By Mike Coppinger
“Sugar” Shane Mosley hasn’t fought since a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in May. Prior to that bout, he fought to a draw with Sergio Mora and was dominated by Floyd Mayweather.
On the heels of three consecutive paltry performances, many observers and fans alike have called for the once-great fighter to retire from the sport. According to his trainer, Brother Nazim Richardson, retirement hasn’t been a topic of discussion between himself and Mosley.
“I can’t tell him when to put the gloves on, I can’t tell him when to put them down,” said Richardson. “I’m going to do anything I can to protect the athlete at any and all costs. I’m going to try to help the athlete get through it. He’s a friend of mine, I want to help him any way I can.”
When pressed further and asked if maybe it is time for Mosley to hang ‘em up, Richardson responded that losses to two of the greatest fighters of this generation shouldn’t be cause for concern.
“I saw Shane Mosley lose to Manny Pacquiao, I’ve seen a lot of people lose to him,” the Philadelphia-based trainer exclaimed. “He lost to Mayweather, I’ve seen everyone whose faced him lose to him.”
As for the Sergio Mora fight, Richardson accepts the blame.
“The Sergio Mora fight I blame more on me, than anything,” said Richardson, who also trains Bernard Hopkins. “Sergio tries to prove his Mexican heritage, he knows he doesn’t have that Mexican-kinda style. So he always stops and tries to go Mexican to get that love. … He did it with everybody else, he didn’t do it with Shane. Shane couldn’t get to him. “
One thing Richardson isn’t afraid of, is his charge becoming a gate-keeper, confident that Mosley could spring an upset over a young fighter.
“You never know, they might make the [Andre] Berto fight now,” said Richardson. “Then what are people gonna say if Shane goes out there and knocks Berto out?
Mike Coppinger is a regular boxing freelancer for USA TODAY and Ring Magazine. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Ring Ratings Advisory Panel and the Yahoo! Sports Boxing Panel. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger.