By Bob Velin, USA TODAY
Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather, who finally meet in the ring May 1 in Las Vegas, are as different as night and day or salt and pepper.
Their welterweight mega-showdown (9 p.m. ET, HBO pay-per-view) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena promises to be a contrast of styles and personalities.
A look at a few points of difference between 38-year-old Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) and 33-year-old Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs).
•Offense vs. defense: Mosley is an offensive fighter, a skilled power puncher who comes to fight. He has been involved in several all-out brawls, most recently his welterweight title victory against Antonio Margarito, in which he pounded Margarito into submission in the ninth round. He also brawled in his fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas. Mosley's defensive shortcomings can leave him vulnerable to counterpunching, which is one of Mayweather's strengths.
Mayweather is skilled at avoiding getting hit. His only stoppage since 2006 was a devastating 10th-round knockout of Ricky Hatton in December 2007. His quickness is hard to match, though Mosley says Mayweather will meet his match on May 1.
Mayweather admits his fighting style is 180 degrees opposite of Mosley's.
"We're totally different," Mayweather said Thursday during a conference call with news reporters. "He's a fighter that always worries about landing one big shot. He worries about who's extremely strong. And I worry about being smart and winning.
"Shane maintains a low level with wide shots and not using a full jab. I use a full jab. When I shoot my shots, I look at my opponent, look where I'm punching. When Shane punches, a lot of times he closes his eyes. We're two totally different fighters."
Any similarities? "Yeah, we're both fighting May 1st," Mayweather says with a chuckle.
•Trash talking vs. quiet confidence: Mayweather's bombastic, braggadocio style has made him a favorite on HBO's reality series 24/7, which debuts its third of four episodes Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. On episode 2, Mayweather said he's better than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.
Mosley says he thinks Robinson was the best, but it's not his call. "It's not for myself to tell everyone that I'm the greatest," he says. "When people start deciding that Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest, or Muhammad Ali, the people have spoken.
"You're not just tooting your own horn and saying, 'Oh, I'm the greatest.' "
Source: usatoday.com
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