Mayweather formalizes May 1 fight with Mosley
Floyd Mayweather Jr. finalized a deal Wednesday to fight Sugar Shane Mosley on May 1 in a welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden.
Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) agreed to the 12-round bout last week but hadn’t formally signed the contract for his second fight since returning from a brief retirement.
“This one is definitely for the fans, as I wasn’t going to waste anyone’s time with a meaningless tuneup bout and asked to fight Shane immediately,” Mayweather said. “I have said ever since I came back to the sport that I only wanted to fight the best. Shane is one of the best, but come May 1, he still won’t be great enough to beat me.”
Although the fight is an intriguing matchup between two veteran welterweights who have been circling each other for a decade, the dangerous Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) wasn’t Mayweather’s first choice.
The 32-year-old former pound-for-pound king agreed to the bout only after several weeks of negotiations with Manny Pacquiao failed to produce an agreement on what would probably be the richest fight in boxing history. Pacquiao balked at Mayweather’s stringent drug-testing demands and instead will fight welterweight Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
Mayweather and Mosley agreed to participate in Olympic-style drug testing for their fight, saying they hope to set a new standard for safety in boxing. Mosley has acknowledged using steroids before a victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2003 but claims he did so inadvertently under the direction of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative.
Mosley was scheduled to fight Andre Berto on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay before Berto dropped out while dealing with the earthquake in Haiti, his family’s home country.
“I have always wanted to fight Floyd, and now it is finally coming true,” said Mosley, the 38-year-old WBA welterweight super champion. “I am already in great shape and ready to show everyone on May 1 that I am stronger, faster and better than he is. I will have no problem beating him.”
Mayweather should have the services of Roger Mayweather, his uncle and longtime trainer. Roger Mayweather has a June 1 trial date in Las Vegas on several serious charges related to accusations of beating and choking a female boxer last summer at his apartment.
