Pressure now on Floyd Jr to beat Mosley

Now the pressure is on Floyd Mayweather Jr.

With Manny Pacquiao getting past Joshua Clottey Saturday (Sunday in Manila) in their welterweight title fight, the fighter now known as "Money" is hard pressed to beat "Sugar" Shane Mosley on May 1 if only to get their potentially blockbuster showdown still on track.

A Mayweather loss two months from now at the MGM Grand where Mosley’s World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight crown will be at stake, could be very damaging.

"The people want that fight, they want to see that fight so it’s up to him," said Pacquiao, giving the crowd of more than 50,000 inside the Cowboys Stadium the reason to roar minutes after the current holder of the mythical pound-for-pound title retained his WBO title belt with a dominating performance over Joshua Clottey.

"But he should win against Mosley. If not, Mosley and I will fight."

Instead of Clottey, Pacquiao was already penciled to meet Mayweather last Saturday in a bout projected to be the biggest and richest in boxing history.

A last-minute disagreement on the drug-testing protocol, however, shot down the prospect of seeing two of the best fighters in the world, pound-for-pound, squaring off inside the ring.

Junior insisted that he and Pacquiao submit to a random, Olympic-style drug testing before and after the fight, a demand flatly rejected by the Filipino southpaw.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s outspoken trainer, challenged Mayweather to just concentrate on his work as a boxer and let the boxing body do its own job.

"It’s the fight the world wants to see. Me and Manny want to see it. Floyd, let the (boxing) commission do its job. You don’t run the sport. Get into the ring and fight us," he said.

And Roach believes once they make the fight, Pacquiao will show not even an excellent defensive fighter like Mayweather could withstand the Pacman’s power.


"If we get that fight, I have no doubt in my mind that Manny would break through that defense by just pounding on his shoulder until it breaks," Roach said.

"We will show how to crush that Mayweather defense and we will crush him."

Top Rank Promotions’ Bob Arum was in the same page as Roach, saying the rules of the state commission where the fight will be held should be the ones to be followed, and not by any personal demands made outside of the negotiations.

Arum doesn’t doubt that once Pacquiao gets Mayweather to agree in fighting him,
the Pacman will pick the American apart.

"Manny will break down any defense," he said. “He never gets tired. He throws a million punches. If Mayweather doesn't come out of his shell Manny will pile up the points like he did (against Clottey)."

"When you're in with a buzz saw, it's very difficult to do anything. Manny prevented Clottey from throwing his punches by throwing his own punches, and he throws from so many angles."

Source: Author Unknown  | GMANews.TV

Mayweather: Mosley Will End Up Like Hatton, De La Hoya

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is planning to dominate WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley on May 1 in Las Vegas. Mayweather fired off some verbal jabs in response to Mosley predicting a win by knockout.

Mayweather wants to make an example of Mosley by dominating the action.

"40 have tried and 40 have failed. Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez. They all failed. Mosley is no different. Mosley is just an HBO fighter. He's an HBO fighter. I'm a pay-per-view fighter. I'm giving Shane Mosley the biggest payday of his entire career. After I get done with Shane Mosley, he's going right back to HBO. I beat De La Hoya and I started my own company. Mosley beat Oscar De La Hoya twice and now he works for him as an employee," Mayweather said.

He didn't stop there. Mayweather unleashed some more about Mosley's past with the BALCO scandal. Both fighters have agreed to take part in random drug testing during the training period.

"Mosley always talks about Antonio Margarito cheating but he [Mosley] was using steroids. Mosley was using steroids. How can you talk about someone else cheating when you were using steroids? - Mayweather said.

Mayweather feels the public is overhyping Mosley's big win over Antonio Margarito.

"People talk about his win over Margarito but they forget about the fight right before that with Mayorga. That was an even fight until the final round. Margarito stands there and gets hit. They bring up Margarito but they forget he struggled with Mayorga. They forget he was outboxed by Miguel Cotto," Mayweather said.

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Roach: Pacquiao Will Fight Mosley if He Beats Mayweather

Freddie Roach, trainer of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, is certainly intrigued with the possibility of a fight with Shane Mosley – if Mosley beats Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 1 in Las Vegas.

Everyone involved, including Top Rank, who promote Pacquiao, are confident a fight with Mosley would be much easier to make than a fight with Mayweather. In the last few days, Mayweather has already been boasting about his contract demands if a Pacquiao fight is brought back on the table. Mosley has gone on the record with BoxingScene, and made it clear that he “doesn’t care about the random drug tests." He wants to get Pacquiao in the ring at any cost.

“Last year I was willing to go down to 140-pounds to fight him and he turned around and took a fight with Miguel Cotto,” Mosley told BoxingScene.com.

Roach is honest when asked for his prediction on Mayweather-Mosley. He thinks Mayweather will box his way to a decision but he gives Molsey a very strong shot at the upset. Let’s not forget, Joshua Clottey is training hard to become the spoiler on March 13 when he challenges Pacquiao for his title at Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

“I think Mayweather will win a decision. Mosley has a good shot to beat him, and if Shane wins the fight, we’ll fight him. Manny will fight anyone. I've always liked Shane and I think it would be a good fight.”

Source: Rick Reeno  | BoxingScene.com

Pacquiao picks Mosley to win over Mayweather

The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter made a prediction on the outcome of the May 1 fight between Americans Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley.

“I think Mosley will win,” Manny Pacquiao declared on the Krystal Hart Show as quoted by FightFan.com.

Even if he thinks that Mayweather is a "boring" fighter, Pacquiao said that the fight between "Pretty Boy Floyd" and "Sugar Shane" will still be a treat for fight fans.

“I think Mayweather vs. Mosley will be a good fight,” he said.

Pacquiao then went on to give another reason why his scheduled March 13 bout with Mayweather did not push through.

“I’m not concerned about the Money (that would have come in a fight vs. Mayweather). I’m concerned about what I can give in terms of my performance to the people who love boxing. My concern isn’t only with myself, but with the people who buy tickets looking for a good fight,” he said.

“I don’t want to disappoint people with a boring fight. I feel you need to entertain the people who watch your fights.”

Pacquiao, meanwhile, assured a very good fight against Ghana’s Joshua Clottey, whom he will face on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“It’s going to be a good fight because he has a good style. It’s a different kind of style and I want to fight. He’s bigger and he’s taller than Miguel Cotto.”

Pacquiao won the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title last November by beating Cotto via technical knockout in Round 12.

Clean fighter

After Pacquiao’s victory over Cotto, talks on the Mayweather-Pacquiao match-up swirled immediately. They were supposed to face off on March 13 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Talks to seal the deal collapsed when the fighters’ camps disagreed on the drug testing protocol.

Mayweather, his father Floyd Sr. and other members of his team even alleged that Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs. The Filipino boxing icon already filed a defamation complaint against them.

“I’m not against blood testing. Just not the day of the fight. I’ve had that happen in the (first) [Erik] Morales fight. I lost that fight and my body felt very weak. I don’t feel I recovered. That is why I don’t want blood testing close to the fight,” explained Pacquiao.

He also mentioned that he is a “very honest person” who prays and believes in God. He said his success in the ring only reflects the hard training he undergoes before every fight.

“I’m a clean fighter who trains very hard. People don’t know how hard I train and the sacrifices I make.”

He even hit back on Mayweather, saying that the American probably did not really want to face the 7-time world champ.

“I don’t think Mayweather wanted the fight. He had too many reasons (that lead) to cancel the fight. I’m not disappointed because I know I’m not the one who didn’t want the fight and I have to defend myself.”

Clottey’s disappointment

Pacquiao, who is training in the United States for his title defense, said he is not underestimating his opponent.

“I didn’t expect I would end up fighting Clottey but I will prepare myself and train hard,” he said.

“Clottey is a strong guy and a good fighter. He’s a former world champion. I am sure we will have a good fight and create a lot of excitement in the ring.”

The Ghanian, on the other hand, is still encountering problems in his fight preparations because his trainer, Godwin Dzanie Kotey better known as Alloway, has not yet secured a US visa.

“I am fine but tell Ghana that they’ve disappointed me by not giving my trainer visa to come here with me,” Clottey said in a GhanaWeb.com article.

“The only thing I can tell you is everything is fine with me and I’m ready to fight [even] if the government can’t help because it’s my life on the line,” added Clottey.

Source: Author Unknown  | abs-cbnnew.com

Mosley thrilled to take on Mayweather

Shane Mosley bopped around the Super Bowl media center last week, chatting with anyone who wanted to listen about his upcoming fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. He seemed positively giddy as he stopped by radio row to talk about the serendipitous opportunity.

And after he departed sunny Miami for frigid New York, the smile still hadn't left his face.

"This is not going to be personal for me, this is going to be fun for me," he said Tuesday over lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. "This is like when I fought Oscar (De La Hoya) the first time. People told me, 'Oh, you're going to be afraid. Are you scared?' No, no, this is what I want.

"It's not going to be personal, I'm not going to be upset," Mosley said. "I'm going to have fun. I'm going to have fun beating Mayweather."

Two of the best 147-pounders in the world will meet May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in what is easily the biggest fight in boxing that doesn't involve a Filipino fighter named Manny.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is a five-division champion whose flamboyance has made him a crossover star, with interests as diverse as WWE's "Wrestlemania" and "Dancing With the Stars." He's been involved in some of the richest fights in boxing, but is still hounded by critics who claim he's never fought a true welterweight in their prime.

Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) is a three-division champion who has pursued Mayweather since the late 1990s, when they were both in lighter divisions. He's faced just about every big name available, from De La Hoya to Antonio Margarito, but has dealt with his own critics after admitting to unknowingly using performance-enhancing drugs.

"It won't be the fight of my life, but I just want to make a point that I'm the best fighter," Mosley said. "There's not a welterweight out there who can beat me. I don't just want to talk about, I want to do it."

After years or negotiations and the fight repeatedly falling through, Mosley and Mayweather wound up together in a sort of fortunate accident.

Mayweather was left looking for an opponent after acrimonious negotiations to fight Manny Pacquiao fell through and the pound-for-pound king signed to fight Josh Clottey instead. Mosley was supposed to face Andre Berto in a unification bout on Jan. 30, but Berto withdrew after the earthquake in Haiti killed several family members.

Even though Mayweather took his time signing the contract — leaving Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions on edge — everything officially came together last week.

"He was waiting for that opportunity for so long and finally it's here. He couldn't be happier," Schaefer said. "Sometimes with those big fights, when you don't try too hard they happen, and when you try too hard they don't. You just have to let things fall into place."

Another issue that needed to be overcome was the protocol for drug testing, which scuttled the proposed fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Mayweather insisted on Olympic-style testing and refused to budge off blood tests two weeks before the fight, while Pacquiao claimed he feels weak when he gives blood and refused to do so less than 24 days out.

Mosley readily agreed to blood testing, which is far more extensive than the normal urine tests that are required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

"The people have in their mind that it's Manny Pacquiao, it's Mayweather, and everybody's focusing on that," Mosley said. "I'm coming through the backdoor and I'm going to make sure they know I'm here. This is my era, and I'm not going to let nobody take that from me."

Sure, Pacquiao is considered by many the best fighter in the world regardless of weight. And others believe Mayweather is even better than him. But there is little disputing the resume that Mosley has put together, especially over the past few years.

After dropping a pair of close decisions to Winky Wright, Mosley rattled off five straight wins, beating Fernando Vargas twice and Luis Collazo for an interim belt. After losing another close decision, this time to Miguel Cotto, Mosley stopped Ricardo Mayorga to set up a showdown with feared puncher Antonio Margarito.

Mosley looked nothing like a 39-year-old fighter at Staples Center that night, battering Margarito from post to post before ending the fight in the ninth round.

"Put the guys I fought against the guys he fought and what happens?" Mayweather said, joining in the criticism of Mayweather's opposition. "I fought guys that come into the ring at 172 (pounds), he fought guys that don't even reach the 147-pound limit. I'm fighting guys that are taller and bigger than me in every way, and knocking them out."

Considered one of the most affable fighters in the game, it's little surprise that Mosley has trouble wiping that smile from his face. He stops mid-sentence to sign autographs and take photographs with fans, then gets right back to answer whatever question he was asked.

All the while, he wears a giant grin on his face.

And it's never been bigger.

"He was down there for two days meeting with the media," said HBO Sports vice president Mark Taffett, referring to the Super Bowl festivities in Miami. "He was simply phenomenal. He has the energy of a 20-year-old."

Source: Author Unkown  | The Associated Press

Mayweather takes verbal shots at Pacquiao & Mosley

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is all over the place; doing promotional work to hype the May 1 mega-fight with WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley. During a recent radio interview with ESPN 101, Mayweather spoke about the negotiations falling apart with Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather claims to have agreed to all of Pacquiao's terms, but the Filipino fighter did not agree to his terms. Mayweather wanted random blood tests, which Pacquiao was willing to take, but not under the timeline proposed by Floyd. Mayweather wanted the testing to continue until 14-day before the fight. Pacquiao wanted the tests to continue until 24-days before the fight.

"Mayweather was supposed to face Manny Pacquiao. There was a clause in my contract that said both fighters need to take random blood tests because not everything shows up in a urine test. His clause of the contract was for every pound that I weigh over 147, I have to pay $10 million dollars. I agreed but he didn't agree to my terms," Mayweather said.



Mayweather doesn't think Pacquiao is unbeatable. He said the Filipino champion needs to fight him, but the situation is not the same in the other direction. Mayweather says that he doesn't need Pacquiao.

"How can you be indestructible with three losses and he's been knocked out twice?
The new Pacquiao? The one who don't want to take the test? All roads lead to Floyd Mayweather. I don't need Manny Pacquiao. For him to get his biggest payday he needs me. With or without Pacquiao I will make $200 million easy, with or without him," Mayweather said.

The hype for Mayweather-Mosley began last September during Mayweather's fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins rushed the ring in the post-fight. Mosley and Mayweather had words before a live pay-per-view audience. Mayweather is not made at Mosley. He said Mosley is not the person to blame. He called him the puppet of Bernard Hopkins, who Mayweather feels was the actual person who instigated that entire situation.



"He can't be disrespectful by getting inside the squared circle like that. That's going outside the line. Getting inside the ring like that can get your @ss smacked. But I respect Shane Mosley. Shane Mosley didn't want to do that. If he's Bernard Hopkins' puppet then I understand. If Shane is Bernard's puppet then I understand," Mayweather said.

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Pacquiao will fight Mayweather-Mosley winner, says Roach

Trainer Freddie Roach says Manny Pacquiao, should he beat Joshua Clottey on March 13, will be more than happy to fight the winner of May's mega-bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley. Roach sees the winner of Mayweather-Mosley as the best candidate for Pacquiao's next fight.

Roach told BoxingScene.com that Mayweather should win the fight but it's going to be very tough for him.

"I like Shane. He's a good guy but I think Mayweather will outbox him. I think Mayweather will win that fight but it's a very competitive, good fight and I would like to see that fight," Roach told BoxingScene.

If Mayweather wins, Roach says a fight with Pacquiao will only happen under the rules of the governing commission. They will not agree to Mayweather's demand for unrestricted random drug testing. Pacquiao did tell BoxingScene's Robert Morales that he would consider taking random drug tests if the contract called for the random tests to stop 30-days prior to the fight. Pacquiao would also take a blood test immediately after the fight was over.

Mayweather is more concerned about the testing that takes place inside the 30-day time period. Mayweather has placed the test demands on Mosley, who accepted the terms. Mayweather and Pacquiao were unable to agree on the drug testing terms when they were negotiating for a tentative fight in March. Roach does think Mayweather fight will happen but under the right circumstances.

"When Mayweather loses a little more money gambling and he needs it, I think he'll fight us. I would like to see Pacquiao fight him under the commission rules and the counseling bodies but not under Floyd Mayweather's rules because who the f**k is he? We don't work for him," Roach said.

Mosley will be an easier fight to make because he doesn't care about random drug testing. He will fight Pacquiao with or without a clause that calls for random testing. Roach would love to have Pacquiao take that fight if Shane pulls off the upset.

"Shane would love to fight Manny. If he beats Mayweather...if he wins, we will fight him and that will be a great fight. Shane is a very good fighter and I respect him quite a bit," Roach said.

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

'Pacquiao to fight Mosley or Mayweather next'

Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao will fight the winner of the May 1 bout between Americans Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley, disclosed 4-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach.

“I think it will happen, and it will be Manny’s next fight. What has happened may make the fight bigger,” Roach replied to the question of The Telegraph’s Gareth Davies on when the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will take place.

The blockbuster bout, which was scheduled on March 13, did not push through because the fighters’ camps disagreed on the drug testing procedure.

Pacquiao now has Ghanaian Joshua Clottey as his opponent in a welterweight fight on March 13 at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The 2009 Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade, as declared by the Boxing Writers Association of America, will put his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title on the line.

Meanwhile, Mayweather will face Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the venue of his cancelled clash with the Filipino boxing sensation.

Mosley and Mayweather have already signed the contract, according to ESPN.com. It has not yet been confirmed if Mosley, the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight super champion, will defend his title.

Mayweather over Mosley

“I think Mayweather will fight Shane Mosley, but if he doesn’t, it will make the fight with Manny happen sooner. If Floyd does fight Shane, that’s a good fight, and one I’d like to see,” Roach stated.

He then declared his fight prediction: “But Mosley will be beaten by Floyd. Mosley does well with guys who will come at him. He has had trouble with guys who move. Mayweather wins that fight. But Mosley is a brave guy. If for any reason Mosley wins, Manny would definitely fight him. We’ll take that fight.”

Mosley was one of Team Pacquiao’s choices to be Manny’s next foe after his sensational 2nd round knockout win over Ricky Hatton last May 2.

Pacquiao instead chose to challenge then WBO welterweight champion, Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

He was successful in his November 14 fight when he defeated Cotto via technical knockout in Round 12 to become the only boxer to win 7 titles in 7 different weight divisions.

Source: Author Unknown  | abs-cbnnew.com

Mosley-Mayweather fight finalized, Floyd finally signs the contract

After several days of concern over whether Floyd Mayweather Jr. would sign the contract for an agreed-upon showdown with welterweight titleholder Shane Mosley, he put pen to paper on Wednesday and signed the contract, Mosley attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com.

That was the last hurdle to finalizing the super fight. Mosley signed on Friday.

Mosley will defend his title against Mayweather on May 1 (HBO PPV) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"He signed. It's going to be a great fight," Burstein said.

Burstein said he received the news on Wednesday afternoon from Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who had been told by Al Haymon, a Mayweather adviser. Burstein said he then spoke to Haymon.

"Al Haymon's word is gold to me. He told me personally," Burstein said. "We spoke and he said Floyd signed. It was a short but happy conversation. Shane is excited. We all know it's going to be a great fight."

Later Wednesday, the fighters issued statements.

"This one is definitely for the fans as I wasn't going to waste anyone's time with a meaningless tune-up 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. I think Shane is one of the best, but come May 1, he still won't be great enough to beat me."

Said Mosley, "I have always wanted to fight Floyd and now it is finally coming true. 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."



Schaefer and Burstein had voiced concern on Tuesday when Mayweather had still not yet signed several days after Mosley had signed and the Mayweather side said it had agreed to the terms.

Getting the contract signed this week was pivotal because Schaefer planned for the fighters to go to Miami this weekend to kick off the promotion with a variety of media appearances at the Super Bowl.

That was the blueprint Schaefer followed before the Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya fight in May 2007. They also went to the Super Bowl to kick off the promotion and the result was the highest grossing pay-per-view in history.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course since the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

Now, the fight is on, having come together under unusual circumstances.

Mayweather had been close to a deal with Manny Pacquiao for a March 13 fight, but that fell apart in early January after the camps had worked out everything except for the drug testing protocol, which they could not agree upon.

Not long after that, Mosley's Jan. 30 unification bout with Andre Berto was canceled when Berto, a Haitian-American, withdrew from the fight after eight members of his family were killed in the earthquake that ravaged the Caribbean nation.

At Mayweather's insistence, both fighters have agreed to undergo Olympic-style drug testing for the fight.

"Floyd has been trying to make this fight for the last 10 years, so he is extremely excited about the opportunity to face Shane," said Leonard Ellerbe, a Mayweather adviser. "He can't wait to extend his undefeated record and perform at the highest level. More importantly, he is also happy to set the precedent for random blood testing in order to ensure fair and safe contests for all fighters."

Mosley was linked to the BALCO scandal, admitting during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he had used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the lead-up to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley said he took the steroids unknowingly.

"When two champions of this caliber meet in the ring, you can expect nothing but excellence and that is what we are going to see on May 1," Schaefer said. "Shane Mosley is one of the greatest fighters of this era and I commend him for not only agreeing to the fight against Mayweather, but also agreeing to participate in a testing process that can only help the integrity of the sport."

Mayweather came out of an 18-month retirement in September to easily outpoint lightweight champ Juan Manuel Marquez.

Mosley hasn't fought in 13 months, when he upset Antonio Margarito, knocking him out in the ninth round to win a welterweight title for the second time.

Source: Dan Rafael  | ESPN Go

Where, oh where, is Floyd's signature?

Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, is usually a calm, cool and collected sort. The former Swiss banker doesn't get rattled easily.

Tuesday morning, however, he sounded rattled, expressing concern about why Floyd Mayweather Jr. has not signed his contract to face welterweight champ Shane Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, in as big of a fight as there is in the sport.

It has been five days since both sides acknowledged an agreement on terms.

Mosley, of course, put pen to paper on Friday in Las Vegas, where his attorney, Judd Burstein, went through the paperwork with him point by point.

"He is excited to move forward with the bout," Burstein told me at the time.

Burstein also added that he had been assured by Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather's advisers, that there were no problems on their side.

"I confirmed with Leonard that there are no issues," Burstein said.

Ellerbe's quote to me for the story I wrote Friday was, "All of the deal points have been agreed to. We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to."

Yet five days later, Schaefer still does not have a signed agreement from Mayweather. He was clearly at wit's end when he called me about it Tuesday morning.

"He still hasn't signed. I am so frustrated," Schaefer said. "I wanted both guys to go down to the Super Bowl in Miami to do some promotional stuff. I don't know what Floyd is waiting for. I have no clue. I have a signed contract from Shane on my desk. I have nothing from Floyd."

Schaefer said he is in constant touch with Ellerbe and Al Haymon, Mayweather's other adviser, and when he asks them where the paperwork is, the response is always the same: "Every day, it's the next day. They say, 'Don't worry, it's going to come.' Well, where is it? I'm waiting for the signature before we can move on."

Burstein said he and Mosley were also quite aggravated by the delay.

"I am outraged," Burstein said when I reached him Tuesday afternoon. "I have a client who acts in a professional manner. He allows me to negotiate a deal for him in constant consultation with him. When it all gets put on paper, we go over it and, as promised, he signs if it's OK. That's what happened on Friday. It was signed with the assurance from Al Haymon and Leonard Ellerbe that everything was agreed to and there was no problem."

So what does Burstein believe is the issue?

"It's either one of two things that has happened," he said. "Either he's rethought the wisdom of risking his undefeated record against Shane or he chooses to act like a 7-year-old. Hopefully, it's the latter and he will mature very quickly. But either of these possibilities is completely unacceptable to us. He's going to end up in a fight with Mosley. The only question is whether it will be in the ring or in court."

Now, May 1 is still a ways off, but for a megafight the magnitude of Mosley-Mayweather, kicking it off with promotional appearances at the Super Bowl is significant. When Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya met in May 2007, their media rounds at the Super Bowl generated enormous interest in the fight, which went on to set the all-time pay-per-view record.

Schaefer wants to follow the same blueprint. He said Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., who will meet April 3 in a pay-per-view rematch that Golden Boy is co-promoting, will be in Miami to help drum up interest in their fight, so he can't understand why Mayweather is MIA.

So I asked Schaefer if he was concerned that the Mosley-Mayweather fight might be in trouble?

His answer was simply, "Yes."

I asked him if he would elaborate.

"At this point, I don't know," he said. "We want to do some big PR, so this is frustrating. I read Leonard's quotes that it was agreed to and that it was just a matter of time to get it signed, but if it's all done, why isn't it signed?"

Schaefer has been down this road with Mayweather before, perhaps one of the reasons for his concern. He negotiated a fall 2008 rematch between Mayweather and De La Hoya, which also had been agreed to and was on the verge of being announced. However, Mayweather never signed the paperwork and instead announced his retirement, which lasted 18 months.

"I am not having flashbacks to anything, but [the Mosley fight] is still not signed," Schaefer said. "I don't know what it means. Obviously, we can't move forward with the promotion, including some important activities that were planned for this coming weekend, unless we have a signed deal."

Before negotiating with Mosley, Mayweather was close to a deal to face Manny Pacquiao on March 13 in what would have been, by far, the sport's biggest fight. But that fight fell apart shortly before what was supposed to have been a kickoff news conference in early January. The reason was because the fighters couldn't reach a compromise on drug-testing protocol. Mayweather insisted on testing that went far beyond the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. While Pacquiao accepted some additional testing, he refused random blood testing.

Both fighters moved on. Pacquiao quickly made a deal to defend his welterweight belt against Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Mayweather and Mosley began their talks after Mosley's Jan. 30 unification fight with Andre Berto was canceled.

So while Pacquiao wrapped up his deal with Clottey in about two seconds and Mosley signed on the dotted line in pretty short order, we all continue to wait for Mayweather's John Hancock yet again, including Schaefer.

"I always tell you, a signed deal is a done deal," Schaefer said. "It will only be done when Floyd signs, and that hasn't happened yet. I don't know of any deal terms that are not agreed to. I don't understand it."

Source: Dan Rafael  | ESPN Go

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Talks Manny Pacquiao and Steroids

Floyd Mayweather Jr. recently spoke to DJ Whoo Kid about his upcoming fight with WBA welterweight champion Shane Mosley on May 1 and the broken negotiations to make a deal for a fight with Manny Pacquiao.

Mayweather said the Mosley fight is done for May 1. He plans to start training very soon and the pre-fight hype will begin in the next few days.

"Me and Shane Mosley is May 1st. It's just another obstacle that I have to accomplish and it's just another obstacle that I have to cross. You go with what makes business sense first. At first Pacquiao, that fight made a lot of sense. So you go to second option when the first option don't work," Mayweather said.

Mayweather was in talks to fight Manny Pacquiao on March 13. The two fighters could not agree on the contract clause for random drug tests. Pacquiao agreed to take an unlimited amount of urine tests and random bloods tests until 24 days before the fight. Mayweather wanted blood tests until 14 days before the fight. Talks broke off and Pacquiao signed to fight Joshua Clottey.

Mayweather pointed at Pacquiao's fast rise over the last few years as the reason he took a hard line with the random drug tests. He said Pacquiao was an ordinary fighter who became a pound for pound sensation as he got older.

"What people don't know about the sport of boxing. In a fighter's career, a fighter starts off good and he's good until the end of his career or a fighter starts off good and then goes downhill towards the end of his career. A fighter doesn't start off like Manny Pacquiao, just ordinary, and then once he gets over the age of 25 he becomes and extraordinary fighter. It just doesn't work like that in this sport of boxing," Mayweather said.

Mosley has agreed to take random urine and blood tests for the May 1 clash. Mayweather plans to request random drug tests for every future opponent. He claims it's his way to clean up the sport of boxing.

"I'm just trying to clean up sports period. He's not the only one who has to take a random drug test. I do too. I never met anyone in sports history who didn't want to take a $25 million dollar drug test. All drugs don't show up in your urine. All I say is to random drug test me or any other fighters. At one particular time in the sport of boxing they didn't take HIV tests. Now they take HIV tests. In one particular time in the sport of boxing, you weighed in the morning of the fight and now you weigh in the day before the fight," Mayweather said.

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com

Mosley, Mayweather reach terms

Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have agreed to terms for a welterweight super fight, Mayweather adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Friday.

Although the contracts are not signed, "all of the deal points have been agreed to," Ellerbe said. "We still have to put pen to paper, but everything is agreed to. It's with the lawyers. Shane is a great fighter, one of the best of his era, and so is Floyd. It's going to be a great fight. It's a fight fans have wanted to see for a long time."

Assuming the paperwork is signed, Mosley will defend his welterweight title against Mayweather on May 1 on HBO PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Ellerbe said that he expected the paperwork to be completed in the next few days with a formal announcement likely next week.

The fight came together after an unexpected turn of events.

First, Mayweather became available for a fight three weeks ago when negotiations with pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao disintegrated. They had agreed to all terms for a March 13 fight that loomed as the biggest in boxing -- except for a drug testing protocol.

They had agreed to random urine testing, but Mayweather also wanted random blood testing, even though that is not required under the rules of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pacquiao agreed only to three blood tests, but none within 24 days of the fight, and the third one immediately after the bout.

Mayweather has alluded to Pacquiao using performance-enhancing drugs, even though he has never produced any evidence, and Floyd Mayweather Sr. has outright said he believes Pacquiao uses.

The rancor over the drug testing issue caused the fight to fall apart and Pacquiao moved on. He will defend his version of the 147-pound title against former titlist Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Then Mosley became available two weeks ago. He was scheduled to meet Andre Berto in a title unification bout at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday night. However, Berto, a Haitian-American, withdrew from the bout after eight members of his extended family were killed in the earthquake in Haiti.

Immediately after the cancellation of Mosley-Berto, Mosley and Mayweather -- the former welterweight champ and pound-for-pound king until giving up the mantle during a brief retirement -- began negotiating.

"The negotiations were very cordial and went very smoothly," Ellerbe said.

Mosley has agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather, Ellerbe said.

Mosley has admitted to using PEDs and was connected to the BALCO scandal. Although he publicly denied using PEDs for years, Mosley admitted during grand jury testimony, which was later released, that he used designer steroids "the clear" and "the cream" and injected himself with EPO, a blood oxygen enhancer, during the lead-up to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley said he took the steroids unknowingly.

"Floyd only wants to be sure of an even playing field no matter who he fights," Ellerbe said.

Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), a five-division champion, and Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs), a three-division champion, have seemingly been on a collision course since the late 1990s, when Mosley was lightweight champion and Mayweather was junior lightweight champion.

Although their careers took different paths, talk of a potential fight heated back up in 2006 after Mosley's two knockouts of Fernando Vargas, but talks never got too serious.

However, Mosley stepped up his call for a fight with Mayweather, 32, last year after Mayweather ended his 18-month retirement. After Mayweather easily beat lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez in a lopsided decision in September, Mosley crashed his post-fight interview in the ring and called him out to his face.

It didn't look like Mosley would get the fight because two months later, Pacquiao knocked out Miguel Cotto and talks began for Pacquiao-Mayweather.

Mosley, 38, hasn't fought since last January, when he upset Antonio Margarito to win his title via ninth-round knockout.

Source: Dan Rafael  | ESPN Go

Mayweather Will Demand Random Drug Tests For Mosley

The famous clause that tore apart the negotiations to make a fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao - will once again come up as Golden Boy Promotions will attempt to finalize a deal for Mayweather to fight Shane Mosley.

Mayweather will demand random blood and urine tests for all of his future fights, according to Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe.

Mayweather and Pacquiao were never able to reach a deal because the two fighters could not agree on the cut-off date for the random tests to detect performance enhancing drugs. During the BALCO scandal, Mosley admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs, inadvertently, before the 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley has never tested positive for any illegal drugs.

“Whoever fights Floyd Mayweather in the future, that person will be subjected to random blood and urine testing,” Ellerbe said to The Grand Rapids Press. “I don’t care who he fights, that will be the case. Floyd is out front, championing this effort to change the way the sport is handled in the future.”

Source: Mark Vester  | BoxingScene.com