Shane Mosley says he’ll give Floyd Mayweather Jr an “ass whooping” when the pair finally meet inside the ropes on May 1.
The two almost came to blows in New York on Tuesday at the first press conference on their tour to promote the big showdown in Las Vegas.
It’s clear there’s no love lost between the pair, with Mosley desperate to end Mayweather Jr’s proud unbeaten record.
For years it looked like ‘Sugar Shane’ – 46-5 and a five-time world champion – would never get a shot at ‘Money’.
But when the latter’s megafight with Manny Pacquiao fell through this match was the next best thing.
“I have always wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather and now that dream is finally coming true,” said the 38-year-old Mosley.
“Floyd is excellent at what he does, but my past record of beating the best competition and other great champions shows that he is just another one of my opponents I intend to beat.”
As long as age doesn’t suddenly prove a factor for Mosley, his combination of size and speed may well give Mayweather Jr the toughest test of his pro career on May 1.
He said: “He has never faced anyone like me before and I think that will be a big factor on May 1 when I plan to show him just what it means to meet a true champion in the ring.
“May 1 symbolises something. After this fight, it is going to be clear. It is going to be the date of Mayweather’s first loss.
“It has been a long time since I have had a chance to show the world that I am the best fighter. I have wanted to be the best and have people understand that I am the best.
“I just want to say I am going to take my hat off to Mayweather. For a minute I wasn’t going to get a fight from any of these top fighters and now I will. I would like to say that it is going down May 1 and it is going to be me and Money Mayweather. After this fight there won’t be anything else to pick.
“It is going to be clear that there is an ass whooping and I am about to give it to him!”
Mosley’s trainer Nazim Richardson says his man was desperate for the chance to face ‘Money’ following the postponement of his planned January 30 clash with Andre Berto.
“Picking a fighter is a lot like picking a partner to dance,” he said.
“You ask a young lady to dance. If she says ‘No’ you move on to the next lady. Shane’s eagerness to fight sometimes hurts his negotiations. He is always so eager. ‘I’ll take the test.’ ‘I’ll fight with one hand, you fight with two.’ Floyd accepted the challenge.”
Richardson says the fight is too close to call, and says it’s a meeting of two genuine ring greats.
“You can’t really say one is better than the other. At this level they are both special. It’s proven.
“This will be one of the great ones. One-hundred-forty-seven pounds is a premiere weight class. May 1, Shane will matchup against one of the best athletes in the sport.”
