Shane Mosley Interview: On Andre Berto, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Antonio Margarito and much More! By John J. Raspanti (Jan 18, 2010) Doghouse Boxing
Shane Mosley is ready. He’s motivated and feels like he has something to prove. What you may ask? Everything…a champion in three different weight classes, Shane is still hungry and burning to get back in the ring. On January 30th he’s fighting the dangerous and undefeated Andre Berto whose 12 years his junior. Shane enters the contest with a record of 46 wins and 5 defeats, and the slight betting favorite. Berto is 26 years old and the reigning WBC champion, its youth versus the aged, experience tangling with the green. Could a big victory lead to a super fight with Mayweather or Pacquiao? In my exclusive interview with Shane, we talked about everything from his fight with Berto…to Mayweather and Pacquiao and pride and honor…
JR: Hi Shane...it's great to speak with you...it's less then three weeks till your fight with Andre Berto...how are you feeling?
SM: I’m feeling great, ready to go, ready to fight.
JR: Have you watched any tapes of Berto's fights?
SM: Yes, I watch fight tape on Berto everyday. At least one fight a day.
JR: Berto is 25-0 with 19 knockouts. He's also 12 years younger then you; does the age thing concern you? (the fact that he is quite a bit younger)
SM: No, not at all. I actually see it as an advantage for me. Because Berto is younger, he is less experienced and I think that will be a big advantage for me.
JR: I consider you a VERY young 38, my dad a fight fan all of his 82 years wants to know how you stay so young. He told me in his day when a fighter was in his early thirties, he was shot. But here you are 38 and it doesn't appear like you've lost a thing. How do you do it?
SM: I attribute staying young to always being in the gym. I continue to train and work out and be happy. Happiness is a big part of staying young. Being happy and living clean are good medicine.
JR: Your performance against Antonio Margarito was flat out awesome. You were quicker, stronger and more accurate with your punches, was there anything about your performance that even surprised you?
SM: Thanks…No, I think that I trained very hard and had a specific plan in place. We knew what we were going to do when we got in the ring and I was very prepared for Margarito so no, there were no surprises.
JR: It's been a little over a year since you shell-shocked Margarito, do you regret not fighting sooner?
SM: I would have loved to fight sooner, but it wasn’t my decision not to fight. I was ready to fight and was willing to fight and I think I was very vocal about that. I’m ready to fight Berto now and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.
JR: Changing subjects, you've seen Mayweather and Pacquiao up close and personal. Who do you think is the better fighter?
SM: Personally I think I’m the best fighter out there. But between Mayweather and Pacquiao I think it’s pretty much even. Both have different styles and ways of attacking their opponent. It’s hard for me to put one above the other.
JR: Where you surprised that the 'fight of the century' wasn't finalized? Who do you blame for the fiasco, Mayweather's camp or Pacquiao's?
SM: I don’t know I can blame anybody for the fight falling apart. I think their pride got in the way. I blame the pride. Each one thinks their better then the other. No one was backing down and unfortunately with that approach the fight just couldn’t get made.
JR: Do you agree with Oscar De La Hoya's comments that Pacquiao's reluctance to take mandatory blood tests 'raises questions'?
SM: It can raise questions, sure. Why wouldn’t he take the blood tests? I don’t think it should have been a problem for Pacquiao.
JR: Mayweather looked really annoyed at you when you jumped in the ring and challenged him. Did his reaction surprise you?
SM: No I know Mayweather is afraid of me. I can tell. It didn’t surprise me at all.
JR: Your career has been a tremendous one; do you still feel at times that you haven't got the credit you deserve?
SM: Yes sometimes I do feel like I haven’t gotten the credit I deserve. It’s okay though. It motivates me to prove it in the ring by fighting and beating the best fighters out there.
JR: Thank you champ for taking the time to answer my questions, good luck on Jan. 30th...hope to meet with you in a few months and talk again. Questions/comments john.raspanti@activant.com
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