GETTING old isn?t easy, particularly when you?re doing it in front of the world. Manny Pacquiao may tell you Shane Mosley is the fleet-footed warrior of yesterday but, to the rest of us, it?s clear that ?Sugar? is evolving.
?Shane is in that transition now,? his coach Naazim Richardson observes. ?He?s learning that he can?t be the ?Sugar? Shane that he was when he was 25, he knows he?s got to learn the fundamentals to deal with it but his IQ is high and he understands that.
?But it?s still hard to realise that you can?t just take off and run like you used to run. This is not just a guy who used to box in the gym and then got older, this is one of the best of all time; this is a legend. Even when most of these guys slow down they?re still ahead of most of the guys that are out there and when you implement the right game plan, they?ll still be above most of the guys that are out there.?
To beat Pacquaio, though, Mosley will have to be above ALL of the guys. The wise Richardson believes Shane has all the fundamentals in place to do just that. The accomplished teacher also believes that his charge needs to learn from his opponent, too.
?Pacquiao has so much energy,? Naazim explains. ?Look at the [Sugar Ray] Leonard-[Marvin] Hagler fight. When you think about that fight you didn?t even look over at Hagler, you watched Leonard the whole fight. He was always moving, darting in and out and that?s what Pacquaio does. Pacquiao makes you watch Pacquaio ? you almost forget there?s another guy in there.
?It?s not until you stop him from moving and trap him on the ropes until people realise he got hit. Shane is going to have to contain that energy and not let it be all over him and I feel like we?ve got a great game-plan in place for that, I really do.?
The Richardson and Mosley double act is in a good place to be making plans. The mutual respect and belief that Naazim has in Shane could be crucial in the heat of combat. They?ve worked hard at their relationship.
?When you?re dealing with these older cats the trust factor does come in,? Richardson describes. ?You have to realise that every athlete is different and this why you have to communicate and understand them.
?When you meet that new girlfriend and you?re holding hands and you?re going to the movies. That?s when it?s great, you feel like you?ll never break up because new beginnings are great. But when you?ve left that toilet seat up a couple of times, that?s when you start finding out whether or not we can go forward. All you?ve done is left the toilet seat up and she?s got a knife in her hand! Right then you realise this is not the sister for you. That?s how things work out in relationships. When everything is going great you?re the best of buddies, but it?s how you react to the first dispute and me and Shane had our first dispute early.?
With such a bond comes affection. Does he worry about his fighter getting hurt in there with the most fearsome gladiator of this generation?
?I am protective of all my athletes,? he admits. ?I don?t want to see any of them get hurt. Anyone who has children will know that our kids are fearless; my kid will climb up and leap off onto the couch. He?ll say ?Watch this!? And I?m like, ?I?ve got to watch this? My heart is in my mouth, get down from there!? It?s our job to pull them back.?
Richardson insists that Shane is ?like a pitbull? and won?t need pulling back. There is no doubt in his mind that the 39-year-old is going to stun the world on Saturday night and beat Manny Pacquiao. The tactics are there; the obedient predator is waiting to pounce. But what if the plans don?t work, what if Mosley loses? Would Naazim be surprised if Pacquaio?s arm is raised inside the glorious walls of the MGM Grand?
?I have a grandson at home,? Naazim blasts. ?I didn?t go away to camp and stay away from my grandson to look at the fact that Pacquaio beat my athlete. That?s borderline ridiculous.
?The question surprises me more than if Pacquiao wins the fight. I?m an adult and I?ve been on the planet a long time. Anything can happen in a fight, it wouldn?t surprise me if ?Fan Man? came down but that?s not what I?m planning and that?s not what I?m preparing for.?
