49°F
weather icon Clear

Mosley, 40, says he has some fight left in him

Just when everyone figured Shane Mosley was through with boxing, he's back.

Mosley, 40, has agreed to return to Golden Boy Promotions and face WBC junior middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on May 5 on the undercard of the WBC super welterweight title fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden.

Mosley (46-7-1, 39 knockouts) admits he hasn't looked good since he beat Antonio Margarito in 2009, but told reporters last week he's not ready to retire and wants to win one more title.

The wisdom of Mosley's return is questionable, judging by his most recent fight, in which he was dominated for 12 rounds by Manny Pacquiao on May 7 at the MGM Grand. Mosley's task isn't made easier by the fact that Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs) is 19 years his junior.

Mosley had left Golden Boy to make the Pacquiao fight. Now he's back, supposedly nursing no grudges toward Oscar De La Hoya's company.

"It would be great to beat somebody like Canelo to kind of show the naysayers that say I'm old and can't do it anymore and should retire are wrong," Mosley told ESPN.com. "This will be the victory to show I am still here and I haven't left yet."

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said the tougher part of making the fight was to convince Alvarez to participate on the undercard.

"(Alvarez) is a main-event fighter, as is Shane," Schaefer said. "But he's smart. He knows it's Cinco de Mayo. It's a huge pay-per-view event and he's going to get plenty of exposure, even though he's not in the main event."

Schaefer said he thinks Mosley has one more great performance left in him.

"There's no question Mosley has been disappointing of late," he said. "But he's had his greatest success against Mexican fighters. He also knows this is his last chance. But I believe he can pull a rabbit out of his hat and fight a great fight against Canelo."

Schaefer said ticket information for the May 5 MGM card will be released this week. The card will be televised on HBO Pay Per View.

■ PACQUIAO-BRADLEY TICKETS -- Tickets for the June 9 WBO welterweight title fight between Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster locations and at ticketmaster.com and mgmgrand.com. Five price levels range from $200 to $1,200, with a limit of two $200 tickets per person.

The promotional tour for the fight begins in Los Angeles on Tuesday and visits New York on Thursday.

■ LATIMORE READY -- Junior middleweight Deandre Latimore (22-3, 17 KOs) recently moved to Las Vegas from St. Louis to focus on his career. He is training at the Mayweather Boxing Club and will be on Friday's Showtime card at the Hard Rock Hotel, facing Ryan Davis (23-9-3, nine KOs) in a 10-round bout.

"I'm excited," said Latimore, who has worked in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s training camps and will help Mayweather prepare for his fight with Cotto. "Nobody really knows a lot about me. But when I win this fight and look impressive, everyone will see how good I am."

For Latimore, a 26-year-old left-hander, Friday's fight is a chance to position himself for a title shot this year. In 2009, he lost a 12-round split decision to Cory Spinks in his attempt to win the IBF belt. He said he won't lack incentive against Davis, who is from East St. Louis, Ill.

"Being here in Vegas really helps me focus on boxing and my career," said Latimore, who is trained by Mayweather's uncle, Jeff, who had a 32-10-5 professional record, predominantly at lightweight. "I can see how much better I've gotten, working with Floyd in his camp and having Jeff train me. I'm stronger. I'm faster. I'm a better puncher. I'm like a whole new fighter."

The card features a 10-round main event between Las Vegas welterweight Jessie Vargas (17-0, nine KOs) and veteran Lanardo Tyner of Detroit (25-6-2, 15 KOs). The first bell is at 6:30 p.m.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.

THE LATEST
 
Floyd Mayweather selling Las Vegas mansion — PHOTOS

Multimillionaire boxer Floyd Mayweather’s Southern Highlands home features a five-car garage and something celebrity real agent Matt Altman has never seen before.