
Shane Mosley, the previous pound-for-pound king, three-division champion and likely Hall of Famer, understands he has not looked good in recent fights. Actually the 40-year-old Mosley is 2-3-1 in his last 6 bouts and 0-2-1 in his last 3 since his major upset of Antonio Margarito in 2009. Reduced juice sportsbook
But Mosley, nevertheless with one of the most distinguishable names in boxing, is getting what figures to be his last title shot after he and junior middleweight titleholder Saul “Canelo” Alvarez came to terms. Best reduced juice sportsbook
They’re going to meet on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the co-featured fight on the pay-per-view card titled by Floyd Mayweather Jr. (42-0, 26 KOs) moving up to junior middleweight to fight Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) for his version of the 154-pound title.
“This is more of a fight to show myself. I’m aware that I didn’t look nice in my last few fights and I actually want to make a statement in this fight,” Mosley claimed. “I only wish to get in the ring, fight a world champion and win a new belt.
“I’m very excited and content. It’s a 2nd opportunity for me to present that I still belong. He’s a young guy and it’s a difficult fight, but I am happy to get the fight. A large amount of fellows want to be in the situation I am in to have this kind of fight.”
Said Alvarez, “This is the fight I was looking for. Shane Mosley is an amazing fighter with a lot of experience and big victories in his storied career. Even though I have giant respect and admiration for Mosley, mainly because he is an excellent person outside of the ring, my goal is to defeat him with a great presentation.”
Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KOs), just 21 year old, is one of boxing’ largest stars. His addition to the Mayweather-Cotto undercard on 5de Mayo, a standard weekend for a major fight featuring a Mexican star, is a huge boost to show that already figured to be the year’ greatest until now.
“It’s Cinco de Mayo, so when you add Mexico’s greatest star to a card that previously has Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king, and Cotto, Puerto Rico’s largest star, and ‘Canelo’ is fighting Mosley, who is a legend, that’s a large night,” announced Golden Boy Promotions GM Richard Schaefer, who had been working for weeks on the fight.
Thanks to the revenue Alvarez generates on his very own, it was tricky to have him accept a spot on an undercard, Schaefer said.
“It was not a straightforward fight to throw together as it is a principal event by itself and could have sold out a venue by itself or maybe been its own pay-per-view,” he announced. “But this takes a mega event with Mayweather and Cotto, which is a massive fight and did not need any help at all, and takes it to a totally distinct level. With these 2 fights on the card, it’s one of the biggest events we’ve ever promoted. It will be a confirmation of the game of boxing, a blushing moment for the sport. To have Mayweather, Cotto, Canelo and ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley all on the same card, I am getting the chills brooding about it.”