AT what price? That's the question for Shane Mosley. As a 5-1 underdog against Manny Pacquiao, he's not a bad proposition.
After all, with a guaranteed $20 million going to the favored fighter/crooner/congressman, the purses are being divided at a mere 4-1 ratio.
Still, for $5 million, you wonder what this could be worth to Mosley. With three months separating the fighter from his 40th birthday, you question what cause he has to feel so sanguine.
"I don't need it," he said in an Easter Sunday interview. "But I love it. And I won't feel complete until I complete these certain things."
He's very specific as it regards these certain things. He will beat Pacquiao twice, he says: first, on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, then in a rematch. Next, he will avenge his loss to Floyd Mayweather.
"I'm not even sure Mayweather would be the last fight -- maybe Cotto," he said, referring to Miguel Cotto, who beat him almost four years ago by unanimous decision.
That would take Shane Mosley well into his fifth decade. And with apologies to the 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins, now fighting at light heavyweight, which is not a place easily imagined by most welterweights or sportswriters.
One has to admire Mosley's optimism. Just the same, one should recognize it for what it is: a vocational malady. You can't fight -- certainly not at this level -- without the belief that victory is inevitable. Problem is, that's how fighters -- great ones especially -- get hurt.
But back to the immediate improbability, beating Pacquiao on Saturday night: "I can't give up any secrets or anything," Mosley said. "But styles make fights, and with this fight I believe I have the upper hand. First, size. Then, I'm the fastest fighter he's fought. The experience. The power. I'm probably the hardest-hitting fighter he's fought."
Five years ago, sure. But now? It's a good fight as long as it lasts, but that's all that seems certain to me. Both fighters are willing combatants. Neither is risk averse. Why else would Pacquiao venture so far above his natural weight, or Mosley fight beyond his optimal age?
Again, knowing that financial necessity becomes a source of shame for many aging boxers, he adds, "Some fighters need to fight for the next check. I don't have to."
Rather, it's a kind of vanity. As a rule, the better the fighter, the more prone he is to overstaying his welcome. The best ones are the last to know. I am happy to report that the gossip of a slurry-lipped Shane is patently incorrect. He's clear in speech and in mind. He's survived divorce with a smoking-hot girl at his side, and with the love and admiration of his oldest son. Yes, Shane Jr. wants to be a fighter.
But the kid's 18, not 39. And, again, I have to wonder what the elder Mosley thinks he's missing. With a pair of wins over Oscar de la Hoya (OK, the second was aided by BALCO's designer steroids) and the demolition of Antonio Margarito (that, two-and-a-half years ago, when most people already thought he was finished), Mosley's place in boxing posterity should be secure. But, again, there's that vanity. It's plain to see that Mosley doesn't feel loved or, rather, loved enough.
"I can't say I do," he said. "I can't say I do feel appreciated."
It's been 11 years since he first beat de la Hoya, becoming the first to take Oscar in his prime. And, though he lacked another epic rival, Mosley was for a time recognized as the world's best fighter, pound-for-pound. Then Vernon Forrest came along and beat him, once, and then again. It wasn't that Mosley had suddenly lost his greatness; it was, in fact, a matter of styles. Still, his reign was over.
"It was brief," he said. "I can't blame anybody for that. It's just how life is."
Beating Pacquiao would get it back, though.
"Yes," he says. "I definitely want some of that."
It's worth reminding you that Shane Mosley hasn't been knocked out in 53 pro fights going back to 1993. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, says his fighter will be the first. Pacquiao gets hit, too. Just the same, Mosley hasn't seen this combination of quickness and stamina and power coming at him from such unorthodox angles.
"Freddie is doing things in his camp that lead him to believe that Manny will knock me out," says Mosley. "I'm doing things in my camp that lead me to believe I will knock Manny out."
Again, among the witnesses in Mosley's camp was his eldest son. Shane Jr. is longer and heavier than his father ever will be.
"I didn't encourage him to be a fighter," said Mosley. "I just asked him: 'Is this something you really want to do?' "
The answer came as no surprise. As Shane Mosley knows too well, one doesn't choose to be a fighter. The fight game chooses you.
Still, for $5 million, you wonder what this could be worth to Mosley. With three months separating the fighter from his 40th birthday, you question what cause he has to feel so sanguine.
"I don't need it," he said in an Easter Sunday interview. "But I love it. And I won't feel complete until I complete these certain things."
He's very specific as it regards these certain things. He will beat Pacquiao twice, he says: first, on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, then in a rematch. Next, he will avenge his loss to Floyd Mayweather.
"I'm not even sure Mayweather would be the last fight -- maybe Cotto," he said, referring to Miguel Cotto, who beat him almost four years ago by unanimous decision.
That would take Shane Mosley well into his fifth decade. And with apologies to the 46-year-old Bernard Hopkins, now fighting at light heavyweight, which is not a place easily imagined by most welterweights or sportswriters.
One has to admire Mosley's optimism. Just the same, one should recognize it for what it is: a vocational malady. You can't fight -- certainly not at this level -- without the belief that victory is inevitable. Problem is, that's how fighters -- great ones especially -- get hurt.
But back to the immediate improbability, beating Pacquiao on Saturday night: "I can't give up any secrets or anything," Mosley said. "But styles make fights, and with this fight I believe I have the upper hand. First, size. Then, I'm the fastest fighter he's fought. The experience. The power. I'm probably the hardest-hitting fighter he's fought."
Five years ago, sure. But now? It's a good fight as long as it lasts, but that's all that seems certain to me. Both fighters are willing combatants. Neither is risk averse. Why else would Pacquiao venture so far above his natural weight, or Mosley fight beyond his optimal age?
Again, knowing that financial necessity becomes a source of shame for many aging boxers, he adds, "Some fighters need to fight for the next check. I don't have to."
Rather, it's a kind of vanity. As a rule, the better the fighter, the more prone he is to overstaying his welcome. The best ones are the last to know. I am happy to report that the gossip of a slurry-lipped Shane is patently incorrect. He's clear in speech and in mind. He's survived divorce with a smoking-hot girl at his side, and with the love and admiration of his oldest son. Yes, Shane Jr. wants to be a fighter.
But the kid's 18, not 39. And, again, I have to wonder what the elder Mosley thinks he's missing. With a pair of wins over Oscar de la Hoya (OK, the second was aided by BALCO's designer steroids) and the demolition of Antonio Margarito (that, two-and-a-half years ago, when most people already thought he was finished), Mosley's place in boxing posterity should be secure. But, again, there's that vanity. It's plain to see that Mosley doesn't feel loved or, rather, loved enough.
"I can't say I do," he said. "I can't say I do feel appreciated."
It's been 11 years since he first beat de la Hoya, becoming the first to take Oscar in his prime. And, though he lacked another epic rival, Mosley was for a time recognized as the world's best fighter, pound-for-pound. Then Vernon Forrest came along and beat him, once, and then again. It wasn't that Mosley had suddenly lost his greatness; it was, in fact, a matter of styles. Still, his reign was over.
"It was brief," he said. "I can't blame anybody for that. It's just how life is."
Beating Pacquiao would get it back, though.
"Yes," he says. "I definitely want some of that."
It's worth reminding you that Shane Mosley hasn't been knocked out in 53 pro fights going back to 1993. Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, says his fighter will be the first. Pacquiao gets hit, too. Just the same, Mosley hasn't seen this combination of quickness and stamina and power coming at him from such unorthodox angles.
"Freddie is doing things in his camp that lead him to believe that Manny will knock me out," says Mosley. "I'm doing things in my camp that lead me to believe I will knock Manny out."
"I didn't encourage him to be a fighter," said Mosley. "I just asked him: 'Is this something you really want to do?' "
The answer came as no surprise. As Shane Mosley knows too well, one doesn't choose to be a fighter. The fight game chooses you.
