MANILA, Philippines – Shane Mosley said he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao so whoever wins will get to face the winner of the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez showdown which was recently postponed and tentatively rescheduled to September.
“Yeah, that is the perfect scenario. That’s the way it is supposed to happen in real boxing,” Mosley, the 38-year-old WBA welterweight champion from California, told fighthype.com as he continued to beg for a fight with Pacquiao.
“Malapit na lumuhod (Soon he’ll be on his knees),” said one of Pacquiao’s advisers, Wakee Salud, of Mosley. The matchmaker from Cebu said everybody is going after the Filipino champion because of the “ton of money” involved.
Mosley has practically swallowed everything in seeking the fight with Pacquiao, announcing that he’s agreeable to a catchweight under 147 lb (the welterweight limit), put his belt on the line, and settle for 40 percent of the earnings.
On the other hand, WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, the choice of Top Rank president Bob Arum as Pacquiao’s next opponent on Nov. 14, is still keeping his cards close to his chest, saying he can only fight Pacquiao at 145 lb.
Arum said Pacquiao has agreed to fight the pride of Puerto Rico at 144 lb, although his trainer, Freddie Roach, said the 28-year-old Cotto should go down to 143 lb because he’s a “dangerous” fighter as compared to what others think.
Arum met with another Pacquiao adviser, Mike Koncz, in Las Vegas yesterday and presented the boxer’s emmisary of the fight proposal. Pacquiao will look it over once Koncz returns to the Philippines, then decide whether he likes it or not.
“We’re trying to see if Pacquiao is going to accept it or not,” said Mosley.
Pacquiao should get no less than 65 percent of everything if he fights Cotto, who’s coming off victorty over Josh Clottey, a bloody, hard-earned win that raised some eyebrows on whether he can stand toe-to-toe with the hard-hitting Pacquiao.
“I think a fight with me would bring a lot more money and a lot more prestige worldwide. We’ll see what happens... the bigger fight is me and Pacquiao. We have the biggest names by far and Pacquiao’s legacy wouldn’t be damaged losing to me,” said Mosley.
In short, Mosley is saying that he’s better than Cotto, and even Pacquiao. True enough, experts think he can give the reigning pound-for-pound champion a tougher time on the ring than Cotto.
“We’re trying to make the fight but I guess Bob Arum is trying to make the fight with Cotto for his own reasons. That’s where we’re at right now,” said Mosley, adding that Arum is giving Cotto a big fight so he could keep him in his stable.
Pacquiao is also looking at a fight with Mayweather, and if the fight with Cotto pushes through, and he wins, then the undefeated American and ex-pound-for-pound champion may be next in line early next year.
That leaves Mayweather without a chair when the music stops.
“Well, either I’ll wait or I’ll retire until somebody is ready to fight. I won’t retire. I’m just going to hold on to my belt until they come out of hiding and want to make a fight. I’ll just keep training and be ready,” Mosley told fighthype.com.