by Lem Satterfield

Bernard Hopkins got the ball rolling when he questioned the lack of African American opponents on Manny Pacquiao's record. A few weeks later, Pacquiao reached an agreement to face Shane Mosley on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mosley and Hopkins are good friends.

Mosley watched last Saturday's bout between Hopkins and WBC light heavyweight Jean Pascal at the Pepsi Colesium in Quebec City, Canada. He was inspired by the way Hopkins, 45-years-old, overcame two knockdowns to dominate the 28-year-old Pascal. Most boxing insiders believed Hopkins was over the hill, and the same comments are now being made about Mosley.

"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. 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."

Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.