By Robert Morales
"Sugar" Shane Mosley on Tuesday returned a call from his training camp in Big Bear Lake, Calif. He sounded very relaxed, as if the serenity of the 7,800-foot mountain resort had helped him find some kind of psychological utopia.
But it could be that Mosley was in tremendous spirits because of everything he can look forward to in the coming years - both while he's still fighting, and afterward. A solid frame of mind is for good anyone, but especially for Mosley, who will need every ounce of physical and mental strength he can muster in two months when he takes on Manny Pacquiao for his welterweight world title on May 7 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas (on Showtime pay-per-view).
Mosley's divorce from his wife, Jin, has been highly publicized. He didn't use what has been an agonizing process as an excuse for his recent loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and draw with Sergio Mora, but he did admit it has taken its toll.
"Definitely, I think it has affected me," Mosley said. "It affects people in their jobs in whatever they're doing. Going through a divorce, going through a bad relationship, back and forth, it's just a weight on your shoulders.
This thing has dragged on for so long. It's very hard, but the weight has been lifted. I've been in a great relationship with a girl who is very supportive.
"To me, all the other stuff has gone by the wayside. I'm very happy with my life right now."
Interestingly, Mosley said his divorce is only kind of done.
"It's been final for a long time, since before I fought (Antonio) Margarito (in January 2009)," Mosley said. "But it won't go through because greedy people want more money."
Mosley was asked if he was referring to Jin. He said he was. That remaining bit of business with his soon-to-be ex-wife is not enough to dampen his spirits. Aside from a new love in his life - Mosley said there is a picture of her on his twitter account at sugarshanem - Mosley is getting an opportunity at boxing's pound-for-pound king. Mosley's legacy has plenty of cement, but he can add more with a victory that would be looked upon as quite an upset.
"I think it would be one of my greatest victories to beat Pacquiao, and then go back after Mayweather again," Mosley said. "I know people want to see the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. But from the looks of it, I don't think we're going to see that. If it's going to be me and Mayweather again, this time it's going to be a little different."
Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) was asked if he's saying Pacquiao and Mayweather isn't going to happen because people won't want to see it after he beats Pacquiao. His answer was not entirely direct, but there did seem to be a message in his reply.
"Just the way I'm feeling, the way I'm looking, I feel incredible," he said. "It just doesn't seem like that fight is going to happen. I would love to do a rematch with Pacquiao after this fight, but that's up to him if he wants the rematch."
Mosley addressed his one-sided decision loss to Mayweather.
"With him that night, I had a few moments," said Mosley, who hurt Mayweather in the second round. "I've studied my mistakes and I've fixed them."
Mosley said he could personally call Mayweather any time and propose a rematch. But he said that would, of course, be putting the cart before the horse. He is not looking to the future, not with Pacquiao staring at him. Mosley spoke at great length about Pacquiao. From the sound of it, he knows he is in for a hell of a time.
"He's a great fighter," Mosley said. "It's going to be tough. He has climbed great mountains. It's going to be a good fight, a good scrap. I'm excited for it."
Not only is he excited at the chance to record perhaps his biggest victory at age 39, he's happy to be getting yet another opportunity to silence those who believe he can't win at the elite level any longer.
"People count me out, they count me out," said Mosley, who has been given up for dead - so to speak - more than once, only to come back with new life. "It's fuel for the fire and right now the fire is blazing very high. I just can't wait."
Mosley said that fire has always burned in his belly.
"Only my parents can tell you," he said. "When you put a challenge up to me that I really, really want, I'm going to get it. Ever since I was 6-, 7-, 8-years old. I'm just a maniac. I put it all on the line, let's put it that way."
High Praise For Pacquiao
Mosley was asked if he believes Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) belongs in the all-time great category. He pulled no punches in his response.
"I definitely do; he should go down as an all-time great," said Mosley, who noted Pacquiao's success up to 154 pounds after starting his career at 106. "Not only for the Filipino people and fans who follow him, but the world. The things he has done ... going to different weight divisions. I think it's going to be too much for his body to keep it up. But I take my hat off to him.
"He's a great Congressman, a great guy. He fights for his people. An all-around great person."
But ...
"I think this is my time to show all the people that I'm still here, regardless of age or what the last two fights (against Mayweather and Mora) have been like. I think this is a fight that definitely will go down in history."
Plan of Attack
Mosley said he believes Pacquiao was getting a little winded at the end of his 12-round bashing of Margarito last November, which gives him an idea.
"Maybe I can take a page out of Margarito's book and put some pressure on him," Mosley said.
Schaefer Compares Alvarez To Tyson
HBO reported this week that the junior middleweight title fight between Saul Alvarez and Matthew Hatton at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., drew the biggest ratings since the March 7, 2009 junior middleweight fight between James Kirkland and Joel Julio. Both fights were witnessed by 1.4 million viewers.
Alvarez, just 20, fights under the Golden Boy Promotions banner. Its CEO, Richard Schaefer, couldn't say enough about how ultra-popular Alvarez has become at such a young age.
"He is 20 years young," Schaefer said of Alvarez, who won the vacant title with a lopsided decision over Hatton. "It's amazing how complete a fighter he is. And it is amazing the kind of draw and connection he has with the public and his fans. With the exception of Mike Tyson, there was no other fighter when he was 20 who had that kind of fan support and could sell those kinds of tickets and have that connection with the fan base. It was the TV audience as well, both here in the United States and in Mexico. He is amazing for a 20-year-old fighter."
It was pointed out to Schaefer that although Hatton is a decent fighter, he was not a killer, and that the boxing industry - fans and reporters alike - would like to see what Alvarez can do against such a fighter. Especially since two of Alvarez's wins over name fighters came against guys - Carlos Baldomir and Lovemore N'dou - who were both 39.
"We all need to take a deep breath, all of us in the boxing business," Schaefer said. "The big fights will come. The fights against Mayweather and so forth, they will come."
Schaefer said he met with Alvarez and his team on Monday before he left back to Guadalajara, where he lives. He said Alvarez made it clear he wants his first title defense to be in Mexico.
"We discussed we some potential names," Schaefer said. "I'm actually going to New York next week and we'll discuss some of them with HBO as well. I don't want to go and discuss potential opponents (with the media) because as we all know nothing good comes out of that. We are either going to have another promoter interfere, or we are going to have the price go up. So that would not be a smart thing for me to do."
Schaefer said to give him a few weeks, and he'll have something on Alvarez's next opponent.
Berto-Ortiz Venue Announcement Due Any Time
Schaefer was queried about the site for the April 16 welterweight title fight between champion Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz. Schaefer is hopeful it will take place at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
"I was on the phone this morning with Lou DiBella and I think what you should do is ask him that question because he is the promoter of that event," Schaefer said.
"I'm actually waiting to see where that is going to be."
We reached DiBella - Berto's promoter - by telephone Wednesday.
"I will have a site by tomorrow and the Home Depot Center is still a possibility," DiBella said.
Hitting The Ground Running
James Kirkland didn't have to work very long during his first-round knockout of Ahsandi Gibbs on the undercard of Alvarez-Hatton. Consequently, he'll be back in the ring a week from Friday on a Golden Boy card at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif.
Schaefer said Kirkland then will be put on the Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales card, on April 9th in Las Vegas, as a way of replacing the fight between Winky Wright and Matthew Macklin that fell apart when Wright suffered a hand injury during training. Schaefer said Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez is working on opponents for those two dates.
"He had a sensational comeback last Saturday," Schaefer said of Kirkland, who had not fought in two years because he spent some 17 months in prison after being arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of a hand gun. "He didn't lose a step."
Tarver The Commentator
Miguel Cotto will defend his junior middleweight title against Ricardo Mayorga on Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The Top Rank Inc. show will be televised on Showtime pay-per-view. One of the analysts is former light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver, and he had some interesting thoughts about what could transpire when Cotto and the big-talking, wild-swinging Mayorga square off.
"It's been a while since Mayorga has been in a significant fight after having some tough losses," Tarver said. "For Mayorga, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. It could be his final chance to get back into the mix in the weight division, so I see him being focused. He's going to have to use his erratic and unpredictable style to win and he needs to fight really hard.
"When Cotto is forced to fight out of his rhythm he has some problems, so it will be important for Mayorga to press and not let Cotto time his punches. No rhythm, just wow! Be aggressive and fight hard. Mayorga has to make it nasty."
Lead announcer Steve Albert, who will also be assisted by Al Bernstein, had a hilarious take when handicapping up the bout.
"Mayorga, don't smoke between rounds," Albert said. "Seriously, he's physically bigger, so he should impose his will and do what he always does, keep punching from all angles. He needs to keep Cotto guessing and make it wild."
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, and BoxingScene.com