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On November 10 in Madison Square Garden (live on HBO Pay Per View), Sugar Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto will do for boxing what almost nobody else can: Provide a much needed adrenaline shot through the breastplate of the sport. For Mosley, 35, a four-time world champion, the fight will be yet another pitched battle against a younger opponent bent on inflating his own reputation at the expense of Mosley's. But as Shane has shown repeatedly - only two men have beaten him - age is number that other people care about.
Last week, from his training camp in Big Bear, California, he talked with us about his upcoming fight, how he uses weights to train and what the future holds for him.
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"Sugar" Shane Mosley
Birthdate: September 7, 1971
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 147 in the ring; 162-165 between fights
Hometown: Pomona, California
Trainer: Jack Mosley (father)
Pro Record: 44-4-1 (37 KOs)
M&F: How do you see this fight going?
SM: I see a very fast-paced fight. I'm training very hard. I'll definitely be on my toes doing some boxing, but I'll stay in there and punch a little as well.
M&F: Are you training differently for Cotto?
SM: I'm training more like I did when I was younger. Staying on the balls of my feet more. I'll be a lot faster now that I'm in a lighter weight class.
M&F: What's your biggest advantage over Cotto?
SM: Definitely the speed. My power, too, though. I don't think he's been in there with a guy who's as strong and as powerful as I am.
M&F: Do you train with weights?
SM: Not as much anymore because it's hard for me to make weight when I jump down to 147. I have hand weights that I use when I'm shadow boxing and a 25-pound weight vest I walk around with. I have it on right now.
M&F: What does that do for you?
SM: I workout and shadow box with it. It's almost like a part of my body. When I take it off, I feel lighter. My legs feel really strong.
M&F: How did you weight train when you were adding weight for the heavier divisions?
SM: I did a lot bench pressing and dead lifting with the diamond bar and squats. I did leg presses - reps of 20 with 200 pounds. Exercises that were good for boxing and movement.
M&F: What's the most grueling part of your training day?
SM: Sparring. I like it tough, so I can simulate a fight. But I don't like to take advantage of anyone, so my sparring partners are a little bigger than me. Or, if the guy is my size, I let the bigger guys go first, then I have the guys my size come in and try to wear me out.
M&F: How are you going to take away Cotto's left hook?
SM: My foot movement throws off a lot of fighters, and I don't think he'll be able to plant to throw his left hook to the body. And even if he does, I've been hit by bigger punchers than Miguel Cotto. I'm not really worried about his body shots or the power that he has. My main goal is to be in top condition, so that I can go 12 full rounds.
M&F: Zab Judah in his fight with Cotto landed the uppercut effectively. Will it be part of your arsenal?
SM: The punches I'll be throwing will be natural for his style. I'll hit him with the uppercut and the overhand right.
M&F: What's after Cotto?
SM: Hopefully, a Mayweather fight. I thought we were supposed to fight this time, but Miguel Cotto stepped up and Mayweather ran after Ricky Hatton.
M&F: You're fighting in Madison Square Gardens, which is practically Cotto's backyard. Does that worry you?
SM: I don't pay too much attention to the crowds. I know what I need to do and I go out there and I do my job. But I'm kind of half New Yorker myself. My wife's from New York and the people love me there.
M&F: What's in the future?
SM:There are lots fighters coming up that I'll be training. I'm training my son and getting him ready for a fight. Hopefully next year he'll start his amateur career.
M&F: Does he have his father's speed?
SM: He has a little bit of speed, but he's more on the heavy-handed side. He's little bigger than me, too.
M&F: How would you like to end your career?
SM: I'd like to end it at the top of my game, and known as one of the best fighters of my era.
--Mark Thorpe
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