by Chris Robinson
The latest news in the boxing world is that of the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley bout this coming May 7th at the MGM Grand. After weeks of speculation the fight was officially confirmed yesterday in what can be looked at as the first big event of 2011.
Mosley, the former three-division champion, looks to be a few shades past his best at age 39 yet his marketability seemed to give him the edge over lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and WBC welterweight titlist Andre Berto, two men who were also in the running. How he fairs against the dynamic southpaw from General Santos City remains to be seen but the Pomona fighter has a deeper connection with the casual sports fan compared to either Marquez or Berto and that is a likely reason why Top Rank promoter Bob Arum seemed to have his eyes set on him.
Earlier today I spoke with Berto's trainer Tony Morgan to get his take on everything. While slightly disappointed at not landing the fight, the Winter Haven, Florida native concedes that maybe it wasn't the right time.
"Everything happens for a reason," Morgan stated. "Would I have liked the fight? Yeah, but at the same time it is what it is. I understand Bob Arum's take on it and I understand Freddie and Manny's take on it. All in all I think Freddie and Manny wanted the fight but I think that Bob figured that Shane would be a better draw. I don't know what the situation was. I don't know if Shane is with Golden Boy anymore. But everything happens for a reason. We're young and we'll make it."
Newsflash: Boxing insiders feel that Mosley has a real shot vs. Pacquiao
Berto was in line to face off with Mosley earlier this year but withdraw from the contest after the mental anguish caused by the devastating January earthquake in his native Haiti. Morgan felt that Mosley was ripe for the picking back then and doesn't have too much hope for him against the Filipino icon.
"I think Shane showed his age the last two fights," Morgan continued. "I think Shane is a very talented athlete. Of course I think his better years have passed. He could pose a problem to Manny. I don't think he will. Manny's got very, very young legs. And I think that's going to give Shane a whole lot of problems. Shane does well with people who come right to him. Shane does well with Latin fighters. I think that it's going to be a very hard fight for Shane because of Manny's movement and Manny's punch output. Possibly a late round stoppage."
Berto is still a very fresh face in the game but at 27-0 with 21 knockouts and having been a champion for two and half years, the time for him to face the world's best seems to be upon us. Morgan admits as much but insists that the lack of high-profile exposure hasn't come without their share of efforts.
"I'm sure that we will probably get going after the holidays here," Morgan said of the team's future. "But it's whoever. I just let our team do our job. People say that Andre hasn't really fought anybody and that's fine. Andre is only 27 years old. It's a business. Of course we want to fight the big names and we will fight the big names. We have tried to fight people. There is a lot of discredit. We were in negotiaitons for Cotto and that fell out. I think it will work itself out. Our time is coming. I think we are doing it the best way. We're taking what's given."
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. An archive of his work can be found here, and he can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
