Jason Quigley and Shane Mosley Jr. were eager to face one another earlier this year—so much, that they turned to each other for their next fight.
The intriguing middleweight clash previously due to take place earlier this year has been repackaged for May 29 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will serve in support of WBC lightweight titlist Devin Haney (25-0, 15KOs) in his attempted third defense versus former three-division titlist Jorge Linares (47-5, 29KOs).
“After so many delays, Jason Quigley and Shane Mosley Jr. will finally face off on May 29,” Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy told BoxingScene.com. “Both men have their sights on becoming a world champion at 160 pounds, but this crossroads fight will determine who will actually be on that path.”
The bout was originally targeted to take place on a planned Jan. 30 show at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California. The card was canceled after Sergey Kovalev tested positive for a banned substance ahead of a planned light heavyweight clash with Bektemir Melikuziev. Golden Boy relocated the fight to its Feb. 13 show at the same venue, headlined by Joseph Diaz Jr. in a mandatory lightweight title defense versus Shavkat Rakhimov.
Ireland’s Quigley was forced to withdraw due to illness, leaving Mosley (17-3, 10KOs) to face late replacement Cristian Olivas whom he stopped after five rounds.
The second-generation boxer extended his win streak to four in a row following the win, though was more interested in settling unfinished business.
“I was supposed to fight Quigley earlier this year,” notes Mosley, the 30-year-old son of Hall of Fame former three-division champ Shane Mosley Sr.. “I'm thankful we were able to make the fight again, and I'm looking forward to fighting in front of fans for the first time in a while. Camp has been going great, and I'm excited to be back in the ring, to win that belt and show the world that I am on the championship trail.
“On May 29, I'm going to show the world why I belong.”
Whereas Mosley was able to remain active, Quigley takes the fight cold.
The 29-year-old from Ballybofey, Ireland has not fought since a 3rd round knockout of Fernando Marin last January at The OC Hangar in Costa Mesa, California. The win was his second straight—both coming at that venue and ending in the 3rd round—since a shocking 9th round stoppage loss to Tureano Johnson in July 2019.
Prior to the loss, Quigley was a hot prospect on the rise. He believes he is still worthy of such accolades, as proven in his willingness to go in tough for his first fight in 16 months come fight night.
“I’m excited that this fight is happening,” insists Quigley. “It’s been in the works for a while now. I’m delighted to be getting back into the ring, and I’m ready to rumble. This fight is a massive step for me. There is a lot of meaning to this one. I know what I am capable of doing in this division, and I want to show that to the world live on DAZN. It’s on a great platform, on a great occasion in the capital of professional boxing - there’s no better place to perform.”
The intriguing middleweight matchups is one of two fights involving Golden Boy Promotions on the Matchroom Boxing-promoted show. Golden Boy also represents Linares, who has enjoyed a rich history of beating Matchroom fighters and looks to do so again in the main event.
Mosley and Quigley will be tasked with priming the crowd for the evening’s headliner.
“It’s an excellent co-main event for the Haney vs. Linares card,” De La Hoya proudly states. “I’m looking forward to demonstrating once again the quality of fights and fighters that we can provide on foreign turf.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
