Shane Mosley Explains Why He Chased Boxing’s Most Dangerous Fights

Mosley says proving he was the best mattered more than money, matchmaking, or protecting his record against avoided opponents

Shane Mosley says he willingly took some of boxing’s most dangerous fights because he never wanted to call himself champion without proving he was the best fighter in the sport. The Hall of Famer pointed to fights against Ronald Wright and Vernon Forrest as examples of opponents many fighters preferred to avoid during that era.

“[My mentality was], if I am not the best fighter, then find somebody to beat me, because I don’t want to be the world champion if I am not the best. I don’t want it if I am not the best. I want to be the best,” said Mosley to Fighthype.

“I didn’t ask for more money. I didn’t care about none of that.

“As a kid, I wanted to be great. I wanted to be like Sugar Ray Leonard and Muhammad Ali. That was my destiny. My destiny is not money or contracts or whatever else.

“That is why I fought people that shouldn’t have fought at certain times. I wasn’t picking my fights.

“It was like, ‘Winky Wright? Don’t nobody want to fight him? Okay, I will fight him.’

“I wasn’t even a 154-pounder. I was a 147-pounder. I will fight you because nobody else wants to fight you.”

Mosley started his career at lightweight and still looked undersized even after moving to welterweight, especially against naturally bigger fighters like Wright and Forrest.

Mosley lost twice to Wright in 2004, but said he never regretted taking the fights despite the risk involved.

“Vernon Forrest, same thing. I didn’t have to fight him. I could have went on and avoided and danced around.

“Then he went on and lost to Ricardo Mayorga.”

Mosley finished his professional career with victories over fighters such as Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito, and Fernando Vargas before entering the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020.

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