By Robert Morales
Welterweight champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley turned 38 on Sept. 7. That means unless he turns out to be another Bernard Hopkins - ageless - his window for a couple of more high-profile fights might be slowly starting to close.
But Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions - which promotes Mosley - on Tuesday said 2010 could be a good year for Mosley if he is able to defeat Andre Berto on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay. That fight is not yet 100 percent consummated - although Schaefer said it could be getting there - but a win over Berto could springboard Mosley to the fight he covets with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Schaefer said Mosley, should he beat Berto, figures to have another fight in either April or May on HBO and then a fight later on in the year that is earmarked for HBO pay-per-view.
It sounds like Schaefer is thinking along the lines of that pay-per-view fight being against Mayweather, with whom Schaefer said he has a good working relationship.
"I personally think a Shane Mosley-Floyd Mayweather fight would be huge," said Schaefer, who said he agrees that Mayweather now must fight the studs his own size after he easily defeated a somewhat smaller Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19.
Interestingly, Schaefer said it was Mayweather's performance against Marquez that makes the thought of a Mosley-Mayweather fight even more appealing. He said he was amazed at how polished Mayweather looked after a 21-month layoff.
"You can say that he fought the smaller guy, but what astonished me the most is that there is no doubt Juan Manuel Marquez is a great fighter; he was the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter and he gave Manny Pacquiao a great fight," Schaefer said. "And he is one of the smartest guys in the ring who can adjust.
"And here is a guy who is so smart who was only able to land like 60 (actually, 69) punches against Mayweather. That has nothing to do with size, that has to do with talent. Mayweather is truly one of the most talented fighters ever. And then 'Sugar' Shane Mosley against Antonio Margarito, that was one of the most masterful performances in years in any weight class.
"I think the American consumer would really embrace that fight between two great fighters."
Schaefer said he has no doubt that Mayweather wants to fight the best out there.
"He is a big-time fighter and he wants to be in big fights," Schaefer said. "We are all going to be able to see Floyd Mayweather in another big fight."
Schaefer said everyone - fans, promoters and reporters alike - must realize that sometimes the fights people want to see don't always happen when we want.
"I could see Mayweather fighting Mosley next, or I could see Mayweather fighting Pacquiao sometime early next year and then the winner of that fight, who would they want to fight? Who is the biggest name out there? I would have to say it is Shane Mosley, if he beats Berto."
Of course, Miguel Cotto would upset that apple cart if he beats Pacquiao in November.
(A Handshake Good Enough)
Golden Boy has been part of Mayweather's past three fights - against Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Marquez - all of whom fight, or did fight, under the Golden Boy banner. Schaefer was asked if Golden Boy has any kind of contract with Mayweather and Mayweather Promotions.
"Sometimes, in boxing, what I have realized is the best contracts are those which are not on paper," Schaefer said.
(Mosley-Berto Deal Could Be Sealed Soon)
Lou DiBella, who promotes Berto, didn't get into a lot of detail, but he said Wednesday that a formal announcement for Mosley-Berto could be forthcoming in the near future.
"We haven't wrapped everything up," DiBella said. "There has to be a few more conversations with HBO and myself and Berto and his management team. But I'm confident it is going to happen. There is a purse bid scheduled for Oct. 7 with Luis Collazo, but I'm not going to go through a sham of a purse bid if we are going to fight Shane. I think it is going to get worked out within the next seven days."
Berto and Collazo fought for Berto's title on Jan. 17 with Berto winning a close unanimous decision. Collazo is ranked No. 1 to Berto's belt.
(Speaking of Marquez)
There has been some fallout from Mayweather weighing in at 146 for his fight with Marquez, especially because of the way things went down the week of the fight. All Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe and Schaefer would ever say during the promotion was that it was a welterweight fight, meaning a 147-pound limit.
But it was well-known the catch-weight agreed upon was 144. Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, confirmed Wednesday that the day of the weigh-in Mayweather told him he wanted to change the number on the bout agreement to 147 because he would not be able to make 144.
Kizer said that was fine as long as Marquez agreed. He said once Marquez arrived, he presented him with the change proposed by Mayweather.
"I asked Juan, 'Are you OK with it?' " Kizer said. "He said, 'Definitely,' "
From that end, everything done was above board. Schaefer said Marquez was not thrown under the bus by Golden Boy, either. In other words, Marquez was already at a disadvantage never having fought at higher than 135. So why let your fighter go into a fight at an even bigger disadvantage by letting Mayweather come in any heavier?
It's simple, Schaefer, said. Marquez knew all along what the parameters of the promotional agreement for this fight were. It stated this was to be a welterweight fight with the fighters sustaining a financial penalty for every pound over 144.
Therein lies the key. The promotional agreement and the bout agreement filed with the commission are two different things. The promotional contract was signed in May, Schaefer said, when the fight was announced.
"When Marquez entered into the contract, he knew Mayweather, if he chose to, could come in at 147," Schaefer said.
That's why, Schaeafer said, there was no outcry from Team Marquez.
"There was no surprise for Marquez, there was no uproar from the Marquez camp," Schaefer said.
Schaefer furthermore said the promotional contract for the fight was followed to the letter.
"It was not like something came up at the last minute and we said, 'Oh, we have to re-negotiate the contract,' " Schaefer said.
(Ramirez Bummed)
It was Monday evening, and trainer Henry Ramirez was calling. It was obvious by the tone in his voice he was still quite upset about what took place Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
His fighter, Chris Arreola, had taken quite a beating from heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. And after 10 rounds, Ramirez asked the referee to stop the fight, much to the chagrin of Arreola.
"He told me (Sunday), 'I would have rather you had let me get knocked out on my back than you stopping the fight,' " Ramirez said.
Ramirez said that during the 10th round, as Arreola was absorbing rather harsh punishment, he heard from Al Haymon, Arreola's adviser. (On the HBO replay, you can see Haymon shouting to Arreola's corner).
"He said, 'He's taking a lot of punches,' " said Ramirez, who said Haymon indicated it was his (meaning Ramirez's) decision.
Ramirez made it.
"I didn't want to confer with Chris because if I would have given him the opportunity, 'Chris, you show me something or I will stop the fight,' he could have convinced me,' " Ramirez said. "He has that never-say-die attitude and undying will and it would be easy for me to sit there as a trainer and be the tough guy; I'm not the one getting hit. It's that Arturo Gatti attitude. The guy almost feels more honored going out on his back."
Ramirez said that Arreola is the type of guy "you have to protect from himself because he would have never stopped trying." Ramirez said that after watching the tape, he wouldn't do much differently.
"I wouldn't change a thing except stopping it a round sooner," Ramirez said. "I have no regrets about stopping the fight."
Ramirez said he just didn't see how Arreola - woefully behind on the scorecards - was going to turn things around.
"I felt there was no opportunity," Ramirez said. "Vitali was never a guy who has been knocked down, let alone knocked out. As much as it pained me, and believe me, it pained me ... After the fight I told him, 'I'm sorry, you could hate me if you want.' "
(Kudos to Klitschko)
All that said, perhaps it's time Klitschko is given credit for being a solid heavyweight champion. He is not the most fluid fighter in the world, but the results speak for themselves.
One reporter in the deadline room following the fight said all Klitschko did was run. What a bunch of baloney. You don't average some 80 punches per round if you're running. Klitschko was boxing, man, moving side to side and slipping out of harm's way after pelting Arreola with crunching jabs and hard right crosses.
If you buy into the punch-stat numbers (which you normally won't see portrayed in this space because they often don't tell the true story), Arreola landed just 86 punches in 10 rounds. Arreola ususally lands that many in three rounds, but Klitschko fought brilliantly - even if it wasn't aesthetically satisfying.
"We lost to the best guy in the world," Ramirez said. "He doesn't fight a style that might be pleasing to the viewer on TV, but it is damn effective."
(Now what?)
Ramirez said he would like to get Arreola back in the ring soon after Arreola has had some R & R.
"We'll give him some time, let him rest a bit and then we'll see where we go from here," Ramirez said. "It's a crushing loss. We'll learn from this."
(More Vazquez-Marquez Brutality on Horizon?)
Everyone knows that the three fights between Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez that took place in succession over a 12-month span from March 2007 to March 2008 will go down as one of boxing's terrific trilogies. But the possibility of a fourth fight has given out some different vibrations.
Some reporters want it, others do not because they believe there has already been enough brutality between the two. Have also had some fans e-mail saying that same thing.
But this fourth fight is a possibility, so we asked Frank Espinoza what he thinks of those who believe enough is enough.
"I understand their opinion, I know their feelings," said Espinoza, Vazquez's manager. "But when you have two fighters who are healthy and they want to fight each other, who am I to say no? As long as they're healthy enough to fight each other, then I have to understand Israel that he wants to fight Marquez one more time."
Vazquez, 31, has not fought since March 2008 because of three surgeries to repair a detached retina in his right eye. He will take on Angel Priolo in the main event Oct. 10 at Nokia Theatre, which is across the street from Staples Center.
"We don't want to look past Angel Priolo, but I gotta tell you the long-range plan is to fight Marquez again," Espinoza said. "That's the fight that they both want. I know Vazquez wants the fight and I believe there is nowhere else that these two kids, Rafael and Vazquez, will make the kind of money fighting somebody else.
"They need to fight each other. That is the plan. We'd like to do it here at Staples Center. I know it would be great. We want to sit down with Golden Boy and discuss what the plans are, but that's what we're looking at."
Golden Boy is co-promoting Vazquez's fight with Priolo along with Sycuan Ringside Promotions and Espinoza Promotions.
"Obviously, this is a very important fight for him, to really get an assessment of where he stands and how much those fights have taken out of him with his eye and everything," Schaefer said of Vazquez, who has won two of three from Marquez.
Robert Morales covers boxing for the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, and BoxingScene.com.
