MANILA, Philippines - Si Sugar Shane Mosley na nga ba ang tinutukoy ni Bob Arum ng Top Rank Promotions na napili ni Manny Pacquiao para sa kanyang laban sa Mayo 7, 2011?
Nagpulong kahapon sina Arum at James Prince, ang tumatayong adviser ni Mosley, para talakayin ang ilang detalye sa inihahanda nilang fight contract.
“We’re talking to Bob Arum, but nothing is really happening as we speak right now. James Prince is kind of handling it,” ani Mosley sa panayam ng Funhouse.com. “And then, when it gets down to the last particulars, then I’ll step in and then we’ll finalize it.”
Ang 39-anyos na si Mosley, isang five-time at three-division champion, ay umalis na sa Golden Boy Promotions ni Oscar Dela Hoya na karibal ng Top Rank ni Arum.
Kasalukuyan namang bitbit ng 32-anyos na si Pacquiao ang kanyang 53-3-2 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 38 KOs.
Bukod kay Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs), ang iba pang pangalan na inilatag ni Arum kay Pacquiao ay sina Andre Berto (26-0-0, 20 KOs), Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) at Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (41-0-0, 25 KOs).
Sa kabila ng pag-uusap nina Arum at Prince, hindi pa rin tiniyak ni Mosley na plantsado na ang kanilang banggaan ng Filipino world eight-division titlist na si Pacquiao sa Mayo 7, 2011 sa MGM Grand sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
“It’s not a done deal, but all of the fingers are pointing towards me,” wika ni Mosley. “All of the fingers are pointing towards me getting the deal done and making the fight. It’s not a done deal yet, like I said, but it’s certainly looking like it’s heading in that direction.”
Nagmula si Mosley sa isang split-decision draw kay dating world champion Sergio Mora (21-1-1, 6 KOs) sa kanilang light middleweight fight noong Setyembre sa Staples Center sa Los Angeles, California.
“Mosley, in his last fight, you can’t blame him for not getting up for a contender in Sergio Mora,” sabi ni Freddie Roach, ang trainer ni Pacquiao. “Mosley may not have gotten up for someone like Mora, but he will get up for someone like Manny Pacquiao.”
Ang isyu sa paglalabanang timbang at kung anong world title ang itataya ni Pacquiao ang ilan sa mga pinag-uusapan nina Arum at Prince.
“We’re trying to finalize with the opponent. We looking at the contract now, and I’m not going to announce anything until the contract is signed,” ani Arum. “It will be announced whenever it gets signed. Everything is preceding normally and everything is preceding well.”