Sugar Shane Mosley: “Manny Pacquiao Ran from Me”

Pacquiao vs Clottey
March 4, 2010 – 9:45 am by Paul Bessire

Sugar Shane Mosley wants to be heard. Somewhat lost in the public banter between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, Mosely has his chance to make some real noise in the world of boxing.

The reigning WBA Welterweight Champion had been preparing for a fight with Haitian-American fighter Andre Berto that was scheduled for January 18, 2010. When that fight was called off due to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and everything fell through with Mayweather and Pacquiao, promoters rushed to put a Mayweather – Mosley fight together.

On May 1, 2010 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the 38 year-old champion Mosley will face the undefeated, 33 year-old, Ring Magazine #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world in Mayweather. If Mosley has his way, he will win that fight and take on Manny Pacquiao next. After all, that’s who he wanted first.

Shane Mosley joined the Stephen A. Smith Show on FoxSports Radio to talk about Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, performance-enhancing drugs, his legacy and why he lost to Miguel Cotto.

Has he wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather for a long time:

“I want this fight because he was considered the best fighter out there. He came out of retirement and everybody considers him the best. You know I fought Margarito when he was the best and now I am fighting Mayweather because he’s the best and then Manny Pacquiao. We have to clean this division up and see who the real welterweight champion is – the welterweight king. Beating Floyd for me is different. I beat guys who can punch. I beat guys with good chin. I want to beat guys that’s the best pound-for-pound technician. That lets people know that I am well-versatile. I can beat guys boxing, punching, moving, whatever they want to do, I have an answer for it. What does it say for me if I beat the guy that’s pound-for-pound the best. It says that I am pound-for-pound the best. After I take care of him, then I go take care of the little buzzsaw Manny Pacquiao. That means that I am the best pound-for-pound of this era.”

What about Manny Pacquiao:

“I was trying to fight Manny Pacquaio before Mayweather was. And then Manny Pacquiao ran and fought Cotto, you know the #2 guy for the welterweight title. Manny Pacquiao ran from me. It’s on record. I told him I would fight him at 140 for his title. I said I’d bust him at 140. What happened? He turned around and fought Cotto and made him drain himself. So I thought, ‘well then, if he’s fighting Cotto, I’ll fight Mayweather then.’ When they made those discussions, I stepped aside and let them go ahead with their negotiations. Now, they couldn’t make things work so I said, ‘ok cool. Mayweather, let’s get it on.’”

Why would he want to fight Pacquiao (at 140 pounds):

“I have a burning desire to fight. I don’t just fight for money. I fight for the legacy of the sport. I love the sport. I have been doing this for a long time. This is all I know. I was raised a fighter. I want to be the best.”

How does link to performance-enhancing drugs affect legacy:

“After 2003, after the fights, they figured out that this was a banned substance. Before I fought Oscar (in 2003), it wasn’t a banned substance. And frankly, I have never been charged with being on any type of drug because it was never in my system. I never tested positive for anything. I just came forward to say that this is what this guy (Victor Conte) gave me because he was all over the TV and all over the news. It might add a little bit of doubt. They say, ‘how long has he been doing this or what’s been going on?’ The proof is in the pudding. I fought De La Hoya in 2000 and looked like 5-6 times better than I did in 2003. Things were a lot better than in 2000 than in 2003. So, evidently, whatever this guy was doing, it wasn’t doing any good.”

What happened in the Cotto fight:

“Maybe something happened in (my) lifestyle that drained (me) down mentally to where he couldn’t fight properly. And then after that was gone. Then you see what happens. (Was that your divorce?) Exactly. It was different problems going on in my life. Boxing is a mental game. You take away a guy’s mentality. That’s what Floyd likes to do. He gets guys riled up and takes that away. That happened to me in a different way.”

Source: sportsradiointerviews.com