By Rick Reeno
The news hit everyone like a ton of bricks. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer disclosed on Monday that he is aggressively trying to finalize a deal for one of the biggest fights in the last few years, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley. If the deal gets done, the fight will likely take place on a May date in Las Vegas. To get some expert analysis on the fight, BoxingScene.com sat down with two of the better known trainers in the sport, Emanuel Steward and Teddy Atlas.
If the fight is actually made, Atlas will give Mayweather a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate. For the last few years, Mayweather has been criticized for cherry-picking his opponents. Mosley is regarded by most as the best welterweight in the division. Atlas views Mosley as the toughest opponent Mayweather could possibly secure. He respects Mayweather's move even more because the mega-Manny money is not involved. A very dangerous fight, but Atlas expects the younger Mayweather to pull it out.
"I think it's a very interesting fight. I think its a tough fight for Mayweather. For Mayweather it's the toughest fight that he could have taken. You have to give him credit. It's no Pacquiao fight. Mosley has never been a high cash register. I'm sure he's made a lot of money and he's set for life but he's not of those cash register guys who brings that kind of money to a fight. He was a good solid guy at lightweight who ran out of opponents and moved up, but Mosley never became a Sugar Ray Leonard type like he attached his name to. He's getting older now and he's still a terrific fighter but he never reached that level of automatic sale when people heard his name," Atlas told BoxingScene.
"I have to give Mayweather credit for going from a $40 million dollar fight to a guy like Mosley, who is every bit as dangerous. Maybe Mosley is not the same with the volume punching and the speed [of Pacquiao], but he has that strength and experience but brings a lot less money. I don't know if it's the smartest thing to from a business standpoint but it is an interesting fight."
"It's going to come down to who has that fire. Shane has enough left. He's strong, solid technically although I think Floyd is better technically. It's going to come to come down to who has more fire in the fight. When you get older, the thing that you lose the most is that "go get em fire" and people blame fighters for not pulling the trigger, but it's not just that. When you get older, you get to that point where you don't take the same risks that you did when you were younger. That energy to find at way to do those little extra things. The energy to find that rhythm. And there will be some dangerous moments for Mayweather, but I think he will skate by. It's a dangerous fight. A very risky fight for Mayweather, but I expect him to skate by."
Steward believes Mayweather was backed into a corner when Pacquiao selected Joshua Clottey as a March 13 opponent. He needed to do something big, or even bigger, and the biggest thing he could accomplish was to go after Mosley. Anything less than a Mosley fight would have been a disappointment. He predicts an excellent fight where both guys have a lot to prove to their critics.
"It's a very interesting fight. It's very intriguing. It creates a good situation where the two winners of those credible fights [Pacquiao-Clottey, Mayweather-Mosley] can meet in a major fight in the fall. They both have something to prove. Shane will be very emotional because it's his first chance to get into these super fights after being shut out for so long," Steward said.
"For Mayweather, it's the first fight [at welterweight] where the public has accepted his opponent as a real true challenge. Before this, it was little guy after little guy but the public will accept this fight as a true challenge. Mayweather gets to say 'I'm not a coward, I'm fighting a true welterweight.' He's been pushed back into a corner somewhat because after Pacquiao got Clottey, who is also a very credible opponent, he needed to come back with something big. He can't come back with something secondary. The fight is a toss-up."
One question mark in the fight is inactivity. By the time fight comes around, Mosley will be coming off a near 16-month layoff. In his last fight, on January 24, 2009, he wiped the floor with three-time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. The same question mark applies to Mayweather. He returned last September, after a near 2-year layoff, to dominate an undersized Juan Manuel Marquez. In other words, Mayweather has only had one fight since December 2007. Atlas doesn't see the inactivity hurting Mayweather, but it may hurt Mosley.
"It will hurt Mosley as far as dealing with the immediate. It will hurt Mosley a little more because he's been inactive for a longer period of time. Mayweather may have had one fight and before that a long layoff but he fought a solid guy and went twelve rounds. For the immediate, I think his youth will serve him. Mosley will be hurt a little but his great experience will minimize the damage of being inactive. He will make it up, not completely but he will make up some of that damage with his experience," Atlas said.
Steward told BoxingScene that he doesn't see inactive playing a role in the fight. Maybe with other fighters. Not with Mayweather and Mosley.
"I personally don't think so. Both guys are training hard all the time. These are guys who are always in the gym and it will balance itself itself out. These are not guys who have to be in a fight to be in the gym. They love to be in the gym. They are not the kind of guys who stay away. You have guys, when they are off, they don't go near a boxing gym. These guys are different. We have two hard training guys. A very intriguing fight," Steward said.
The news hit everyone like a ton of bricks. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer disclosed on Monday that he is aggressively trying to finalize a deal for one of the biggest fights in the last few years, Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley. If the deal gets done, the fight will likely take place on a May date in Las Vegas. To get some expert analysis on the fight, BoxingScene.com sat down with two of the better known trainers in the sport, Emanuel Steward and Teddy Atlas.
If the fight is actually made, Atlas will give Mayweather a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate. For the last few years, Mayweather has been criticized for cherry-picking his opponents. Mosley is regarded by most as the best welterweight in the division. Atlas views Mosley as the toughest opponent Mayweather could possibly secure. He respects Mayweather's move even more because the mega-Manny money is not involved. A very dangerous fight, but Atlas expects the younger Mayweather to pull it out.
"I think it's a very interesting fight. I think its a tough fight for Mayweather. For Mayweather it's the toughest fight that he could have taken. You have to give him credit. It's no Pacquiao fight. Mosley has never been a high cash register. I'm sure he's made a lot of money and he's set for life but he's not of those cash register guys who brings that kind of money to a fight. He was a good solid guy at lightweight who ran out of opponents and moved up, but Mosley never became a Sugar Ray Leonard type like he attached his name to. He's getting older now and he's still a terrific fighter but he never reached that level of automatic sale when people heard his name," Atlas told BoxingScene.
"I have to give Mayweather credit for going from a $40 million dollar fight to a guy like Mosley, who is every bit as dangerous. Maybe Mosley is not the same with the volume punching and the speed [of Pacquiao], but he has that strength and experience but brings a lot less money. I don't know if it's the smartest thing to from a business standpoint but it is an interesting fight."
"It's going to come down to who has that fire. Shane has enough left. He's strong, solid technically although I think Floyd is better technically. It's going to come to come down to who has more fire in the fight. When you get older, the thing that you lose the most is that "go get em fire" and people blame fighters for not pulling the trigger, but it's not just that. When you get older, you get to that point where you don't take the same risks that you did when you were younger. That energy to find at way to do those little extra things. The energy to find that rhythm. And there will be some dangerous moments for Mayweather, but I think he will skate by. It's a dangerous fight. A very risky fight for Mayweather, but I expect him to skate by."
Steward believes Mayweather was backed into a corner when Pacquiao selected Joshua Clottey as a March 13 opponent. He needed to do something big, or even bigger, and the biggest thing he could accomplish was to go after Mosley. Anything less than a Mosley fight would have been a disappointment. He predicts an excellent fight where both guys have a lot to prove to their critics.
"It's a very interesting fight. It's very intriguing. It creates a good situation where the two winners of those credible fights [Pacquiao-Clottey, Mayweather-Mosley] can meet in a major fight in the fall. They both have something to prove. Shane will be very emotional because it's his first chance to get into these super fights after being shut out for so long," Steward said.
"For Mayweather, it's the first fight [at welterweight] where the public has accepted his opponent as a real true challenge. Before this, it was little guy after little guy but the public will accept this fight as a true challenge. Mayweather gets to say 'I'm not a coward, I'm fighting a true welterweight.' He's been pushed back into a corner somewhat because after Pacquiao got Clottey, who is also a very credible opponent, he needed to come back with something big. He can't come back with something secondary. The fight is a toss-up."
One question mark in the fight is inactivity. By the time fight comes around, Mosley will be coming off a near 16-month layoff. In his last fight, on January 24, 2009, he wiped the floor with three-time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito. The same question mark applies to Mayweather. He returned last September, after a near 2-year layoff, to dominate an undersized Juan Manuel Marquez. In other words, Mayweather has only had one fight since December 2007. Atlas doesn't see the inactivity hurting Mayweather, but it may hurt Mosley.
"It will hurt Mosley as far as dealing with the immediate. It will hurt Mosley a little more because he's been inactive for a longer period of time. Mayweather may have had one fight and before that a long layoff but he fought a solid guy and went twelve rounds. For the immediate, I think his youth will serve him. Mosley will be hurt a little but his great experience will minimize the damage of being inactive. He will make it up, not completely but he will make up some of that damage with his experience," Atlas said.
Steward told BoxingScene that he doesn't see inactive playing a role in the fight. Maybe with other fighters. Not with Mayweather and Mosley.
"I personally don't think so. Both guys are training hard all the time. These are guys who are always in the gym and it will balance itself itself out. These are not guys who have to be in a fight to be in the gym. They love to be in the gym. They are not the kind of guys who stay away. You have guys, when they are off, they don't go near a boxing gym. These guys are different. We have two hard training guys. A very intriguing fight," Steward said.
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