensity and FEEL who is winning when you?re there in person especially in a close fight. Especially when the camera is cutting from angle to angle showing what they want and replaying what they want. People don?t realize how much the commentators can sway their opinion of what is happening and who is winning. Watch a match on mute, then watch it with sound, you will see what I mean. If more fans tried that, they would know how they were being played sometimes.
Robert Brown: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is finally happening, what are your thoughts now the fight is here?
Shane Mosley: I think it will be a good fight. To be honest, I don?t think people are going to see the fight they think they are going to see. This fight has been blown WAY out of proportion. I mean, Marquez just knocked ?Pacman? out, and Mayweather easily beat Marquez. I get styles make fights, but Marquez and ?Pacman? are not that different in style.
It?s not going to be explosive, not like Oscar and my fights for example, where we were brawling. Neither of us played it safe, we fight. Not all fighters are like that. Some box ?which is part of the sport, just more the boring part. So if Mayweather out ?boxes? Pacquiao, and Pacquiao can?t catch him then you?re in for a boring fight. Although, now that Mayweather has Alex Ariza, he may have that unknown strength Ariza gives his fighters so Mayweather might be looking for a KO, you never know.
Think about it though, what are the fights people remember? What are the fights you remember? Who was it? Why was it an amazing fight? Did it have you out of your seat? Did you talk about it for months after? Why? Most of those answers are going to be about fighters who go for the KO, and never give up, who were the underdog and won, or were just a plain beast like Tyson. No one remembers the fights where one fighter runs around the ring and wins on points. So yeah a win is a win, but ?best fight ever?? I don?t know about that one.
