LOS ANGELES ? Toppling a super elite fighter like Manny Pacquiao entails more than one good shot even from a fellow puncher of high caliber like Shane Mosley.
This is the belief of Mosley’s chief trainer Naazim Richardson, on whose shoulders lie the task of leading the 39-year-old fighter to a mighty upset over the world’s best fighter in a scheduled 12-round welterweight bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 7.
“Manny is a warrior, a great fighter,” said Richardson as quoted by Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels, who joined Team Mosley for two days for media interviews in New York and Connecticut.
Mosley had said earlier during the four-city press tour that he has the power to stop Pacquiao dead in his tracks, something that Richardson said will not be enough.
“It will take more than one punch, like Mosley’s crack against (Floyd) Mayweather, to beat Pacquiao,” said Richardson. “It will take sustained firepower to hurt and drop him (Pacquiao). We plan to put the pressure on him.”
Mosley is heading to his high altitude training camp in Big Bear, California, sometime next month although it could start as early as March 1, according to Samuels. Mosley said he has the size, power and speed needed to neutralize Pacquiao’s offensive might but oddsmakers remain unconvinced, tagging the US boxer a huge 7-1 underdog.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, plans to warm up for training camp in early March and will proceed to Baguio in mid-March for four weeks under Freddie Roach.
Pacquiao, had actually arrived here from Washington, DC the last leg of the press tour, early Wednesday morning on board United Airlines.
In the last two days of his stay here, Pacquiao will fulfill some commitments then fly back to Manila Friday night.
