GOLDEN BOY Promotions chief executive officer Richard Schaefer said World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion ?Sugar? Shane Mosley is in such good shape that Manny Pacquiao or Ricky Hatton might opt not to fight him next.
This despite an earlier pronouncement by Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach that a Pacquiao-Mosley matchup would be a ?tremendous? and ?marketable? bout more likely to happen than a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mosley, winner of world titles in three different weight divisions, clinched the WBA world title from 30-year-old Antonio Margarito with a ninth-round technical knockout victory in January.
?My feeling is that [the winner out of Pacquiao and Hatton] most likely won?t want to fight Shane either,? Schaefer was quoted as saying by eastsideboxing.com.
The fight, where Margarito was a 4-1 favorite to win and force the 37-year-old Mosley into retirement, proved the latter still has what it takes to reign as champion for a longer period but a big-money fight with the current top boxers may be out of the question at this time, according to Schaefer.
However, the veteran fight promoter is confident top guys such as the flamboyant Pacquiao will ultimately struggle to find a big enough fight and will then choose to face off with the dangerous five-foot-nine slugger.
?Eventually all the guys who want a big fight will have to look to Shane Mosley,? Schaefer said. ?It might not be today or tomorrow, but it will come.?
Pound-for-pound king Pacquiao takes on International Boxing Organization junior-welterweight champion Hatton of England on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Among those waiting in the wings for an expected blockbuster fight against the winner of that match are World Boxing Organization (WBO) and WBA lightweight title holder Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico.
?The fact is Shane looked spectacular in his last fight, almost too good for his own good. It?s funny how quickly one fight can change everything. Shane was labeled a wash-up or close to it by many writers. Virtually no writers picked Shane to win [against ?Tony?]. They felt he was past his prime.
?Suddenly, he puts on that performance and now he?s one of the best fighters again, in most people?s top three or four. He was so spectacular that people say, ?Oh, I?d really rather not fight Shane Mosley.??
A few weeks ago, however, Roach said pitting Pacquiao with Mosley is more likely than a bout against the idle Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has signified his intention of getting back in the ring after hanging up his gloves two years ago.
?I think the more marketable fight is Mosley. I think the fans would like to see it,? Roach said.
?They are two of the fastest guys in the game. It?s a great fight, both guys have speed, both guys have power.?
?Shane and Manny will use their speed and combinations and they?d do it in a smart way. They?re intelligent fighters.?
Roach had earlier said Mayweather Jr., who had demanded a $20-million guaranteed prize for fight with Mosley, is now off his list of possible opponents for Pacquiao. Top Rank top man Bob Arum, on the other hand, said he will suggest that the Filipino fighter next fight Cotto, who is also from the same promotional outfit.
Marquez has also been mentioned by Roach as a possible opponent, which means a third showdown with Pacquiao, but only if the Mexican moves up to 140 lb. Roach earlier this year also said his ward wants to take on Margarito, although that was before Mosley?s win over the Mexican and before the Pacquiao-Hatton fight was sealed.
