By James Slater – It’s still way too early to say with any certainty who pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will face in his next fight, as there are a number of big names currently hoping to land the mega-bout. As has been previously reported, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto (in what would be a rematch) and even the winner of the upcoming Tim Bradley-Devon Alexander clash have been put forth as possibilities by promoter Bob Arum – if the fight the whole world wants to see, in Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather can’t be made.
Another realistic, if none too appealing option, is for Pac-Man to fight 39-year-old “Sugar” Shane Mosley in his next fight (which will likely take place around summer of next year).. Mosley, despite losing badly to Mayweather back in May, and then struggling to a draw with Sergio Mora in his most recent fight, badly wants a fight with Pacquiao. The Los Angeles Times reports how Mosley has “reached out” to Top Rank boss Bob Arum, rather than wait for his own promotional team of Golden Boy to try and make the fight he so craves (Top Rank and Golden Boy are currently at loggerheads over profits from Pacquiao’s fights).
And Arum, in speaking with The LA Times, said that “if a Pac-Man-Mayweather fight cannot be worked out, Shane Mosley is a real possibility.”
“There is no-one in first place right now after Floyd,” Arum said with regards to who will tangle with Manny next.
And Mosley has decided to take control of his career, in the hopes of landing the mega-match with Pacquiao.
“I’m conducting business myself,” Mosley told the newspaper. “If I have to wait for these others, I’m not going to get the fight I want.”
And Mosley has made it clear he wants Manny! The LA Times story also says how a Mosley-Miguel Cotto rematch is another possibility for “Sugar” Shane, if a Pac-Man-Mosley fight cannot be made.
But while Mosley is (or was) a great fighter and a future Hall of Famer, not too many fans have a particularly strong desire to see him rumble, or try to rumble, with the lethal, at-his-peak southpaw dynamo from The Philippines. Mosley still has speed, some power, and his chin and heart remain intact – but can he really be expected to give the 31-year-old superstar a competitive fight in 2011 when aged almost 40?
Mosley thinks he can beat Pac-Man, and he explained why.
“I punch harder and faster than [Antonio] Margarito,” he told The LA Times. “I’d land more body shots [than Margarito did]. It’d be a good, explosive match-up.”
Maybe for a few rounds it would – and we must remember than Mosley did manage to crack Mayweather like no-one else ever has, back when they clashed in May – but sooner rather than later the speed and raw aggression of Pacquiao would get to Mosley. Would Shane even be stopped for the first time in his long career if he met Pacquiao? For what it’s worth, I think so.
But what do you guys think?