Mosley hopes to turn back clock against Pacquiao

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. -- Shane Mosley fought the best his generation had to offer, so he doesn't see his world welterweight title fight Saturday with Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden as anything out of the ordinary.

Mosley has been on boxing's biggest stage against the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, Fernando Vargas, Ricardo Mayorga, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.

"It's not any different than my other big fights," Mosley said last week on the back porch of his two-story house in this picturesque mountain town about three hours east of Los Angeles, where Pacquiao has been encamped the last five weeks. "You train for every fight with the idea you're going to give your best. But each fight is different because of who you're fighting.

"Pacquiao? He's got good speed but I have the ability to give him a hard time. I've been fighting bigger guys lately so being in there with a smaller guy doesn't intimidate me."

Mosley admitted that the attention Saturday's fight is receiving is bigger than his fight with Mayweather last May 1 at the MGM when the pay-per-view did 1.4 million buys and generated $73.6 million in revenue, the most for any of his fights. Mosley is helping fuel the prefight hype for Pacquiao in 2011-fashion with daily tweets from his Twitter account and videos posted on YouTube.

"I like the way the promotion has gone," said Mosley, who left Golden Boy Promotions to get the opportunity to face Pacquiao and take his WBO welterweight title away from him. "Top Rank has been great to deal with and everything has been professional. I have no complaints.

"I think people are expecting a lot of fireworks. We're similar fighters. We both can box and we both can punch and we both like to attack."

The future Hall of Famer, who turns 40 on Sept. 7, is an 8-1 underdog in most Las Vegas sports books and Mosley knows he needs to win to remain marketable. He lost to Mayweather a year ago at the MGM after nearly decking Mayweather with a big right hook in the second round, only to be dominated the rest of the way.

In his most recent fight he earned a draw against Sergio Mora. Mosley controlled the fight, but Mora's noncombative, awkward style made it difficult for Mosley to look good.

Another lackluster performance could make him a tough sell. He conceded that should Pacquiao do to him Saturday what Pacquiao did to Margarito last Nov. 13, whipping him over 12 rounds and ultimately sending Margarito to the hospital, Mosley might have to seriously consider retiring.

"It's possible," Mosley said. "But I don't see what he did to Margarito happening to me. You have to remember that Margarito hit Pacquiao with more punches than Pacquiao's ever been hit with. He's going to be facing even more pressure from me."

Mosley is proud that he has managed to fight at a high level for so long. He was a world lightweight champion at age 25 and he has also held titles at welterweight and super welterweight. He's even prouder that he has never ducked anyone or been knocked out during his 19-year pro career which has produced a record of 46-6-1 with 39 knockouts.

"That's what champions do," Mosley said. "They want to face the best that's out there. I can go to sleep knowing I've been the best fighter I can be and have been willing to face the best.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't think I'd still be fighting at 39. But I feel great. I'm not sure I'm going to fight when I'm 50 like Bernard (Hopkins) might. But I think I've got a few good years left."

Mosley has managed to move on from an unpleasant divorce, distance himself from a connection to the steroid-performance enhancing drug BALCO scandal and rebound from injuries.

His latest battle outside the ring was Mosley's decision in November to part ways with Golden Boy, which he had been part of since 2009 and was a minority shareholder.

"They weren't looking out for me," Mosley said. "If I had stayed with Golden Boy, there's no way I get to fight Pacquiao."

Mosley insists he's happy. He's training his son, Shane Jr., to one day follow in his footsteps. He has forged a strong bond with his trainer, Naazim Richardson, and his relationship with his father and former trainer Jack has never been better.

"My life's good," he said. "Things happen. But what's important is that you learn from them.

"I think all the experiences I've had, good and bad, will help me with the younger guys as they start their careers. I'm looking forward to working with them and helping them have the kind of success I've been fortunate enough to have in my career."

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