Selfless Mosley to give De La Hoya a hand

Shane Mosley beat Oscar De La Hoya twice in major championship fights, taking the welterweight title from him in a stirring 2000 battle and then controversially winning the junior middleweight title from him in 2003. Back then, they were respectful ring rivals. Today, Mosley is a partner in De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and they've become pals. In an individual sport, they've become as close to being teammates as you can be. That's why, in a highly unusual move for a superstar fighter, Mosley has agreed to serve as De La Hoya's chief sparring partner during his preparation for the May 5 mega-fight (HBO PPV) with Floyd Mayweather Jr. A boxing star has his own sparring partners. A boxing star doesn't serve as a sparring partner, especially not to a boxer he has beaten twice. But Mosley, whose speed, size and skills are about as close to Mayweather's as anyone else's in boxing, is not your typical star fighter. He's down-to-earth and loves training. He's more than happy to do what it takes to help De La Hoya, especially because of how big a victory would be for the company they both have a stake in. Mayweather Jr. "That's what partners are for," Mosley told ESPN.com. "Whatever I can do to help, I will do. I want Oscar to have all the advantages he can in the fight." Mosley, who has a knack for being able to imitate just about any style you can think of, will report to De La Hoya's Puerto Rico training camp April 1 and spend the month there sparring regularly with De La Hoya. "I will help Oscar out and keep myself in shape as well," Mosley said. "I'm probably the closest thing fighting to Mayweather right now, so it will be a good advantage for Oscar to work with me. I will get some fight tapes and study Mayweather and his style. I will be able to imitate him and help Oscar dismantle Mayweather." De La Hoya is already in camp and didn't want to discuss it, but the idea was hatched a few months ago when Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez, also one of De La Hoya's best friends, was trying to come up with a list of possible sparring partners. "I had discussions with Oscar about who can help him because there really isn't anyone out there that fights like Floyd," Gomez said. "He's the best technician in the game and he has the combination of speed and technical skills. It kept popping into my mind that the closest to him was Shane. So, I told Oscar that I had come up with the best possible sparring partner." And when Gomez sprung the idea of Mosley on him? "He liked the idea," Gomez said. "He's been in there twice with Shane and they fought and sparred in the amateurs. Shane has given him problems before. I think that Shane can imitate anybody. It clicked right away." Getting Mosley on board was easy. A couple of months ago, Gomez simply asked him if he was interested. " genuinely loves boxing and loves to train. He said, 'I will give it a try,'" Gomez said. "I called him one day a while before his own fight to ask him. The worst thing he could do is say, 'No.' So I asked him, 'How would you feel about sparring with Oscar?' He said, 'I would love to. It would be great. I wouldn't mind going down to Puerto Rico.'" "This is for Oscar's benefit. I will not try to outshine Oscar because this is not about me. I'm going to do what I can do to imitate Mayweather. I will make it difficult for Oscar to hit me, like Mayweather will." "Sugar" Shane Mosley Said Mosley: "I told him, 'Just tell me when to come and I will be there.'" When he spars with De La Hoya, Mosley understands it is strictly to help De La Hoya. "I will try not to make it competitive. I don't want it to be competitive," Mosley said. " This is for Oscar's benefit. I will not try to outshine Oscar because this is not about me. I'm going to do what I can do to imitate Mayweather. I will make it difficult for Oscar to hit me, like Mayweather will." Gomez is pleased with the arrangement. "I think Oscar will get his best looks from Shane," he said. "It's friendly and helpful, but you know how boxing is -- it's competitive. There will be some heated sparring sessions whether you like it or not. But I think there is enough professionalism in there that they won't be too competitive. And Freddie Roach will be there. But there are days when they will have to go hard at each other." It's a good bet that some of the action will be captured by HBO's cameras, which have been granted access to the both training camps for "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7," a four-part countdown series premiering April 15. It won't be the first time Mosley will be helping De La Hoya get ready for an important event. Mosley also sparred with him as he was getting ready for a run to the 1992 Olympic gold medal. "I will do whatever is needed of me," Mosley said. "We're there to work. I'm not going down there to overwork him, though. I want him to be the best he possibly can be for Mayweather. I will tell him things I see when we're in the ring. I'm definitely going to be a help." Although De La Hoya will cover Mosley's expenses, Mosley said he won't accept a salary for the work. "We're partners. I don't need to be paid," Mosley said. "Besides, I will get good work, too. I get to spar with Oscar De La Hoya, and that will help keep me sharp." Gomez admitted that when he first thought of the idea, it made him chuckle. "I was picturing 'Rocky III,' where Apollo Creed helps Rocky," Gomez said. "It's similar to the movie. I was thinking, 'How funny would that be if Shane agrees to do it?' I thought it will be like the movie. Apollo and Rocky fought twice and then Apollo ends up helping Rocky get ready to fight the next young kid." It's not lost on Gomez that Rocky, with Apollo's help, did wind up defeating Clubber Lang. The whole Golden Boy crew is hoping life imitates art

Comments (13)

Most seem to be forgetting this. That Oscar set parameters in this fight to, somehow, favor or give the edge to Oscar. Floyd agreed to the stipulations just for opportunity to fight The Golden Boy, and even agreed to fight on May 5 for that matter. Now, some may consider that move on the part of Floyd to not be too smart, but obviously, Floyd is confident of the outcome regardless. :boxing:i agree. floyd has never lacked confidence in the ring, even when he's been in trouble. floyd has all the confidence in the world in fighting oscar, as he should have. he's a birlliant fighter, and oscar is a boxing great himself, so he should have all the confidence in the world also, but he's not a smarter fighter than floyd is though imo, and that where it lies, and that's where it stays.

19y ago

MindBat

Good Observation talk about advantages and disadvantages, isn't floyd wearing gloves that oscar says he has to wear? isn't floyd moving up to 154 ponuds? doesn't floyd have to weigh in at 154 or somewhere around there to fight oscar? aren't they fighting in a smaller ring, and isn't oscar getting paid the larger amount? how fair is this? now, oscar thinks shane is the answer for floyd. no way in hell. while sparring with shane mosley is a good idea to get ready for floyd, shane's mimmicking or floyd's style has nothing to do with floyd's strategy or his mindset, and that's where it counts, floyd's smarts will win him the fight. ivan yada yada yada yada, can help oscar out with speed, but as great a boxer as he is, he is not a smarter fighter than floyd either, so good luck oscar, coz you aren't beating floyd mayweather, no chance in hell or heaven for that matter. Most seem to be forgetting this. That Oscar set parameters in this fight to, somehow, favor or give the edge to Oscar. Floyd agreed to the stipulations just for opportunity to fight The Golden Boy, and even agreed to fight on May 5 for that matter. Now, some may consider that move on the part of Floyd to not be too smart, but obviously, Floyd is confident of the outcome regardless. :boxing:

19y ago

pbftxrs316

talk about advantages and disadvantages, isn't floyd wearing gloves that oscar says he has to wear? isn't floyd moving up to 154 ponuds? doesn't floyd have to weigh in at 154 or somewhere around there to fight oscar? aren't they fighting in a smaller ring, and isn't oscar getting paid the larger amount? how fair is this? now, oscar thinks shane is the answer for floyd. no way in hell. while sparring with shane mosley is a good idea to get ready for floyd, shane's mimmicking or floyd's style has nothing to do with floyd's strategy or his mindset, and that's where it counts, floyd's smarts will win him the fight. ivan yada yada yada yada, can help oscar out with speed, but as great a boxer as he is, he is not a smarter fighter than floyd either, so good luck oscar, coz you aren't beating floyd mayweather, no chance in hell or heaven for that matter.

19y ago

Konstantin

Cool. I cant wait for this fight!!

19y ago

Ether

It's not desperation. This is the biggest fight of both of there lives, of course they are gonna do both do whatever it takes to prepare the best they can. You think that Floyd and his Dad re uniting was a coincidence. They would still be hatin on each other had Sr. been training Oscar. Floyd brought his dad in because he knows that he has been training Oscar for the last 6 yrs. If your want to say someone is desperate, it looks like Floyd all of a sudden bringing his dad back is a more of a desperate move. That shit wasn't acoincidence that all of a sudden they make up. Fuckin nuthugger. Pwnt. It's good to hear, I'm def gonna be tuning in on HBO in april after sopranos an entourage ofcourse..what a great schedule. :boxing:

19y ago

niceguy45

great story, rocky III type this is great for boxing, it's a great story overall in mayweather's camp family together once again

19y ago

AllEyesOpen

It's a smart move by DLH regardless of what you say, you gotta spar with the fastest guys you can find to even come close to Mayweathers speed, 9/10 you'll get in the ring and find out that they weren't even close. Mosley's fast but nowhere near as fast as PBF these days, but he's sparring with the best. At least I know DLH's gonna be ready & there wont be any excuses this time around, I honestly expect a great fight. & as for Shane, he just wanted to knock Oscar around a few times. :D

19y ago

_Mr_Soprano

Breaking News! With Mosley as DLH's sparing partner, HBO has decided to make the De La Hoya / Mayweather 24/7 Training coverage a PPV event.

19y ago

Emon723

Mosley is the Man, too bad he might not get a chance to whip floyd himself.

19y ago

jai_mari078

that only makes it fair, dlh bringing in all these sparring dudes, mosley, ivan..lol shit... let floyd get an advantage too.. to level things out a bit Well not in this thread but every other thread that has to do with Floyd and this fight.

19y ago

jai_mari078

that only makes it fair, dlh bringing in all these sparring dudes, mosley, ivan..lol shit... let floyd get an advantage too.. to level things out a bit Of course oscar is gonna bring in sparring partners to prepare him best for Floyd. I was responding to bigtime hugging Floyds nuts as he always does. Look at all of his posts in this thread or any thread. ANytime someone has a different opinion he is quick to jump and defend Floyd. Everyone who has had a different opinion about the fight that deosn't have Floyd winning or giving Oscar a chance he jumps all over them. He called Oscar desperate for using Shane to help him prepare, I call it smart. I just pointed out that it was no coincidence that a soon as Oscar doesn't use Floyd Sr. Jr. all of a sudden makes up with him. If he wants to point out a desperate move he should point out Floyd's move conveniantly re-uniting with his dad on the verge of fighting Oscar knowing that he has been training Oscar for the past 6yrs. I'm sure that was a coincidence and all of a sudden they ironed out all there differences. Trust me bigtime will come back with 1000 reasons to defend Floyd.

19y ago

jai_mari078

you used the appropriate word mimic, not the original..calderon is a shadow of floyd and oscar using him shows how desperate he is. It's not desperation. This is the biggest fight of both of there lives, of course they are gonna do both do whatever it takes to prepare the best they can. You think that Floyd and his Dad re uniting was a coincidence. They would still be hatin on each other had Sr. been training Oscar. Floyd brought his dad in because he knows that he has been training Oscar for the last 6 yrs. If your want to say someone is desperate, it looks like Floyd all of a sudden bringing his dad back is a more of a desperate move. That shit wasn't acoincidence that all of a sudden they make up. Fuckin nuthugger.

19y ago

cotto1p4p

Since Oscar is training in Ivan Calderon's gym, Ivan said he's also helping out Oscar, sparring with him but obviously they are going all out since Ivan is only 105 lbs. Ivan can help Oscar mimic the boxing skills and the Floyd's speed. If someone can match Floyd's boxing skills is Ivan Calderon he's as good or maybe better so it looks like Oscar is taking this bout seriously.

19y ago