[New] Mosley Interview "I would have outboxed Trinidad"

Heru16y ago

AllHipHop.com: I know you can’t reveal everything that’s going down, but talk about what you’ve been focusing on now in camp being that things are now winding down. Mosley: I’m just working on being comfortable and being the best Sugar Shane Mosley when I get to the ring. I know I have speed and power, and I’m making sure I use those things because that’s what it’s going to be all about . AllHipHop.com: This isn’t you’re first superfight, but with all the hype with 24/7 and the drug testing, would you say this is your biggest professional fight ever? Mosley: Yeah this is a pretty big event. The fights with Oscar got me to this point. And this one will solidify my spot in history and make my legacy. AllHipHop.com: Have your sparring partners been able to replicate Mayweather’s style well? Mosley: Thanks to Naazim he’s putting 3 or 4 different guys to build Mayweather’s fight style. One focuses on one part of Mayweather’s style, and the next comes in and does another. But the problem is there is no other Mayweather, because if there was he’d be fighting for the championship right now. AllHipHop.com: I brought this up with Naazim, but I wanted to give you the chance to speak on it. The big rumor for the past week is that you have been looking bad in sparring. What are your thoughts on that? Mosley: That’s not true, but if people want to believe that they’re entitled to. I don’t know where they would get that rumor from since I train at my house behind closed doors . But that’s not accurate at all though. AllHipHop.com: A big criticism of you has always been that you can’t adjust tactics in the ring. Even in our last interview, you admitted that sometimes it costs you when you push for the knockout too much, like in the Miguel Cotto fight. How are you sure now with Mayweather that won’t be the case, and is the previous criticism valid that you have no diversity in your offense and defense? Mosley: Well if you look at my fight history you see that I do different things. Even in the fights that I score knockouts it’s been with my right and left hand. I can also move and box or I can punch. I can do everything! That’s the difference between me and other fighters; I’m not just some one trick pony. AllHipHop.com: Naazim speaks very highly of you and ranks you among the best fighters he’s ever trained. How does he compare to some of the other trainers you’ve had like your father Jack? Mosley: Naazim is a strategist, and comes up with different ways to beat guys. One way you can tell a great trainer is if they’ve brought up guys from the grass roots, what they can build from the beginning. Not just getting someone when they are up the top of their game and saying “oh I built this champion,” when they already were great. Greatness shows when you get someone that just walks into the gym and you build him from there. Naazim has done that. He’s brought his son up to being an Olympian and then a professional. And then you see what he’s done with Bernard Hopkins and me. So you can see from that that Naazim is a great trainer. AllHipHop.com: You felt confident in a knockout of Margarito before that fight last year. Do you have a hunch on how you expect the Mayweather fight to go? Mosley: I think it’s going to be a technical fight. But I think my speed will give him problems . He’s been fighting a lot of guys that are a lot slower and smaller than him. These guys have been either lightweights or junior welterweights . The guys I’ve been fighting are welter and junior middleweights. Shit, Winky Wright right now can fight at super-middleweight! These guys I fight have been big boys, while Mayweather’s guys are kind of small. big difference. AllHipHop.com: Being undefeated has become a big thing in boxing. Do you place more blame on the fighters like Mayweather who harp on that, or the media and television networks? Mosley: I think it might be more of the media. The great fighters are the ones who lose and come back from adversity. And that’s how you can tell where they are at mentally. You can’t really tell from a person who wins every fight, and frankly I don’t think Mayweather has won all of them. I’ve watched the tapes of a few where he might have lost and it was given to him. So that claim can be kind of questionable. AllHipHop.com: You’re on record as stating the Olympic drug testing has not been a hindrance to training. Instinct-wise from what you’ve seen in this sport and experienced personally with the BALCO scandal, are steroids widespread or just something done by a select few in the sport? Mosley: I think that in boxing it’s not a big deal. I think people from other sports are infiltrating into the boxing world and trying to figure out ways to make fighters stronger. So the testing is good to block these strengthening trainers from using substances. That’s the problem in the sport. AllHipHop.com: You’re good friends with Manny Pacquiao, and there has been criticism his way for not taking the drug tests. Do you feel his reasons are genuine and he should get the benefit of the doubt, or do you think people have legit reasons to be suspicious? Mosley: I really don’t know and can’t speak for Pacquiao. I can’t say what he really believes. But I don’t think he’d jeopardize his career and put himself in that position. AllHipHop.com: Before the Berto fight, you told me you had been watching tapes of Roberto Duran’s fights with Edwin Viruet, and gotten some ideas. Have you been watching any past legends and gotten any ideas of how to go at Mayweather? Mosley: I’ve been watching a lot of Sugar Ray Leonard. I watched the fight of him and Floyd’s father. . It’s always good watching Roberto Duran against other fighters, the way he goes about it. You can learn from the older fighters. Back then, they fought hard and for pride. Tommy Hearns and guys like that. AllHipHop.com: You brought up Winky Wright earlier. If you would have gotten past him, there was a fight waiting with Felix Trinidad. That would have been a great fight. How would you have approached that bout circa 2004? Mosley: Probably like Winky did, just outbox him. Trinidad was a very hard puncher with the left hook, but you see how Oscar did, you can outbox him. I might have been able to put him on the floor a few times with the power. AllHipHop.com: There’s the speed advantage, too. Mosley: Yeah, speed of the hand and foot. And the timing is there with me. AllHipHop.com: You, Pacquiao, and Mayweather are the top guys at welterweight. Even though we don’t have a 4th guy, it reminds me of the Fab Four of Leonard, Hearns, Duran, and Hagler in the 80’s. Can you see that happening where you 3 all end up fighting each other? Mosley: It could happen that way. You have one willing fighter , maybe two . We just need the other one to get into it as well. That would help boxing and get it on the plane it’s supposed to be on. AllHipHop.com: You’ve said that after you beat Mayweather he’s going to go into retirement. Based on that statement, do you believe Mayweather doesn’t have the mentality to come back from defeat based on how important his undefeated record is to him? Mosley: That is yet to be seen, even though I’ve said different things about knocking him out. We’ll see what he does after May 1. AllHipHop.com: Thanks for your time champ and good luck on fight night. Mosley: No problem and thank you. Writer’s Note: The wait is nearly over. The final 24/7 episode airs on Friday (April 30) at 8:30PM. Mayweather-Mosley will be live this Saturday, May 1 on HBO PPV. I will be Las Vegas providing extensive coverage of all news and developments. Don’t miss it! http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/lifestylefashion/archive/2010/04/27/22190376.aspx

Comments (20)

Heeb

I don't know why Shane is getting hate for saying he would beat another fighter. I expect all fighters to say they would beat any fighter you put in front of them.

16y ago

BROOKLYN_CESAR

Shane im sorry but tito wouldve smashed you brother!!!

16y ago

oc9979

Mosley vs Tito Would of have been just like Joppy vs Tito

16y ago

oc9979

Where are you champ?? You did not hear Foreman saying, "Hopkins want to keep hugging and pushing" Plus Do you see how much bigger Hopkins looked than Tito

16y ago

Calilloyd

WTF r u talking about? I said DLH tried to pull a Leonard vs Hagle and backed fired. And then you said Hopkins elected to trade with Trinidad wich is utter bullshit!! Where are you champ??

16y ago

Calilloyd

WTF r u talking about? I said DLH tried to pull a Leonard vs Hagle and backed fired. And then you said Hopkins elected to trade with Trinidad wich is utter bullshit!! So you're saying Hopkins never traded with Trinidad or are you saying when he did it was because Trinidad decided for him? Because Hopkins did trade with Trinidad and came out on top. I'll post highlights if you would like to refresh your memory.

16y ago

Mr_Philadel

I can't call this one....would've been fun to watch tho' :boxing:

16y ago

Calilloyd

you know how they both at times lean foward with both hands glued to the face waiting to counter with a left hook to the body then the head? no? No. And the difference in their stature makes it almost impossible for them to look like they had the same style. Cotto fights out of a crouch a lot and he also moves around and boxes when he has too. Trinidad never fought like that. He was a pure pressure fighter in his prime and one of the best pressure fighters I've ever seen. He got full leverage out of every power punch he threw.

16y ago

Calilloyd

So who elected to trade? Really? Did you watch the fight? I saw both fights and Hopkins didn't just run from Trinidad if that's what you're implying.

16y ago

SplitSecond

guess it's just me then

16y ago

IMDAZED

tito fights fairly similar to cotto dont you think? Not completely, but at times the stance and the way they approach is very similar Not at all.

16y ago

SplitSecond

I don't see it. you know how they both at times lean foward with both hands glued to the face waiting to counter with a left hook to the body then the head? no?

16y ago

Calilloyd

tito fights fairly similar to cotto dont you think? not completely, but at times the stance and the way they approach is very similar I don't see it.

16y ago

SplitSecond

"Oscar did something very stupid." Ask yourself WHY. tito fights fairly similar to cotto dont you think? not completely, but at times the stance and the way they approach is very similar

16y ago

Calilloyd

]First DLH didnt landed shit on Tito. He tried to pull a Leonard vs Hagler on Tito and it backfired on him. Throwing flurries in the las 10 seconds of every round doesnt win you fights. Second when has Mosley outboxed somebody? He outfought Oscar and he elected to trade with Oscar a lot. Tell me 1 fighter who elected to trade with Prime Trinidad and didnt found himsel starng and the roof lights!! Come on, man. You're being ridiculous. I'm not an Oscar fan but did you see Trinidad's face after the fight and his bloody nose? Oscar hit Trinidad a lot in the first 8 rounds or so. Yeah Oscar did run and did nothing the last 4 rounds but that doesn't represent the whole fight. I scored the fight a draw but Oscar deserved to lose. And to answer your last question, Hopkins. And it was Trinidad staring up from the floor. And Leonard fought nothing like Delahoya aginst Hagler.

16y ago

Calilloyd

Oscar was 2X the boxer Tito was, Oscar lost because he did something that was very stupid and that was leave the match in the hands of the judges. He thought he had the fight in the bag and decided to go backwards, big mistake as we all know. Those of us who aren't biased also know Oscar won that fight and actually won the first 8 rather easily. Vernon is a good point but I can't put one guy who beat Mosley as the answer to how to beat Mosley. Winky is also a better boxer than Tito and his defense is one of the best ever. His jab is great and he makes EVERYONE look bad. Look, I don't know who would win for sure, I do think you are underestimating Mosley though. We are not talking about the Mosley that fought with Cotto or Marg, we are talking the Mosley that fought with DLH twice. No. Oscar got tired and didn't want to get knocked out. He admitted that himself by stating, "I was exhausted and Tito punches very hard so I had to stay away". He said that during an interview in Puerto Rico and also the HBO special "Legendary nights." The boxing and moving along with Trinidad's pressure exhausted him by the 8th round. Oscar didn't just choose to fight like that. He had too. As far as who would have won, it's a close call at 147, but I would give the edge to Mosley due to his speed nad the fact that he could possibly fight in a way to take away Trinidad's left hook. At 154 I give the edge to Trinidad because Shane is a little slower there and doesn't carry the weight as well. At 160 Trinidad all the way.

16y ago

IMDAZED

16y ago

Cuauhtmoc1520

You said it...long, rangy... Think Vernon Think Winky So much has been made of their jabs winning the fight (as if Shane's never seen a jab before)...a good jab is a problem for ANYONE! If anything, I think people are underestimating Tito. DLH is not 2x the boxer Tito is or he would have been able to box for 12 rounds instead of 8. He couldn't because the other guy's strategy was even more effective. When he realized he could no longer box and would have to stand and trade...he ran. That was the conundrum you faced when fighting Tito. Also, saying Tito had problems with speedy guys is strange. Like who? Oscar? I just discussed that. Who else? Oscar was 2X the boxer Tito was, Oscar lost because he did something that was very stupid and that was leave the match in the hands of the judges. He thought he had the fight in the bag and decided to go backwards, big mistake as we all know. Those of us who aren't biased also know Oscar won that fight and actually won the first 8 rather easily. Vernon is a good point but I can't put one guy who beat Mosley as the answer to how to beat Mosley. Winky is also a better boxer than Tito and his defense is one of the best ever. His jab is great and he makes EVERYONE look bad. Look, I don't know who would win for sure, I do think you are underestimating Mosley though. We are not talking about the Mosley that fought with Cotto or Marg, we are talking the Mosley that fought with DLH twice.

16y ago

northstar

Could be. Agree to disagree on this one, my friend. Great debate. Sure. Like wise. On another note,I really wanted to see Trinidad make a comeback against someone like Pavlik (before Martinez got to him).

16y ago

IMDAZED

I agree, the use of their reach was significant in their respective victories, but vernon's intelligent use of clinching was also very instrumental. In the first fight, after mosley started to regain his legs, vernon started fighting more off the back foot using the jab and clinching, while also being selectively aggresive. Although, Trinidad circled at times, I don't Trinidad ever fighting off the back foot like forrest did, especially against an opponent that he had seriously hurt. Trinidad wasn't terrible defensively, but he didn't posses a better defense than Wright nor was he as durable. It should also be noted that,even in his prime, trindad was vulnerable to flash kd's, if their fight went the distance, which would've been likely, that would be very influential in the outcome of the fight. Could be. Agree to disagree on this one, my friend. Great debate.

16y ago