As first reported by my colleague Michael Marley earlier today, it appears that former five-time champion Shane Mosley was looking for a way to prematurely end his fight with Manny Pacquiao earlier this month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A clear underdog heading into the fight, Mosley was knocked down by a wicked combination in the third round and went into a defensive shell soon thereafter. And, as seen in a recent preview video for this Saturday night’s Pacquiao-Mosley Fight Camp 360 episode, late in the fight, in between rounds, Mosley could be seen pleading with his trainer Naazim Richardson to end the bout.
“You’ve got to stop the fight,” Mosley implored.
“Shane, you’re cut from a different clothe baby,” Richardson would snap back, still believing there was some kind of magic left in his fighter.
“I can’t move,” Mosley would add, in reference to the reported blisters in his foot that came after he donned a new pair of shoes for the fight.
But Mosley’s wishes were not granted, as Richardson finished up by telling him that he didn’t want to send him into more danger but that he needed to dig down deep and find something special and finish the fight. Mosley would end up lasting the full twelve rounds, losing a unanimous decision to Pacquiao.
The video is a bit shocking to see, considering Mosley’s history of always going out on his shield, and I personally can’t jump on the wagon by calling Mosley a quitter. It’s obvious he was a fighter well past his prime that night and while the circumstances were made uncomfortable because of Pacquiao, it very well could be true that Shane had some kind of foot injury.
I remember talking to one of Mosley’s sparring partners in his camp before the fight, former champion DeMarcus ‘Chop Chop’ Corley, and he was pleased to tell me that he was going to be designing some custom shoes for Shane’s performance. I can’t help but to wonder if it was these mentioned kicks from Corley that ended up hurting Shane’s chances on May 7th.
For a closer look at Shane Mosley and Naazim Richardson in between rounds please visit the video on the left…
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
