Mosley talks upcoming fights, sheds doubt on Margarito case
This week’s edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured “Sugar” Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs), who was willing to talk about his upcoming bout with Sergio Mora (22-1, 6 KOs) and other hot topics in the boxing world.
Mosley was quick to get to brass tax and talk about what he expects from Mora. “I expect Sergio Mora to be at his best and come at me with all of his might. I think that he is a very energetic fighter and if you don’t take him seriously you can definitely be on the losing end of the stick,” Mosley said.
For the bout Mosley will be competing at 154, the junior middleweight level, as oppose to the welterweight level, where he’s accomplished most. Mosley said that he feels comfortable with the weight, and with moving up, noting that it may just be physiology that is making 154 a better draw at this point. “I’m going to see how I feel this time at 154. I’ve been feeling pretty strong in the gym and pretty quick, too, as well. You never know. Maybe age is making me move up to a different weight class. I don’t know, but there is a lot of talent at 147 and I would love to stay there, too.”
Mosley discussed the various bouts he might consider in either weight class. He said he would like to avenge a loss to Miguel Cotto at the welterweight level, or even challenge Sergio Martinez or Manny Pacquiao. After all, it is a bit strange that Pac-Man is taking on Margarito, when Mosley demolished Margarito back in January of 2009.
The irony is that it was Margarito who took out Cotto, while Cotto was able to defeat Mosley.
Soon the discussion turned to the infamous controversy surrounding Mosley’s bout against Margarito, where the latter was found to be wearing illegally padded hand wraps. Announcers asked Mosley whether he thought Margarito had been adequately punished and if he was culpable.
Mosley’s answer is interesting: “Everybody wants to put the blame on Margarito and put everything down on Margarito, but I look at the trainer. I think the trainer is the main culprit in this equation. He knew better not to do that type of stuff and probably tried to persuade Margarito to do certain stuff,” Mosley said.
He continued: “Even when it was said right when it happened, my father said nothing about Margarito. He was like, ‘Wow! Why would that trainer? We know Capetillo. Why would he do that? Why would that trainer go do that? Why would he put those things in his hands? He knows better than that.”
It’s especially interesting that the guy who was going to take unfair punishment would side by the fighter who would inflict it and not the trainer. Mosley’s opinion weighs in as an alternate to most accounts, which blame Margarito for the incident and consider him de facto guilty, although it's worth noting Mosley still believes Margarito had knowledge of the infraction, but was just talked into it by Capetillo.
Next up was of course the state of Mayweather-Pacquiao relations, which Mosley was all too eager to comment on. Of Mayweather, Mosley said, “If he doesn’t fight Pacquiao, I mean I don’t see any others [he could fight]. Fight me for a rematch, but I think his next fight if it’s going to be anybody, it should be Pacquiao. That’s the fight that the world wants to see so let it happen.”
If only it was so simple. Mayweather has all but shown he wants to fight Pacquiao, preferring to remain incomprehensible silent on the matter even after Pacquiao has levelled several challenges Mayweather’s way. Well at least with Mosley you know he’ll never evade one.
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