Casual talk from BEVERLY HILLS, California – “It’s my style that will beat Pacquiao,” says the three-time world champion Sugar Shane Mosley. “With my style and that of Pacquiao coming in forward in
an attacking mode usually, it is easier for me to find him and pin him down.”
Pacquiao will have to defend his WBO welterweight title against Mosley on May 7 this year at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mosley says Pacquiao can be harder to defeat because he delivers a lot of punches. But, “I won’t have to chase him around because almost always he will be there in front of me, coming in forward, offering lots of opening four countering.”
“I think Pacquiao’s activity would be lessened if one has great hand speed and power with good counter-punching ability. He would slow down. I have seen that in his fights.”
Mosley, 39, does not find himself slowing down at his age. He feels confident that the fighting odds should be even despite his record boasting a total of 54 professional fights, inclusive of 46 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw versus Pacquiao’s 57 professional fights, inclusive of 52 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. Pacquiao’s knockout percentage is 66.67 versus Mosley’s 72.22. Mosley is ranked by Boxrec.com as the No.3 fighter in the Welterweight division versus Pacquiao’s ranking on the No. 2 spot next to Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Asked if he is banking his potential win based on himself being an African-American stylist, Mosley says “it’s not the common style of African-American boxers that will defeat Pacquiao; it’s going to be my own style and my own rhythm that will bring the big difference on fight night”
Mosley’s fight with Sergio Mora on August 18 of last year brought a controversy to his fight with Pacquiao, in which many thought he does not deserve a shot at world’s pound-for-pound king from
the Philippines sensing the disparity of his recent performance in that fight versus what he had been regarded as the better man with great hand speed, exacting footwork and formidable power. These three were less pronounced, indicating a tremendous drop of his performance potentially associating with his aging faster than Bob Hopkins, who is still arguably fighting at par excellence at 45.
Meanwhile, Mosley, who has never been knocked out, expects the biggest upset in the history of boxing.
His common foes with Pacquiao are the following: Oscar de la Hoya, Miguel Angel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. He won over De la Hoya via split decision 2003, whom Pacquiao won by stoppage in round 8 in 2008. He lost to Cotto via unanimous decision in 2007, whom Pacquiao won over by TKO in round 12 in 2009. But Mosley won over Margarito by way of knockout in round 9 in the opening month of 2009, whom Pacquiao won via unanimous decision out of their twelve rounds of boxing last November 13.
“I think I would look good. I totally dominated Margarito. Pacquiao did not, ” says Mosley who believes that Mayweather, Jr. does not want to fight against Pacquiao, thereby giving him the opportunity to fight the best. “I happy to fight Pacquiao, too, because of the big money I could get.”
No amount of money is dislosed for Mosley and Pacquiao to share, as of press time.
The variance of their respective victories over their common foes relatively speaks volume of their fighting styles.
“Styles make fights,” says Mosley who is so upbeat and grateful that Pacquiao has agreed to fight him. “I’ll catch him up and I think it’s going to be a short night.”
Pacquiao is a 7-1 favorite, as of this writing.
