Manny Pacquiao, and fight fans, are irked at Shane Mosley's performance
Pacquiao's one-sided, unanimous-decision victory in Las Vegas was notable chiefly for the 39-year-old Mosley's unwillingness to stand up and fight. Pacquiao wouldn't even shake hands afterward.
By Lance Pugmire
May 8, 2011
Reporting from Las Vegas — It takes quite a bit to get Manny Pacquiao upset, but Shane Mosley accomplished the feat Saturday night with his unwillingness to engage in what a million-plus people paid millions of dollars to watch: a fight.
"I expected him toe-to-toe with me for at least five of the 12 rounds," Pacquiao said after cruising to a one-sided, unanimous-decision victory over Mosley at MGM Grand Garden Arena. "I want to give people a good fight."
Instead, Pomona's Mosley (46-7-1) shrunk from the ring courage that made him a three-division world champion and certain boxing Hall of Famer. Now, at a badly slowing 39, he appears a lock for retirement at best or clinging to bouts on a second-tier circuit at worst.
Pacquiao was so miffed after the 12th round, he turned his back to 9-to-1 underdog Mosley rather than shake hands, and walked to his corner. Pacquiao knocked Mosley down in the third round, and hurt him so much in the 11th that Mosley went into full retreat en route to being out-punched, 182-82.
"Will Showtime or HBO use him again?" Pacquiao's similarly bitter trainer Freddie Roach asked about Mosley. "No . . . way. . . . From round one, he never took a step forward at us all night. When fighters don't try to win, it's time to retire."
Mosley, who earned more than $5 million for the appearance, said after the fight he was "not calling it quits" yet, and anticipated the next few months to be spent in "vacation, relaxation, enjoying the fruits of my labor."
Mosley's departure leaves Pacquiao (53-3-2) in line for a likely Nov. 5 bout in Las Vegas against either Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, Palm Springs' Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah, promoter Bob Arum said late Saturday.
World lightweight champion Marquez met with Arum on Saturday morning and rejected a $5-million guarantee.
Arum has promised to "revise" the offer by early next week, and Marquez will then take that proposal to his promoter Golden Boy Promotions, which has the chance to match any offer Marquez receives from an opposing promoter through next year. Golden Boy has hinted at offering Marquez a lucrative late-fall bout against world super-welterweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Marquez has fought Pacquiao tough twice — a 2004 draw and a 2008 split-decision win by Pacquiao.
"I'd like to shut him up; all the talk he does about how he was robbed," Roach said of Marquez. "It'd be good for boxing. I know how much Manny has improved since that [last] fight."
If the Top Rank offer can be matched by Golden Boy, Arum said he'll pursue two other fighters angling for bouts against Golden Boy's Amir Khan: Bradley and Judah. Bradley is unbeaten and deciding whether he wants to accept a payday not to exceed $1.4 million against world junior-welterweight champion Khan.
Roach told reporters he doesn't find Judah appetizing for anything more than "four rounds," and said it would take a "miracle" to foresee a Pacquiao-Bradley bout.
Pacquiao said he still would take on Floyd Mayweather Jr. if the unbeaten fighter ever gets over his inactive spell and legal problems, but Mayweather has been off for more than a year now, so he'll likely require a tuneup bout.
"Manny has more punching power. Floyd is more technical, with great defense, speed and a high IQ," said Mosley, who now has lost to both men within a year. "The fight would be interesting."
After Saturday, boxing fans are owed "interesting" at the very least.
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