By Lem Satterfield, FanHouseFor Shane Mosley, there is nothing quite as motivating as being underestimated.
Take, for example, the conditions the five-time titlist faced during what had to be among the worst periods of his life heading into his January, 2009, bout with then-WBA welterweight (147 pounds) king Antonio Margarito.
Mosley's marriage to the mother of three of his four children, was in disarray, and, ultimately, would end in a nasty and costly divorce.The three-division champion was under scrutiny after having admitted during leaked grand jury testimony that he had unknowingly used designer steroids that he received from BALCO Founder, Victor Conte, before defeating Oscar De La Hoya in September 2003.
In addition, Mosley was entering his first fight under a new trainer, Naazim Richardson, after having fired his father, Jack Mosley.
But Mosley wound up blasting and battering down the hard-punching Margarito over the course of a ninth-round knockout victory, stopping the Mexican-born fighter for the first time in his career before the largest crowd ever to witness an athletic event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Mosley was in a similarly dubious situation as an underdog heading into a September, 2008, junior middleweight (154 pounds) bout against former titlist Ricardo Mayorga, this, after having lost a bid for the WBA welterweight crown in a November, 2007 loss to Miguel Cotto.
A Managua, Nicaragua, resident, Mayorga's past had included dethroning previously unbeaten WBA welterweight king, Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis, by fifth-round knockout, in March of 2002, unifying the belts with a January, 2003, third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten WBC king Vernon Forrest, and winning his return bout with Forrest by majority decision in July of 2003.
At 35-0 with 26 knockouts entering his first bout with Mayorga, Forrest had scored consecutive decisions over the previously unbeaten Mosley after Mosley had twice defeated De La Hoya.
The result? Mosley stopped Mayorga in the 12th round.
"I mean, when I fought Mayorga, I think that they thought that I was past my prime and that Mayorga was just going to come in there and get in the ring and destroy me, but it didn't happen," said Mosley.
"That's the same thing that happened with Margarito," said Mosley. "I mean, when I fought Margarito, and when I've fought some other fighters, it's like they think that they have the upper hand."
Three fights later, the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 knockouts) is being counted out of a May 7, WBO welterweight clash opposite 32-year-old Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), whose WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt will not be on the line when they enter the ring for their HBO pay per view televised match up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao is coming off of a Nov. 13 unanimous decision over Margarito that earned him the WBC belt, his eighth crown in as many different weight classes, and his 13th straight win.
Pacquiao's last loss was by a unanimous decision to Erik Morales in March of 2005, but the Filipino super star has since stopped eight opponents, including four consecutively -- a spree comprised knockouts over David Diaz, De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Cotto, respectively, in nine, eight, two, and, 12 rounds.
Pacquaio's winning streak also includes having twice avenged the loss to Morales, whom he stopped in 10, and, three rounds, in January and November 2006. The run also boasts 12-round triumphs over Mexican legends Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, as well as an eighth-round knockout of previously unbeaten Jorge Solis.
Meanwhile, Mosley has not looked good in his past two fights.
In May, Mosley dropped a lopsided, unanimous decision loss to six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), whom he staggered with a second-round right hand but was unable to finish. In September, Mosley struggled through a disputed, split-decision, junior middleweight draw against light-hitting, ex-champion Sergio Mora (21-1-1, six KOs).
"This is boxing. This is about two people getting into the ring and finding out who is the better fighter that night. I mean, that's what the fight game is all about. A lot can happen, and nobody really knows what is going to happen," said Mosley.
"But for this fight against Manny Pacquiao, it's up to me to make sure that that he doesn't have the upper hand and that that isn't the case," said Mosley. "I'm coming into this fight knowing that that is not the case."
Mosley told FanHouse that his purse, up front, will be a guarateed $5 million against Pacquiao with escalators that will make it surpass the career-best of $7 million that he pocketed against Mayweather, who received a non-heavyweight record guarantee of $22.5 million.
Pacquiao, Top Rank Promotions CEO, Bob Arum, and, Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, chose Mosley over 37-year-old WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) king Marquez (51-5-1, 38 KOs) and 27-year-old WBC welterweight belt-holder Andre Berto (27-0, 21 KOs).
Berto had scored two straight knockouts, respectively, over southpaw former world champion Carlos Quintana (27-3, 22 KOs) in April and hard-punching Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) last month in the eighth and first rounds.
Pacquiao's four-time Trainer of the Year, Freddie Roach, called Berto a dangerous opponent, adding, "he's the young guy coming up, and his last, one-punch knockout win was impressive."
Marquez battled Pacquiao to a disputed draw, and lost a controversial, split-decision, respectively, in May of 2004, and, March, 2008, being knocked down a combined four times over the course of the two bouts.
Last month, Marquez rose from a third-round knockdown to win by an HBO televised, ninth-round knockout over former WBO interim champ Michael Katsidis (27-3, 22 KOs).
"The old fights at the lower weights, where Manny knocked Marquez down four times are not relevant because that was before he really learned how to fight, and before his body developed into that of a welterweight," said Arum.
"Can you imagine what he would do to Marquez now if he knocked him down the same way?" said Arum. "Manny would wipe the floor with him in one or two rounds. And then what the f**k do I do? How would I sell Manny's next fight?"
Arum also said that Golden Boy Promotions, on behalf of Marquez "overpriced" the Mexican, three-division champion Marquez, who reportedly asked for a $5 million guarantee, while making $5 per pay-per-view buy above 500,000, for $8.5 million total if the fight generated 1.2 million buys.
"People are like, 'Well, what about Mosley's last two fights?' Well, what about his last two fights? Mosley fought Mayweather, and he's the only guy in Mayweather's whole career to really hurt Mayweather and to really have him in trouble. So Mosley is capable of hurting Manny," said Arum.
"But, then, you take the Mora fight. Anybody who made that match should be shot. To put Mosley, an older fighter, in with a guy who is completely defensive and just stinks you out is not doing Mosley any favors," said Arum. "So, as far as I'm concerned, the most competitive guy of the three for Manny is Mosley. And I mean, that's after looking at Mosley's whole track record."
A former IBF lightweight champion, Mosley has fought at welterweight or higher exclusively since relinquishing his lightweight belt in 1999, including seven bouts at junior middleweight and one other at 148 pounds -- an April, 2005 decision over David Estrada.
At junior middleweight, Mosley has twice stopped former world champion, Fernando Vargas, knocked out Mayorga, and earned his second win over former world champ, De La Hoya -- the latter for the WBC and WBA crowns in September of 2003.
Mosley also dispatched of De La Hoya by split-decision in June of 2000 for the WBC welterweight crown, but twice lost to former world titlist Winky Wright at 154 pounds.
"Mosley is vulnerable to defensive fighters," said Arum, referring to Mosley's loss to Mayweather the two each to Forrest and Wright. "The only fighter he lost to that wasn't defensive was Cotto, and that was life and death."
"So maybe if you put Mosley in there with a defensive fighter at his age, you know, Mosley runs out of gas because he can no longer handle it if you run from him," said Arum. "But if he's in there with someone who comes forward like Pacquiao does, then Mosley still has the bullets and the counter-punching ability and he's a strong guy who can give anybody like that trouble."
Mosley agreed.
"Pacquiao's defense is not as good as Floyd Mayweather's defense. I think I can probably win a decision, but I'm pretty much looking to try and go in there knock Pacquiao out," said Mosley.
"I'm pretty sure that Manny's going to get in there and try to knock me out, and I'm going to get in there and try to knock him out," said Mosley. "That's why it's going to be a great fight. These are two guys who are willing to fight."
Mosley watched last Saturday's Showtime televised, WBC light heavyweight (175 pounds) bout with interest, as 45-year-old Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2, 32 KOs) appeared to have successfully negated knockdowns in the first and third rounds to defeat 28-year-old Jean Pascal (261-1, 16 KOs) before Pascal's partisan fans at the Pepsi Colesium in Quebec City, Canada.
"They thought that Bernard Hopkins was over the hill, but I knew that he would work hard to win the fight. Pascal had called him out, thinking that it was the right time to get Bernard Hopkins," said Mosley.
"But it turned out that that was not true," said Mosley "I figured that Bernard would win, and, I figured that he would win by knockout because of his experience and because I know the type of person that he is. I'm definitely encouraged by that."
Asked if he believes that Pacquiao feels similarly about him as Pascal did Hopkins, Mosley answered affirmatively.
"I'm sure that that's how Manny Pacquiao feels about me. People do what they think that they need to do to have the advantage," said Mosley.
"They think that they have the upper hand with me, so, why not take it?" said Mosley. "But I know that I'm tricking them, you know? Because I have something up my sleeve too."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
