By Robert Morales
Richard Schaefer couldn't believe it has been 10 years since "Sugar" Shane Mosley's birth into big-time boxing - a thrilling split-decision victory over Oscar De La Hoya on June 17, 2000, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Once Schaefer took it in after being told of the anniversary, he realized it would make a Mosley return to Staples Center this year even more meaningful.
"That is a very interesting thing," said Schaefer, CEO of De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, to BoxingScene.com. "I might mention that to him (Mosley) as well, maybe use that as the beginning of the last chapter of Shane Mosley's career and move forward."
One thing is certain, Schaefer and Golden Boy will play host to a card at Staples Center on Sept. 18. The week's festivities will celebrate the 200-year anniversary of Mexico's independence. One thing not so certain is the headlining fight, but Schaefer on Tuesday confirmed it could be Mosley against Sergio Mora at 154 pounds, a weight at which both are former world champions.
"I met with Shane a couple of weeks ago and he asked me to see what's next, what the options are, then brief him how it looks," Schaefer said via telephone from Mexico City.
"And so I've been doing that the last 10 days and I basically finished my homework assignment and I'm ready to sit down with Shane and I'm going to do that Friday
afternoon.
"I'm sure you can appreciate I want to discuss this with him before I do with reporters. But I can confirm Mora is one of the names I'm going to be discussing."
Back at the ranch in Los Angeles, Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez said Mora, Paul Williams and Andre Berto are three of the four or five names being tossed around for Mosley's next fight. Schaefer speculated that a fight with Mora would be perfect for Staples Center, since both fighters grew up in the greater Los Angeles area.
"I think that would be a Staples Center fight," Schaefer said. "You have to pick certain fights for certain venues, and I think Mora-Mosley is almost made for Staples."
Schaefer said Mosley leading the Sept. 18 card would definitely "depend on who (the opponent) is. HBO is not available on that date, pay-per-view is. If it would be a live HBO fight, it would have to be a week later. Hopefully, within the next week we can have a more definitive answer."
Bring it On
Mora won't have to be asked twice to take this fight, that's for sure. Reached Tuesday afternoon, Mora said he is ready, willing and able to not only take on Mosley - but win.
"I know I can beat Shane Mosley," said Mora, who was two months away from his pro debut when Mosley beat De La Hoya at Staples Center, to BoxingScene.com. "I feel like I'm hitting my peak. I'm really fresh and I've never taken a beating in the ring. I'm definitely in my prime and I'm ready to stay active and prove that against the best.
"I beat Vernon and if I can beat Shane, that will be two great names, two Hall of Fame names, on my resume."
Mora - who beat Vernon Forrest to win the 154-pound belt but lost it in a rematch - said the subject of fighting Mosley was broached last week.
"I had a meeting with Richard and Eric and we were discussing future opponents and I had wanted a big fight in September," Mora said. "I thought it was going to be a fight for an interim title or against a high contender that could put me in contention to fight for a (160-pound) title.
"And then they threw 'Sugar' Shane Mosley out at me. They asked me if I could make 154."
After losing to Forrest - who was shot and killed last July - in September 2008, Mora was idol for 19 months. That was largely because of two canceled fights with Kelly Pavlik. But when Mora came back against Calvin Green this past April, he was a 160-pounder.
Mora (21-1-1, 6 KOs) said he told Schaefer and Gomez he could go back down to 154 if he has 10 weeks of training. That's where it could get sticky. Mora is scheduled to fight Juan Carlos Candelo on July 23 in Temecula, Calif. That is less than two months before that Sept. 18 card, which means Mora-Mosley might have to take place a little later, or Mora might have to consider canceling his fight with Candelo.
"I don't really know," Schaefer said, when asked if Mora would have to pull out of his fight with Candelo in order to fight Mosley. "I would have to discuss that with Shane, with Mora, with Eric and so on. I can't really tell you one way or the other."
Interestingly, Mora said he needs the Candelo fight because he doesn't want to go into a fight against Mosley having fought just once in two years.
"I want that fight on the 23rd," Mora said. "The main reason I took that fight was the activity. ... I want to make sure the rust is totally gone before I fight someone like Mosley."
Mora, 29, said that just because the 38-year-old Mosley was dominated by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May, doesn't mean he's still not a very worth adversary.
"He was off such a long time and he fought maybe one of the fastest fighters ever in Mayweather and that can make anyone look bad," Mora said; Mosley was coming off a 16-month hiatus. "We're not sure if Shane Mosley is really going toward the end of his career because he fought the fastest guy out there after a long layoff.
"I won't take him lightly. Mosley is very fast, he is very aggressive. I think it can be an exciting fight."
Green Didn't Come To Rumble
It was brought to the attention of Dan Goossen - Andre Ward's promoter - that Ward's super middleweight title fight with Allan Green on Saturday wasn't the most pleasing thing to watch. But Goossen said he hasn't read a lot of negative comments about Ward's shutout of Green, who afterward said he overtrained and was weak.
Besides, Goossen said, it wasn't Ward's fault the fight was not more of a crowd-pleaser.
"It's like anything else, it takes two to tango," Goossen said. "When you are sitting back wanting to survive, you hold on. It's tough to get consistent shots in on someone who is trying to survive."
Schaefer Boasts About Marquez-Diaz Undercard
Golden Boy has staged hundreds of events during its nine-year existence. But Schaefer believes the undercard for the July 31 rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas has no company equal.
It is expected to feature Daniel Jacobs and Dmitry Pirog fighting for a vacant middleweight world title; former champions Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero and Joel Casamayor will tangle in a super lightweight bout; and Rocky Juarez will go against Jorge Linares in the lightweight division. (HBO pay-per-view will televise).
"We're excited about the undercard," Schaefer said. "We haven't officially announced it yet, but, hopefully, we will announce it sometime this week. I think it is going to be the best undercard we have put together since we started Golden Boy."
Schaefer said there is intrigue in every fight, even Juarez-Linares because Linares was riding high at 27-0 before being stopped in the first round by Juan Carlos Salgado last October in Japan.
"It it is going to be interesting for fight fans to see where Linares is at this point," Schaefer said. "So there are a lot of different angles."
Linares, 28-1 with 18 knockouts, rebounded from his only loss with a majority decision over Francisco Lorenzo in March.
Gomez Marvels at Jacobs
From December 2007 to December 2008 - the first year of his professional career - Jacobs fought 13 times. That pace has, of course, slowed, as Jacobs fought five times in 2009 and twice so far this year. Golden Boy matchmaker Gomez said Jacobs was always itching to get in the ring.
"He's that kind of a fighter, but that is just Danny," Gomez said. "He wanted to fight every fuc***g week. It is different for every fighter. Some guys, they want to stay in the gym.
"They fight and right away, 'When is the next one?' "
Another Jacobs?
Frankie Gomez (no relation to Eric) is similar to Jacobs in that he is averaging at least a fight per month at the beginning of his pro career. Gomez - an 18-year-old junior welterweight who was a highly decorated amateur - will take on Jaime Orrantia on Thursday at Club Nokia at L.A. Live.
Gomez, 3-0 with three knockouts, turned pro in April. He fought twice that month, once in May. After Thursday, his next fight is expected to come on the aforementioned July 31 undercard. That would be five fights in just under four months.
"If he feels he can go every month, we can do that," Eric Gomez said. "If he feels he can go twice a month, we can do that."
Roach Pleased With Chavez Jr., But ...
Shortly after Freddie Roach was hired to train Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Arum referred to the son of the legend as "a lazy f**k." Well, Roach hasn't seen that side of young Chavez, who Saturday will face "Ireland's" John Duddy in the middleweight main event at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
"Rumors of him being lazy and all that, I haven't seen," Roach said. "He's given me everything I've asked for."
The thing is Chavez is still working on some technical issues that have yet to become ingrained in him.
"He likes to fight a little bit too much," Roach said. "He likes to be maybe like his father a little bit. He doesn't use his natural abilities of his height and his reach and his jab.
"He has one of the best jabs in the world when he's doing the mitts, but in sparring it's not coming as much as I want it to."
Roach said he has told young Chavez he can make Saturday's fight easy if he just throws the jab on a regular basis.
During a media workout last week at Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Chavez Jr. admitted he had not been properly utilizing his given attributes.
"Sometimes you don't know you have those advantages unless somebody shows them to you," said Chavez Jr., 24.
"I didn't know I had those advantages until Freddie told me, 'Why don't you step back, stick the jab,' and he showed me how to do it.
"And I realize, yeah, I'm giving the guy all my advantages; I was giving them away. Nobody ever showed me that before. Nobody ever showed me how to take advantage of my left, so now I do."
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram and BoxingScene.com