OSCAR DE LA HOYA, PRESIDENT, GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS: Thank you very much too all the media who is listening in. We are getting closer to the Fast & Furious Saturday November 10, Cotto versus Mosley at the Madison Square Garden. I do want to announce that we are close to a sellout and we expect a sellout at the Madison Square Garden..
As you all know this is a much anticipated fight, which most likely will be the event of the year if not the fight of the year. A great indication of that is we have tremendous sponsors lined up for this event who will be marketing and be part of the event with the Puerto Rico tourism board. We have Beowulf, the movie, which will be out shortly. We have Tecate Beer, who’s a primary sponsor and also Southwest Airlines. I would like now to introduce to you a trainer and father of Shane Mosley. He is a two-time trainer of the year. He’s been with Shane Mosley throughout his whole career, and that is Jack Mosley who will be talking a little bit about how training camp is going
JACK MOSLEY, TRAINER OF SHANE MOSLEY: We’ve been working very, very hard, and on all kind of combinations to for this fight coming up November 10. So I call my style power boxing, so needless to say we’ve been working on a lot of power, the cursed right hands, body shots, everything that all fighters throw. But they just put the combinations together differently. So we’re working on balance, foot work, and the whole bit. Shane is a powerful fighter, and we’ll be ready November 10. So whatever Cotto brings, we’ll be ready for it.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: We have a tremendous card lined up. Again, Golden Boy with Top Rank has put together from top to bottom a card that I’m sure most of the buyers and all of the buyers of the HBO Pay-Per-View fight will enjoy. One fight that we’re extremely proud of putting together is the best 135 pound champion, Joel Casamayor from Cuba with a record of 34 and 3 with 21 knockouts against Jose Santa Cruz with a record of 25 and 2. They will be fighting for the WBC and the Ring world lightweight title.
Also, on the card you have Antonio Margarito with Golden Johnson. And opening the show you have a great exciting young prospect that Top Rank put together from Moss Park, California, with a record of 19 and one with 14 KO’s, Victor Ortiz against the difficult and always crafty Carlos Maussa. Without any further adieu I would like to introduce to you a champion inside and outside the ring, a professional when it comes to his training. And he is world champion many times over, fighter of the year with a record of 44 and four with 37 knockouts from Pomona, California, Sugar Shane Mosley.
SHANE MOSLEY: I’ve been training very hard, as my father said, I’m a big bear and I’m ready to go. I can’t wait for the fight to happen. I’m ready to go, we’re now getting ready to do the conference and the press first thing tomorrow.
I also wanted to mention another fighter that’ll be fighting on the card, Billy the Kid from Australia. Hopefully, he can do well and maybe he can fight for his next fight because he’s been training very hard as well. You definitely can see all the things that my father and I have been working on. Madison Square Garden is definitely a great fight place. All the legendary fighters fought there, and I’m very happy to be fighting at Madison Square Garden in front of all the New York and Puerto Rican fans. My wife’s from New York so I’m always in New York a lot and it kind of feels like being at home away from home. So, I can’t wait for the fight.
DAN RAFAEL, ESPN: Shane, you’ve accomplished so many things in your career. You’ve been the number one fighter in the world. You’ve won, as they said during the introduction, many, many titles over the course of your excellent career. You’re like more the veteran now in this fight, the older guy. But what still motivates you to take these kinds of fights? Cotto’s such a young, strong champion. What’s your motivation in this type of match up?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, my motivation is beating the best fighters out there. Cotto is a tremendous WBA world champion, and it’s the fight that people want to see. You know, I think it’s a fight people want to see. And I think with me and Miguel Cotto both being, you know, fighting warriors, I believe that people will come out to see it at the Garden or watch it on Pay-Per-View. I think it’s going to be an exciting match.
DAN RAFAEL: Shane, can you talk a little bit about the fact that you are now a little bit of the older fighter? You certainly didn’t look like it in your last fight against Collazo. You looked, as many of us thought, many years younger than you really are. But have you been able to maintain that sort of style like where it doesn’t look like you’ve aged at all in the last several years the way that you’ve been fighting in your recent fights.
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I maintain it by keeping myself in the gym, and keeping myself backed up. So when I do fight I don’t have to work as hard to keep myself in shape. I’d have to work on keeping myself or making myself sharp as far as keeping my basics together, my jabs, right hand, left hooks and stuff like that. I didn’t really fight for a while, I guess, since February, probably maybe seven/eight months. But, I’ve been in the ring, sparring with Oscar, Robert Guerrero, Billy the Kid, and all these different people just keeping myself in shape and sharp. I’m already in great shape in this race to do my thing, use my experience against the other fighter, and I think that’s what’s important with me in my come back to being at the top of the class.
DAN RAFAEL: Jack, when you watch Shane in the gym today compared to what it was like when he was coming up in when he was lightweight championship or even when he was welterweight champion after beating Oscar in their first fight, what do you see as the main difference between, the Shane who was the number one fighter in the world and the Shane today who is not far off being the number one fighter in the world but maybe isn’t quite at that same ultra, ultra lead level that he was five or six years ago. Do you see many differences?
JACK MOSLEY: Well, actually Shane is getting his speed back to where it used to be. And his response reduction has come up. You know, it kind of fell off because he was lifting weights and things and looking a slow twitch muscle. But now that he’s not lifting weights and everything, his speed and everything is rapidly coming back to form. He’s looking sharp, and his sparring partners testified that he has tremendous power, tremendous body shots. So it’s basically he’s got the style that hasn’t changed, and that’s his style forever. Now, we all know as you get older you’re thrown off a little bit, but not much. Most of the fighters out there he was matching speed for speed. Certainly Cotto is not as fast as, hit as hard as, and not as strong as Shane.
I don’t know what Bob Arum was thinking about when he said, “We’ll fight Shane.” I mean, he’s thinking about age but that’s not going to work. Shane is just tremendously too powerful for Cotto. All the big people that he’s fought and sparred with right now don’t compare with Cotto’s mind, but on November 10th, we’ll see.
ROBERT MORALES, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS: I was thinking, you fought Oscar twice and of course those were great crowds. But I actually think the crowds were pretty split. And also I don’t think Oscar, simply because of some jealousies out there, ever had all the Mexican fans behind him. But I think Cotto is probably going to have, if not all, you know, 98.99 percent of the Puerto Rican fans behind them, behind him. Puerto Rican fans are extremely passionate. All that said, do you think this is going to be the wildest crowd you will have encountered in your long career? And what do you think about it?
SHANE MOSLEY: Actually, no. I don’t. I actually fought Byron Moon (ph) when I was like 17 years old, and that was the wildest crowd that I’ve ever been in the ring with, even at 17. I fought Anaba Sovero (ph) and he was a Puerto Rican guy, and that was for the junior world title. When they announced my name for the United States, I could hear the boo, you could feel the boo. It was tremendous but, that never bothered me.
I don’t think that the fans in the crowd are going to be as wild as you would think. I think I’ll have a lot more New York fans than people think. Being that I’m always in New York a lot and a lot of New Yorkers want to see me. They even love me. Even the Puerto Ricans that are in New York or in Puerto Rico, being in Puerto Rico, they tend to love me in the fight. So I think that it’s going to be more Cotto but maybe a lot of fans for me, though.
ROBERT MORALES: Shane, I have a question I’d like both you and Oscar to answer. For many years, of course, Felix Trinidad, Jr., was the hero in Puerto Rico. And I am wondering how close in your mind, Shane, in your opinion, how close do you think Miguel Cotto has come to realizing that same kind of fame that Trinidad had in his hay day?
SHANE MOSLEY: I think that it could pretty close. Trinidad had, a tremendous tele personality where the Puerto Rican fans really loved him, and really grasped to him. His personality, his being of Puerto Rican, and he was very outspoken and the Puerto Ricans just loved him. Cotto is a little quieter than and not as open as Trinidad. But I think that the Puerto Rican fans definitely respect Cotto’s heart and respect that when he goes in there and he gives his 100 percent all as a warrior and they can get behind him.
ROBERT MORALES: I was asking Shane about Felix Trinidad, Jr., and how popular he became, especially in his hay day. I mean, man, he was real, real popular in Puerto Rico.Do you think that Cotto is that popular? Or how close do you think he is? How big is his popularity in comparison to that of Trinidad’s?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: No, I mean, Trinidad still is the most popular Puerto Rican fighter here in the islands. But obviously Cotto, with what he has accomplished, has made a name for himself here on the island. But Trinidad continues to be the most loved Puerto Rican fighter in the islands.
ROBERT MORALES: Do you think anything that Cotto can do the rest of his career could get him to that same level? Or do you think that maybe Trinidad is just going to be better no matter what as far as popularity?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: I think a lot has to do with personality. Trinidad was very outgoing with the people. He was always smiling and signing the autographs and nothing bothered him. He was very likeable guy. And I think that’s been the difference.
LANCE PUGMIRE , LOS ANGELES TIMES: Hey, Shane, one of the things that I wanted to talk to you about is, you know, your experience advantage in this fight includes your previous participation in some major Pay-Per-View events including the De La Hoya fight. Can you talk about how that’s going to be to your benefit to be another part of your advantage in this fight and how you think that could affect Cotto to his detriment?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I mean, I definitely think it’s a benefit for being an experienced fighter and that experience in this type of equation. But, Cotto is a world champion, too, and he has a lot of experience of big crowds and people getting on him. So, I think it’s just going to be a great fight for both guys to see who’s the better fighter, and how we’ll deal with that.
LANCE PUGMIRE: What do you feel at this point in your career that you do have to prove? I mean, it’s been a while since the second De La Hoya fight. Do you feel that’s there’s still some skepticism out there about, your ability to be, like father and calls this young lion?
SHANE MOSLEY: At this point I’m not really champion over anybody. I just don’t have to prove it to anybody anymore. Just proving it to myself that I can do what I can do and just let it be known that I am the best fighter out there. That’s all. I just want to let people know that I’m the best. So I guess I’m proving that.
LANCE PUGMIRE: OK. And Jack, what’s your perception of the issue of, Shane’s participation in more, you know, epic fights? And Cotto, he’s not new to it but it’s a pretty major fight for him.
JACK MOSLEY: Major fight for Cotto, you mean?
LANCE PUGMIRE: Yes. I mean, the difference in, is he ready for that? Is there going to be some, not jitters but maybe some uncomfortable feelings?
JACK MOSLEY: For Cotto, you mean?
LANCE PUGMIRE: Yes. Yes.
JACK MOSLEY: He might have jitters. I’m sure he does. He’s worried sick. And, you know, like the title, the Fast & Furious, well, that title fits Shane. So Cotto is worried sick about fighting Shane I already know. You look in his eyes and tell. He knows he’s not as strong as Shane, he knows he’s not as fast as Shane, and Shane he probably hits hard. Shane hits just as hard, if not harder. Right now, like I said, he hasn’t lifted weights in a while so his speed production has picked up. He’s doing combinations again, and he’s not trying to knock everybody with one single shot, but one shot can knock you out, as Vargas can attest to that. The thing is, Cotto’s worried about fighting Shane. That’s the bottom line. He’s worried about fighting Shane. T hey’re thinking that Shane’s age is going to be a factor and that’s not a factor at all.
BERNARD FERNANDEZ, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: I don’t think Cotto’s fight plan is too much of a secret. I mean, what he does in most fights is – particularly with guys with fast hands such as yourself that are pretty mobile, is he’ll try to go full Frazier and try to crowd them and smother them and try to work the body and take a little of the zip out of their legs. Is that what you’re anticipating from him?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I think so. That’s pretty much all he can really do is try to get in and fight me there. The only problem with that is I’m just not a boxer. So I think it’s going to be an interesting fight and I believe a great fight.
BERNARD FERNANDEZ: What opponent or opponents have tried to do that, just try to muscle and rough you up and try to do what Cotto is probably going to try to do?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, another Puerto Rican by the name of John Yelmalina definitely tried to do that and he found out that it worked good.
CHUCK JOHNSON, USA TODAY: Oscar, what does it mean to you to have a guy like Shane Mosley, a champion in his own right, spar with you in your preparation for the Mayweather fight? And what does this say about Shane that he would agree to do that?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, it shows you what a class act Shane Mosley is and what a true champion really is supposed to be. You know, Shane Mosley didn’t have to help me out for my fight. And, you know, it goes to show you not only a true champion in the ring but he gets it. He knows what it takes to be in all the rounds a great champion. And so that just solidified what a type of person Mosley is.
CHUCK JOHNSON: How much did it help you?
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Tremendous. I mean, the speed, you know, and the power. I mean, Mosley is a strong fighter. You know, Mosley’s – Mosley’s the type of fighter that can adjust to – adjust to your style. And what I mean by that is if he has a strong fighter in front of you, he’s going to be stronger than you. If he has a fast fighter in front of you, boy, he’s going to be faster than you. So, it was tremendous what he did. And it helped me out a great deal.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Shane as far as this challenge is concerned, where do you put this in terms of tasks or fights going in? I mean, where do you rank this task ahead of you?
SHANE MOSLEY: I rank it pretty high. But, Cotto is definitely a young fighter. He’s a young, strong, and determined fighter. He’s coming to fight, and me I’ve been up and down a little bit. And now I’m back up to the top. So it just shows my longevity in this sport and how long I can be at the top of my game in this sport. I mean, I’ve been serving one type of fighter, the top fighter for now let’s say 10 years, and it’s a good fill in. But this rates pretty high. But I wouldn’t say that it would rate as high as me and Oscar the first time or me and Philip Holiday from my first world title fight. But it definitely rates up there where people understand that Sugar Shane is still around and he’s still a major force to be reckoned with.
CHUCK JOHNSON: So what would you consider your biggest achievement at this point, Shane, in the ring?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, the biggest achievement is when I fought Oscar the first time and I thank him for that because we got a chance to let people really see me and my true talents. Oscar made a great legendary fighter going up against him as having a great 12 round fight. It definitely let people see that, “OK, well, Sugar Shane Mosley’s not just beating up these lightweight guys. He’s the real deal fighter. He can throw punches and he can take them as well. He can dish them out and give them.”
So it was a great victory the first time, you know, fighting Oscar, because it let people see another great fighter in California.
CHUCK JOHNSON: So what do you make of Floyd Mayweather? Every time somebody mentions your name or the possibility of you guys fighting, he changes the subject on that. What do you make of that?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I mean, it is what it is. When they mention my name, like I said, I’m a major force to be reckoned with. And still today 10 years later, still a major force to be reckoned with.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Is that a fight you want, a fight you feel you want to have before your career is over?
SHANE MOSLEY: Definitely. It’s definitely …
CHUCK JOHNSON: And why?
SHANE MOSLEY: I want to have it because I want to show people I’m the best fighter right now in the welterweight division. Sure it will say I’m the best and I want to beat the best. So I’ll start off with Cotto and then we’ll end up with Mayweather if he wins.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Jack, as far as the trainer/fighter relationship, I mean, you guys had split for a while and you’re back together again. Have the dynamics changed at all in terms of how you guys work from the time you’ve reunited again?
JACK MOSLEY: Everything’s the same. I have trained the same. I’m not going to change anything. If anything I want to increase the way we work, you know, plus reduction, body shots, all that good stuff. And of course I’m his father and that’ll never change. And he’s my son and that’ll never change. Like Shane said, it is what it is.
CHUCK JOHNSON: From your perspective, Shane, is it any different this time around since the break?
SHANE MOSLEY: No, it’s not different since the breakup. I mean, I’ve been working very hard. And it’s back to working hard. My father is going to push me to the limit. I’m going to definitely be in great shape when I enter the ring.
CHUCK JOHNSON: Is there more understanding between you two guys or was there ever any need to have more understanding?
JACK MOSLEY: No. We understand each other.
SHANE MOSLEY: No it’s the same as always. Yes he’s my father and I’m his son, and now we have the understanding as far as the training’s concerned. And we continue to train hard just like we’ve been doing.
GEORGE WILLIS, NEW YORK POST: Hey, Jack, you just said you’re emphasizing power during training camp. Could you just sort of talk about why that is? Because some people might think you’re playing into Cotto’s hands by trying to match power with power.
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I’m not sure. You know, my father’s just probably saying that, because everybody is saying how powerful Cotto is and I have to move and this and that. But the fact of the matter is that I’m a very strong by fighter by nature just by genetics. My father is very strong, and I don’t know where I get it from but I’m just strong physically. And so for a person to come in the lighter weight class that I am from 147 and drop from 54 to 47 and they expect to come and push me around when all I’ve been working with is bigger guys, it’s going to be very hard. So my father just can’t conceive Cotto being stronger or more powerful than I am. We already know that I’m faster, so that’s the other thing.
GEORGE WILLIS: You mentioned earlier in the conference call that you all were emphasizing power during your training. Some people might think that’s playing into Cotto’s hands trying to match power with power. Can you just talk about the idea behind emphasizing the power during your training?
JACK MOSLEY: No. The thing is we’re not going to just go out there and try to knock a guy on the first round or the second round or whatever. When I say power, its’s his natural power that can knock a guy out, we train with power but we box. So, if you can take the power, we’re just not boxing. I’m not going to go out there and just wing him here and wing him there, it’s nothing like that. In other words you’ve got a power jab that can bust his nose. You’ve got a power jab that can bust his eye. You’ve got a power eye that can bust his lip. You bust a guy with a jab and they aren’t going to start strong this fight anyway. But some guys have weak jabs and sometimes Shane kind of flails his jab out there, sucker a guy in or draw him in and then hit him with all of it. When you hit him with a hard jab and break his nose. Shane has knocked out three people with a jab alone early in his career.
GEORGE WILLIS: So is the game plan going to be to just see what he brings and then adjust to that? Or will you try to dictate the fight?
JACK MOSLEY: Well, whatever he does let me put it this way. Shane is too strong for Cotto, period. And, Cotto hasn’t faced anybody like Shane, period. Shane hits just as hard if not harder. We all know that. The only thing they’re looking at is his age, OK? He’s too old. He isn’t going to be able to sustain. That’s what they’re hoping. They’re wrong. Shane will be able to sustain. He will be able to use his jab, his body shots, and everything else he wants to use. Cotto is one of the smallest guys he’s fought in a long time. Everybody he’s fought, they’re much bigger. Look at this, the Wilfredo Rivera fight he had, coming from 35 to 47. They didn’t think he could do that. But look what he did. He was the first guy that knocked somebody out coming from 35 to 47. Nobody’s done that. That’s the power. See, if you knock him out with one punch but a whole lot of punches, kind of like a combination of punches. So he’s powerful. Shane is always hard his body’s hard. He’s hard. So Cotto’s going to be in for a rude awakening and Bob Arum and all the rest of the camp that believe his age is going to be a factor. It’s not going to be a factor.
GEORGE WILLIS: Shane, You’re a unique fighter in that you don’t trash talk and you don’t really make your fights personal between your opponent. It’s always business and, you know, sporting. What is that in you that you’re able to do that, not make it personal but still have peak performances, I mean, be angry?
SHANE MOSLEY: Because boxing’s fun to me. It’s something that I love to do. And when you love it, you perform very well. You perform at your peak level. If you don’t love it, if you just fight for money or just fighting just because then you don’t do good at it. So I think that me loving the sport of boxing, me loving to be in the ring and move, slip, slide, duck, jab, knock guys out, the thrill of the crowd screaming, loving the sport, it shows as a reflection in the ring. You know, even when I do retire, I will still love the sport. So I want to see the young kids, the young guys come up and become more champions and show them different things and teach them different things that made me world champion and make them world champion. You know, my son, Shane, Jr., is thinking about being a real fighter, about fighting for real. And, I get excited about that. And it’s nothing that I did to push him into it. He kind of found his way there. And now I can take it from there and help him out as well. So, I love the sport and I love to be around, I love to fight. I love to fight, not just going in the ring and being all tired and, to fight for my life but to fight to have fun, to fight and have fun to be a man. It’s a great feeling.
GEORGE WILLIS: Have you fought anyone that you were really angry with, made it personal and was trying to hurt?
SHANE MOSLEY: The only fight I think I did that is the second fight with Bernard. And, I didn’t it was a sloppy fight for both of us, a lot of clinching going on and, it just wasn’t a good fight. So, when I’m having fun, about to have fun and I’m doing what I love then that’s when you have better fights.
GEORGE WILLIS: Oscar, I just wanted you to talk a little bit about what Shane brings to the table as far as Golden Boy Promotions.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: Well, it’s kind of like the seal of approval so to speak. Shane Mosley is boxing, what a fighter should be, what boxing should be, what the imaging of boxing should be inside and outside the ring. And actually Shane Mosley solidifies what we want to do with boxing, what the image should be of boxing. It’s all Shane Mosley. He’s great fighter, he’s always in the gym and he loves the sport. Like you said, he doesn’t fight for the money. He fights for the passion of it. And you can see that. When Shane Mosley became a partner in the company, he’s one of the most important, parts of Golden Boy because of what he represents as a fighter inside and outside the ring.
GEORGE WILLIS: One last question. Shane, what’s it going to be like fighting in Madison Square Garden sold out crowd. This is anticipated to be one of the biggest fights in a long, long time. What’s it feel like to be a part of that? That’s a historic site and historic ring.
SHANE MOSLEY: It’s going to be a great feeling to be in Madison Square Garden to fight where all the legendary fighters fought. You know, Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, all the great fighters fought in this arena. And for me to fight in there in the big arena with Miguel Cotto who is a great Puerto Rican fighter, young fighter, coming up. This is history in the making. And I love to be in these types of fights, with the crowd screaming.
I have a lot of New York fans as well. Cotto has a lot of Puerto Rican New York fans that are just New York fans, period. It’s going to be a great night of fighting. And what better fight to have than me and Miguel Cotto in the ring at Madison Square Garden to give our heart and soul to the fans all over the world and the fans in the arena and just make a legendary fight. It’s going to be great.
DAN RAFAEL: Shane, Jack keeps talking, when he’s been asked some questions, talks about how he thinks you’re way too strong for Miguel Cotto. What’s your assessment of that? I’m sure you’ve watched Miguel fight over the last, you know, couple of years since he’s made his rise. Do you think that you’re too strong for him? He looks pretty strong to me.
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I believe that with the combination of power, speed and power, it might be too much for him. I mean, the guys that I’ve faced, I believe, allowing them to face be a lot stronger than Miguel. I mean, Oscar, for one, I believe is a lot faster and stronger than Miguel Cotto. Winky Wright is bigger and stronger than Miguel Cotto. And Vargas is stronger than Cotto just go down the list. I mean, even Wilfredo Riveria was kind of strong at 147 54. You know, these are a lot of big guys that I’ve been in the ring with. And Miguel coming up from 140 to 47 maybe he’s strong. Maybe we’re the same in strength. Maybe I can’t see him being stronger than me. I’ve been in the ring with too many big guys to worry about a guy that’s 140 to 47 being worried about him working me down and being stronger than me. I just can’t see it.
DAN RAFAEL: Well, I’m seeing that you were a guy that was 135 that came all the way to 47 without even stopping at 140. And I think in your early welterweight days there was the assumption by some of your opponents that, you know, “Well, he’s a little guy coming from 35 all the way up to this welterweight division,” that said, “I’m definitely going to be stronger than Shane,” but they sure found out that that was not quite the same story.
SHANE MOSLEY: That’s exactly the assumption. When I left my amateur career I left my amateur career at 140. I was really a 47 pounder fighter in my weight. Gernera Randy should always tell me when I spar with him, he said, “I know when you’re a lightweight.” He said, “I always know because you’re a lot weaker and you’re slower when you get to lightweight.”
He said, “When you get to 45, 46, 47, you’re so much faster, you’re so much stronger,” because I was naturally a big 47 pounder fighting that lightweight in all those years and struggling to make weight. That’s why I didn’t stop at 40. I was like, “I’m not stopping at 40 because it’s too hard.”
I was at 140. I fought my amateur career, 140, ’91 – 1991, ’92, I fought at 140. And when we fought around the world in dual meets, I would make 142. So it was just so hard for me to be a lightweight. I really wasn’t a lightweight ever. So when they thought that, that was like an assumption. It wasn’t really the truth.
DAN RAFAEL: Well, you did a pretty good impression with eight title defenses.
SHANE MOSLEY: Miguel Cotto, he’s 140 going to 47. He had a hard time making 40, went to 47. So like I said, we’re probably maybe around the same size. But, the strength probably really won’t matter because of the speed. It’d be so much more. But I am a very strong individual.
DAN RAFAEL: Have you watched many of Miguel’s fights? You know, he has made a lot of his fights, even though he’s won, some of them have been quite dramatic. Have you paid attention to his recent fights?
SHANE MOSLEY: Yes. I watched a lot of his fights. A lot of his fights are he beat these guys by his will, his will to win, his will power. He’s very strong mentally. And I think that mentally he breaks his guys down and eventually they fold in later rounds and either knocks them out or wins the fight by beating them down. He’s probably pretty strong. But I don’t think he’s the strongest fighter that I have ever been in the ring with or ever going to be in the ring with. I think that I’ve been in the ring with some big guys.
DAN RAFAEL: I assume, Shane, that you believe your speed is going to, power aside, your speed, which has always been top notch, is going to play a big factor in you being able to avoid his big punches while dishing out some of your own.
SHANE MOSLEY: Yes. I think also not knowing that my speed and the power but I think what’s going to and it’s already what we fight to what we fight. But I think just in general my foot speed is just too fast for him to keep up where if I’m moving around a little bit just give him little angles here and there is going to mess him up. He’s not going to be able to throw his shots the way he wants to and he’s going to be getting in more kind of shots. And he’s going to be tough. He’s going to be strong. But I just believe in just too fast.
DAN RAFAEL: You think you can knock him out Shane?
SHANE MOSLEY: I don’t think he’ll be able to keep up, but we’ll see.
DAN RAFAEL: You think it’s a knockout for you or is this going to be the type of fight where you just frustrate him to death for 12 rounds?
SHANE MOSLEY: No, no. I’m looking for a knockout. When I fight these fights I don’t go in there thinking that, I’m just going in one for 12 rounds and survive. When I fight, I’m going for the blood. And I’m pretty sure he’s going to be doing the same thing. So the optimum in this fight, we’re going for blood.
DAN RAFAEL: Just one more question for you. A couple of weeks ago, or I guess a month or so ago, there was the story that came out about the Balco situation, the steroid situation with you. And you were mad about it the way you handled it. But I just wondered if the whole situation has been in any way a distraction to you or to your family or the people in your training camp.
SHANE MOSLEY: No. Not at all. I mean, what was done, what three or four years ago. We talked about it already. And, I made a mistake at the grand juror. And it was another obstruction. It was more of a like what’s it all about, right now what are they trying to do.
DAN RAFAEL: Have you asked for any special testing, pre-fight testing in New York for the fight?
SHANE MOSLEY: I hope so. I hope we can do that for both, for both of us. It’d be great. They could test me whenever they want to. They can test me after the fight. They can test me when I’m retired. You’re only going to find organic stuff in my system, as I said. I don’t mess around like that.
JACK MOSLEY: May I interject something?
DAN RAFAEL: Yes, Jack.
JACK MOSLEY: I think whoever conjugated that backup again after four years is very insecure about the fight. That’s the only reason they brought this stuff up again because they’re insecure the fight and they want to do something to make Shane seem like the bad guy and make Cotto seem like the good guy, get the crowd down on Shane and the crowd up for Cotto. But that’s just not going to work. It’s no distraction at all. They’re just very insecure about the fight. So whoever did it, that’s what it is.
DAN RAFAEL: Jack, who do you then, the way you’re talking makes it sound like you think that someone in the Cotto camp or Top Rank side or somebody or other had something to do with the story that came out.
JACK MOSLEY: Well whoever did it, they’re insecure about the fight. Who has a stake in the fight?
DAN RAFAEL: Well, you’ve got me. Who do you think?
JACK MOSLEY: Somebody else did it. So we didn’t do it. We didn’t bring it up. So who would bring something like that up? Who would have interest in the fight to bring that stuff up?
SHANE MOSLEY: What my father’s trying to say is that he thinks that it’s very convenient for something like that to come up right now, right before a fight. Why didn’t it, come up a year ago, two years ago, right before a major fight it automatically blooms up. So he just has a suspicion about that. Be it as it may, the truth will prevail. And that’s what happened. The truth goes out there and we move on and we go on to the fight.
JACK MOSLEY: And another thing I wanted to mention, too, see, now Cotto is a very good fighter, but when he gets hurt, he always goes south on somebody, see, so we’ve been looking at that also. All his fights, or several fights he watched, he’s gotten hurt and then, some stuff happened. So we’ll be watching that, too.
DIEGO MARTINEZ, REFORMER NEWSPAPER: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: He asked my our relationship with Top Rank (ph) and Golden Boy and the fights we’re doing together. And I told him it’s great for boxing. And I think these are the type of fights that the sport needs. And, you know, with Sugar Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto being, you know, professionals in and outside the ring, I think this is what boxing is all about. And he asked about Golden Boy doing fights in Mexico. And I gave him an update of Golden Boy is talking with the biggest TV station in Mexico and that is Televisa (ph) to do a minimum of six fights next year where Televisa (ph) will be using all their platforms, print, TV, radio, to promote fighting in Mexico.
JASON GONZALEZ : Shane, the last time you fought at the Garden you were on the losing end of the decision to Varna Forrest (ph). Could you talk about what’s your mindset going into the Garden? And are you look at this sort of like, you know, redemption time?
SHANE MOSLEY: No. Not really redemption. I mean, you know, what happens in the past is in the past. I’m all about the future. And, you know, it was definitely – it was in the theater (ph) and things happen. And, you know, what can you say? It’s a different fight, different day, and, you know, I’m just looking to go in there and give the New York fans out there in New York a spectacular fight and, you know, give them their money’s worth, what they want to see. I mean, if they want to see a great fight. They want to see you give your heart and soul. They want to see, really, an individual. So it’s going to be great.
JASON GONZALEZ: Right. Mr. Fernandez alluded to the fact of Miguel Cotto’s style, like, I mean, you know, you don’t got to be a rocket scientist to figure out what’s he bringing to the table. With that being said, like was it easier to prepare for this fight? Or did that make it just, you know, did that make it even harder?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I mean, when I’m preparing for any fight it’s hard, it’s difficult, especially with my father as my trainer. It’s definitely going to be a hard task in regards (ph). But I’m on my toes for the whole time or I’m pounding away at the body (ph) pad or the bag doing hard body shots, hard upper cuts and upper cut bag (ph), I mean, drills, whatever. My father is definitely a conditioning type of fighter or a type of trainer. So when I get in there, I’m definitely going to be in great shape. You know, it’s going to be a great fight, I mean, a great night of boxing, a great – I’m prepared for a fight or for a war. So, I mean, when I prepare for a fight it’s always hard.
JASON GONZALEZ: Now my last question is for Mr. Mosley. Stylistically would you say that this matchup on November 10 is similar to the first fight with Oscar?
JACK MOSLEY: No. Not at all.
JASON GONZALEZ: Not even remotely close?
JACK MOSLEY: I think it’s something like – well, the fight with Rivera, even though Rivera is taller, it’s kind of like that where he’s going to keep coming and coming and coming and, you know, Shane’s going to keep punching and punching and punching until he eventually knocks him out if that’s his style. Now Cotto can box when he gets hurt. He can’t box as good as Shane, but he knows how to move around the ring to buy some time if he’s hurt. And …
JASON GONZALEZ: Well, that’s what I’m talking about, the jab and, you know, kind of putting pressure on the way Oscar did in the first fight.
JACK MOSLEY: no, Oscar’s way faster than Cotto. He’s got tremendous left hook, right hand, Oscar’s a busy fighter, so – in that first fight. So that was a tremendous fight. I don’t think anything can really match that right now. I mean, of course, Shane fighting these opponents, he’s nowhere close to what Oscar was doing in that first fight. So I mean, there again, though, Shane is older, Oscar’s older. Cotto is younger, but still Shane has a, I think, more speed and enough agility and everything to win this fight in this fashion, tremendous fashion, actually. So but Cotto, it does have the will to come forward, keeps coming forward to put his will on you to press you and throw those lefts, body shots, body shot, upper cut, left hooks, and things like that. The right hand, I don’t think – I don’t see it being too effective. I think you, he wants to throw those body shots and left hooks and upper cuts. And, the right hand is kind of like a range fighter for him. You know, most of the fight – he can use right hand. Don’t get me wrong. But I just think his power hand is his left hand and that’s what he’ll be trying to use on Shane.
But there again, Shane, he’s fine with guys that’s 160. Cotto’s height and everything to take the punches and everything and that can dish it out stronger than Cotto. He’s got Beacon Ricky (ph) there he’s sparring with, so he’s got some tough guys he’s working with. So I just think it’ll be a hard night for Cotto to try to just walk through Shane. He’s got to do some other things in there. He can’t just – he ain’t going to just walk through Shane like that. You know what I mean? So he’s got to come with some more stuff to win this fight.
EDDIE GOLDMAN, SECONDSOUT RADIO: Thank you. Hi, everybody. First question for Shane. I’d like to know how your preparation for the fight, not just the training but you’re overall approach has changed over the years as you’ve gotten a little older from the days in which you were younger.
SHANE MOSLEY: I mean, I definitely, you know, I do all my testing (ph) pretty much the same, maybe not as much because, you know, when you get older your body’s harder to regenerate back the next day. So you have to give your body time to relax and rest and make sure you’re eating properly. You know, when you’re younger you don’t have to stick to the diet as much. You know, you have to, you know – you can get away with certain things when you’re younger, you know, stay up later and, you know, doing different things where your body bounces back faster.
So I think that’s the difference. You have to be more careful. You have to be – you have to – like I had a fighter tell me you had to walk the line, like you had to walk the line straight. You can’t, you know, deviate a little bit, you know, here and there. You might be able to get away with some stuff here and there and then be able to fight and still be at peak performance. But when you’re older you just can’t – you just can’t get away with stuff anymore.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: And question also, this could be either for Shane or Jack. It was discussed earlier that Cotto, when he gets in trouble on occasion, he’s landing low blows. How much is that mental and experience factor a real fight? Because Shane has been in so many, you know, countless top fights with guys who were the top of the pound for pound list and the best in the weight class. And while Cotto is younger, it’s a little newer to this in terms of being able to adjust if he does get in trouble. So how much is that going to be a factor, you think, in this fight?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, that can be a pretty big factor. It depends on, you know, at least more (ph) experienced fighters and it may be some of the experienced and robust ones (ph) but not – you know, I think that’s an advantage that I had and Oscar and all of us, we had experienced and be able to experience, to be able to agree with these veteran fighters. And when we went to the ring as young fighters, we were more experienced than most because we had all these world champions in our weight division to work with, to learn from. So if he hasn’t had a lot of people to learn from then I guess the situation he will probably be in trouble.
But, you know, I don’t really worry about all the different things that people say, low blows and this and that. I mean, I’ve been in a fight where I got hit with low blows so many times it was ridiculous. And the guy was hitting me on the ground without – when he threw me on the ground he was still swinging at me. So I’ve been in rough, tough fights and, you know, back yard type of fights. So, you know, it doesn’t really bother me or make me feel a certain way like always giving me low blows or what I do. I don’t care.
You know, hit me with a low blow then, you know, we flew out of the way to neutralize that.
EDDIE GOLDMAN: And Jack, anything you can do particularly to prepare or anything you’re – because as you said you might be expecting something like that.
JACK MOSLEY: Well, the – just let me clarify that is to mentally prepare for it. Like no, he’s going to beat at it when he gets hurt. He watched a tape and every last one of them, he hit the guy low to buy time. You know, and I’m wondering if the trainer tells the guy to do that. I’ve heard of trainers doing that, telling the guy to hit him wherever to buy some time. Guys talk about that all the time. But apparently, you know, I’m assuming, you know, I might be wrong, but looking at the tapes, every time he got in trouble he hit low to buy some time. He jabbed you, what, two times or maybe three. So he’s hitting below, man. So they’ve got to address that.
SHANE MOSLEY: And also, I think maybe, you know, when he does get – he’s a little woozy, a little blurry, and he’s trying to assume a shot and he’s too low. I don’t buy into the low blow thing. I may be close to the cuff sometimes that’s for real. But if it’s on top of the cuff or, you know, around the top part of the cuff and, you know, he might be a little dizzy and he got hit with a shot and it throws him off. I’m not really worried. But we’ll figure that out when we get in the ring and work it out. It’s a war in there, so.
JACK MOSLEY: It is a war, you know, and the guys will be hitting all elbows, all his muscles and the whole bit. All is fair as long as they don’t just start just all out hitting low. I mean, we can deal with the arm thing, you know, muscle thing because they do that stuff, too. But we know. It’s what the business is about. They know what they’re doing.
SHANE MOSLEY: We’re allowed to fish. We’re going to go out there, give the fans a great fight. We’re going to go to war. And that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for a great fight.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL, STAR LEDGER: Hey, a lot has been talked about punching power and speed. But one of the things that really keeps coming to my mind is ability to take a punch. We know that you can take a punch.
SHANE MOSLEY: Yes.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: Cotto’s ability to take a punch, especially on the chin, is questionable. Will you be testing that chin? And do you think that the ability to take a punch in this fight is going to be a factor?
SHANE MOSLEY: I definitely think it’s going to be a factor because he’s just about to be able to take a punch because I’m going to definitely be dishing out a lot of heat in the fight. So I think it’s going to be a factor. Maybe if he’s in great shape, maybe he can recover faster and consume (ph) some other punches. We’ll see. You know, that’s – you know, maybe he might, you know, I might take a shot and have to get up off the ground or whatever and fight through. You know, we all know I’m willing and able to do that.
You know, I’ll – if I get on the ground, I’m getting back up. I’m fighting until the end. We’re going to have a great fight. I think that the chin is definitely, has been questionable. I kind of contribute some of that, especially at 140, you can probably try to make weight. You know, I remember when I was trying to make weight. At 135 I felt the shocks a little more.
But, you know, being he’s a 147 maybe he’s better and he can possibly take a better shot at welterweight more suitable for his weight class. So we’ll see, you know, I mean, his chin is kind of weak but we’ll see.
FRANKLIN MCNEIL: Well let me stay on that theme for a second because in the Zab fight, Zab is a good puncher but Zab is a relatively small welterweight by comparison and doesn’t throw nearly as many punches as you do. Watching that fight is it a theme that you take from that and say, “Wow, you know, this is going to really go to my advantage in the fight with Miguel Cotto?”
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, watching the fight with Zab Judah, I mean, Zab in this area of boxing, not being the most disciplined fighter. So we know that he has a good four or five rounds then he can taper off. And, maybe throw one punch at a time. And Zab, like you said, being a small welterweight, probably more suitable at junior welterweight, hit him with some terrific shots, some terrific upper cuts. And, you know, and the Cotto basically started smothering him and smothering the shots. So he can get those big shots off at him. I think it’s going to be very hard for him to do that with me being that I’m really a big welterweight. I’m not a small welter – I’m a big welterweight and I’m not a welterweight moving up from 140 like most of the guys he’s being at stopped (ph) or they basically came from 140 to 47. So it’s going to be a different type of fight. And he has to be able to put on some of those boxing shoes at some time in this fight. If he doesn’t then there’s going to be problems.
ROBERT MORALES: I know that you and Oscar have become really good friends as well as business partners. You guys go way back. So it wasn’t surprising when I talked to him in the morning of the Barrera and Pacquiao rematch that he totally had your back with this re-visitation of the Balco thing. You said he wasn’t going around, thinking in any way, shape, or form, that, you know, the only reason you beat him the second time was because you were jacked on steroids. What do you think when a guy like Oscar, especially – and, you know, because a lot of fighters might have, exactly what I just said that, “Well, you know, that’s why he won.”
But Oscar didn’t think that at all and he had your back. What does that mean to you?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, that means a lot. I mean, you know, knowing that – I mean, even if the first and second fighter, like I said, were totally different, if anything, I did worse in the second fight than I did in the first fight. And Oscar did a lot better than on the toss up. I mean, Oscar knows me. He knows what type of person I am. He’s been – we’ve been knowing each other for years. And, you know, the steroid thing, it really was a disadvantage than an advantage for me.
ROBERT MORALES: Excuse me. Was that a steroid or was it just they’re saying it was a steroid? Do you think it was different?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, what they were saying was it’s – they said it was EPO, which is a blood doping is what they’re saying. Well, it was, but …
ROBERT MORALES: Well that could have strengthened the immune system of AIDS patients or something like that? It’s a medication, ain’t it?
SHANE MOSLEY: Yes. Well that’s what it was reported to be for, for your immune system.
ROBERT MORALES: It’s a medication.
SHANE MOSLEY: As a medication. Yes. It’s a medication that they use …
ROBERT MORALES: So not a steroid.
SHANE MOSLEY: . yes, and stuff like that. But what the commission is saying that’s – you know, story – there’s many different types of steroids that have the, I guess, I’d say the winning (ph) for that so it’ll make you all ripped up and muscle bound. But that wasn’t the case where it’s a muscle bound type of thing where you get muscle bound. So I mean …
ROBERT MORALES: Shane, you know, and I appreciate that, your honesty about all that. But let me ask you one last thing and then I’ll let this go. You know, people read things and, you know, they hear things and then this stuff is reported on ESPN, I’m sure, several have seen it. Are you concerned at all about your reputation? Because I think all boxing writers believe you to be a standup guy. Are you concerned about that this might tarnish your reputation in any way, shape, or form?
SHANE MOSLEY: Well, I don’t think it should tarnish it any way, shape, or form. I mean, me being that, you know, I was the type of guy that like these guys that they have on TV have been taking this stuff for years, you know, and me being like somebody that’s come in to, “Oh, you know, what” – and being basically tricked into it, you know, is kind of – it’s not – it really didn’t do anything. It really wasn’t like something that – it didn’t help me at all. It actually went against me. And, you know, I don’t know. I can’t see it being a hindrance or anything to my reputation, you know, as far as what that stuff was concerned, you know …
ROBERT MORALES: Got you.
SHANE MOSLEY: And being that, I wrote a check to the guy. I wasn’t – and I’m thinking I’m getting something that’s good. I’m writing checks and making it – and so I have a paper trail or something like that because, you know, I’m a standup guy. I, you know, I want to do everything the right way.
JACK MOSLEY: Let me add, too, saying that you checked with the State Athletic Commission and they OK’d it before you even took it. That shows the kind of person you are. You are trying to get – you throw out somebody or mislead somebody. You went to the State Athletic Commission in Nevada and asked them, “Was this on your ban list?” And they said no. So you did no wrong.
SHANE MOSLEY: Right. No, I didn’t do anything wrong or anything but the thing is that the way we all was tricked is because, like my father said, it wasn’t on the ban list. And there was a list, you know, that they have wasn’t on the ban list and wasn’t even considered anything at the time. So when it happened it’s like, “OK, everything is clean. Everything is clean.” Even my – even my test is still – my test is clean. There’s no steroids. My test is clean. So it’s like, you know, we’re just not knowing and the commission didn’t know about it and I didn’t know about it. Nobody knew about it so it’s like, OK. And now all of a sudden, OK, it’s a steroid now. Oh, well it wasn’t a steroid a month ago, well why is it a steroid now?
So I don’t know. It’s just different. So the best thing to do, I think, is just to be organic, stay, you know, with the nice fruits and vegetables and like that. You fight better anyway. That way you think better and, you know, you get away from the chemicals so you can live a lot longer. And that’s my whole motto of life now is just to stay clean of all of those different types of, you know, new things. I mean, the first time I had experiences I had creatine, too much creatine for my lightweight fight. And, you know, I was going to the bathroom the whole time.
And I entered the ring at 137. I never entered the ring at 137 before a fight at 135. And that was my first experience of taking, you know, creatine and all these different supplements and vitamins and stuff to try to boost yourself up, make you stronger. You know, that’s natural – they’re supposed to be, you know, all right by legal vitamins.
So the best thing I think for any fighter is just to be natural. You have to take supplements, but take the mostly mineral supplements and the natural supplements that just naturally give you energy and you’ll do good.
ROBERT MORALES: I know about the creatine. That stuff is nasty. Hey, thanks for everything, Shane. I appreciate it.
” Fast & Furious!” is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, in association with Madison Square Garden and sponsored by Rums of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico Tourism, Paramount Pictures new film Beowulf, Tecate Beer and Southwest Airlines . “Fast & Furious!” will take place Saturday, November 10, at the “Mecca of Boxing” Madison Square Garden. The Cotto vs. Mosley four-bout pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT, will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View.