By Michael Collins: 40-year-old Shane Mosley is a name that’s being mentioned as a possible opponent for former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan to fight in his first fight in the welterweight division if Khan can’t get a rematch with IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson in his next fight.
It’s looking good for Khan right now as far as the rematch goes, so Mosey may get the call. Golden Boy is talking about a catchweight of 145lbs, and that sounds like a strategic move to weaken Mosley just enough to where Khan doesn’t have to worry as much about losing.
Mosley can make 147lbs but he’s not nearly as strong at that weight than if he’s allowed to come in at 150 or higher. But to ask Mosley to come at 145 against a guy that weights the full welterweight limit on the fights he fight, it just makes it seem really obvious what they’re doing.
Besides that, what can Khan gain in taking on a fighter like Mosley who hasn’t won a fight in three years and is 0-2-1 in his last three fights during that period. That’s just pure 100% cherry picking at its finest.
Does Khan really need to be put in with someone that’s struggling like that just so that he can pick up a scalp with a name attached to it? That just seems so wrong to me. Being matched against an old guy that can’t pull the trigger anymore is bad.
I know what they’re thinking. They’re justifying the choice of Mosley with the view that he faced Manny Pacquiao just last year and the year before that he fought and was soundly beaten by Floyd Mayweather Jr. So they’re probably going to use that as an excuse for why Khan deserves a fight against Mosley. And sadly, the casual boxing fans, who have little clue that Mosley isn’t the same fighter he once as, will gladly see the Khan-Mosley fight if it’s marketed right so that these fans watch it. They even be convinced that Mosley was still in his prime of his career and just met his match.