While the Guru of sweet science, Nazim Richardson and his trusted charge, Sugar Shane Mosley are sitting on the mountain top in Big Bear, Calif., pondering and trying to figure out the Rubik?s cube of boxing Manny Pacquiao, master Coach Freddie Roach left for Philippine?s early last week to begin the training camp of his prized student/congressman and pound for pound best fighter on the planet.
Once again, the contracts are signed, terms are sealed; preparation or the real work begins. Although not the match-up most fans wanted to see, the mega welterweight showdown between Manny Pacquiao and former three-division champion, Sugar Shane Mosley is scheduled to take place on May 7 at the Mecca of Boxing, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The twelve round of boxing clash for the WBO welterweight championship fight will be televised live by Showtime PPV. Once again, instead of Mayweather, Pacman is facing a different opponent.
?I would love to see the Mayweather fight as much as anyone else,? said coach, Freddie Roach when I talked to him several days ago at the Wildcard Boxing Club. ?That?s the hardest fight to get ready for and I look forward to challenges.?
However, the substitute fight with Mosley is heating up and gaining momentum ? surely on target to become a major boxing event this year. One might wonder how I arrived at this conclusion. Aside from a bold new promotional campaign involving Showtime and CBS, fans reactions are my indicators. I have received several phone calls from Russia about the tickets for the fight and my own father who told me a few years ago that he would rather watch a boxing match on TV than live, asked me if I could take him to Las Vegas for this one.
On May 7 we will find out just how big of a star Manny Pacquiao has become and will find out who is the bigger draw, Pacman or Mayweather. When Mayweather took on Mosley last year in Las Vegas, pay per view numbers reached over a million buys, shocking insiders. Would Pacquiao Mosley fight be able to beat those numbers? Why would fans want to see this match up? Styles make fights and on paper Pacquiao versus Mosley is a ?can?t miss event?.
?It?s going to be an all action fight for sure,? said Roach. ?I want to win every round, one at a time and if we knock him out it will be a bonus along the way. He could be the first person to knock Shane out.?
?This is the type of fight that won?t go the distance,? confirmed Shane Mosley who believes that Manny?s aggression will give him a lot of opportunities to fire back and give excitement to fans.
?Manny is a fighter. It?s in his DNA to fight,? continued Roach. ?He will exchange and that will be the dangerous part of the fight. Shane can punch. We are well aware of that. And I am well aware of Manny?s ability and that he does like to exchange. That?s something I can?t take away from him. That?s something inside of him, that?s part of being Manny Pacquiao. That?s what makes him so exciting.?
The first week of preparations have gone smoothly. As far as sparring partners, ?Shawn Porter and Karim Mayfield are coming down for this one,? said Freddie Roach. Stay tuned for further developments.
