Shane Mosley Interview - Part One

By Paul Hampton, @v2boxing.

Shane Mosley, 47-9-1, 39kos, is undoubtedly an all time great. His career spanned saw many ups and downs and sadly came to an end following a stoppage defeat to Australian Anthony Mundine, a man he would have beaten with ease in his prime. His career reads like a who's who of boxing over the last twenty years, and I recently had the opportunity to put my questions to Shane.

PH: A fight between yourself and Floyd Mayweather was touted for a long time, do you think if you’d fought him three or four years earlier the result would have been different?

SM: I think the result would have been different if I had not been injured, even if I wasn’t four years younger. When I fought Mayweather I was pushing 38 or 39 and still very strong and fast. I was probably a little faster at 34-35, but much more experienced at 38. Truth to be told I was hurt. No one wanted to report that back then and the trend continues now. But to answer your question: I don’t think my age was a factor at that fight. My injury was.


PH: How much did Mayweather get under your skin before the fight. He has a habit of winding opponents up, did he ever get you angry in the build
up?

SM: Mayweather never got me upset. I knew what he was doing and that’s what he does. He insulted my suit one time on camera calling it “off the rack," but then contacted my suit guy to get some for himself (after I let him know what time it was and showed him my name embroidered inside by my custom clothier). So if anything, maybe my cool, calm and collected demeanor and classy dress got under his skin Mayweather and I are cool. We get along and respect each other. Period.

PH: How satisfying was your total destruction of margarito knowing he'd tried to fight you with loaded gloves?

SM: The satisfaction with beating Margarito was letting the world know I was still able to beat a monster fighter like him at that time in my life. I was a 7-1 underdog, had a new trainer, and divorce papers filed damn near the same day. One thing I always bring to the table is heart, and that is something no one can ever take away from me.

PH: You always come across as the nice guy of boxing, have you had any bad blood with an opponent? I'd guess mayorga, he seems to have that effect on people.

SM: I am the good guy in boxing. I don’t have bad blood with anyone, especially Mayorga, who was a fan of mine. Before the weigh in, I took pictures with him and his whole family. Boxing is a lifestyle for me, its a craft, and I respect it enough to take it serious when I’m in the ring and not let petty differences make me upset. “He who angers you controls you” that is a quote I love. No one controls me but me. If it were the same for all boxers maybe the sport would not have such a bad image.

PH: The rematch between yourself and Oscar Dela Hoya has resulted in many debates between fans, do you believe you won that fight or were the judges kind to you?

SM: The judges have never been kind to me in my career. Especially when it came to their “Golden Boy.” I believe I won that fight, and 20 judges ringside agreed. That was not a mistake.

PH: You were one of the rare few who beat Oscar in the amateurs, and you beat him twice (albeit controversially second time out) as a professional as well - but yet you never got the same kind of media attention and fanfare as he did. How frustrating was that? Did it bother you, or did you just brush it off?

SM: It bothered me that in the beginning they were trying to block my coverage from the media because of him. It was the age old "David and Goliath" story for me in boxing. People don’t know that story because I have always kept that to myself, but its pretty common knowledge among the boxing insiders. It wasn’t until I beat him for the second time that I began to see things change for me in the media, but thank you for mentioning and noticing that. Few reporters do.

PH: Now that your career is over, and as someone who is/was(?) a figure in Golden Boy promotions, what do you think of the general state of boxing today?

SM: I was partial owner of Golden Boy until I didn’t receive the percentage due to me. It’s a long story and I choose not to get into it. I am no longer affiliated with Golden Boy. However, as far as the state of boxing goes, I think the cold war between HBO and Showtime has definitely hurt boxing as a whole, and that is something I would like to fix if I get into large- scale promotions.

PH: According to the top rank poll at the time, only eight out of twenty eight ringside journos gave Dela Hoya the win in your second, while most fans watching on TV thought you lost. Same with Pac-Márquez III - you won't find too many who thought Manny won, yet less than 50% of the ringside journalists gave it to Márquez. Do some fights just look different ringside? Why do you think that is?

SM: From what I’ve heard, most fans do not think Oscar won. Definitely double-check your statistical data on that one. It doesn’t make sense to compare the two fights because, as you stated, the Pac-Marquez III fight had just over 50% of the journalist giving it to the winner, whereas in my fight, according to your own statistics, I had over 75% of the journalist giving it to me. That is certainly clear-cut. I think the difference in journalists VS fan perception boils down to actual experience in the sport. An NFL commentator on a game has more knowledge and insight than most fans, that’s why he is a commentator. Same principle applies to boxing. I respect all boxing fans, but boxing fans will notoriously favor their fighter. So even IF most fans chose Oscar (which I still say that is not factual) it would likely be because they are simply fans of his and when it comes to a boxing fans opinions its more of a “my kid can do no wrong” opinion.

PH: You were always known for having great hand speed - which opponent's speed surprised you or gave you the most trouble?

SM: My hand speed has always been great. The only opponent whose hand speed surprised me was back in my amateur days, Ed Hopson.

PH: You always came across as being too small for light middleweight and the losses to Winky Wright seemed to stall your career for a few years. Do you regret taking on a challenge nobody else was interested in or do you pride yourself on having a fight anybody reputation?

SM: Your opinion within your question where you stated “I came off too small” I would agree with. Weighing in at 154 is not my “optimal” weight division because of my height and frame, but because I was so strong and hit so hard I overcame that handicap to become the World Champion. I wouldn’t say the losses to Winky stalled it, but it did make it harder to get the fights I wanted. I do pride myself on my “fight anyone reputation” because there are few fighter who can say that. I can’t name too many.

PH: Your destruction of Demetrio Ceballos is probably my favourite performance of yours, which performance do you consider your best and favorite?

SM: That was a great fight, My favorite fight was my first lightweight championship against Philip Holliday. I beat him every round. I didn’t knock him down because I was sick, but it was a great “technically sound” massacre.

PH: Do you have any regrets in your HOF career?

SM: I would have waited to fight several opponents until I was not injured, but on the other hand I then may not have been given the opportunity to fight them. So I guess the answer would be no. I have no regrets. Thank you for taking the time out to get the real story and answers from the horse’s mouth.

A big thank you to Shane for giving up his time to answer my questions, make sure you keep checking the website for part two of this interview over the next few weeks.



http://www.v2boxing.com/3/post/2014/10/shane-mosley-interview-part-1.html

Spot on that Hampo, reads like a very very good interview and Shane seemed very open. (Cheers for transcripting it too, thought i'd have to wait for it

Ouch, I can now say I've had a Boxing great put me in my place, even if his maths isn't on par with his boxing ability... 12/20 = 75%? Cheers though, fantastic coup, and very nice seeing Mosley give detailed answers to every single question, rather than one sentence hatchet jobs

Mosley isn't an all-time great.

I'm not sure he should even make the HOF due to his PED transgression (although he undoubtedly will).