MOSLEY: "I'M READY TO LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT I'M THE KING OF THIS DIVISION!"
By Percy Crawford | September 05, 2007
Right before he embarked on his three-city media tour, three-time world champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley spoke to FightHype.com about his highly anticipated clash with Miguel Cotto. "I know I have the power to knock him out," stated Mosley as he talked about his gameplan for the fight and much more. You don't want to miss what else he had to say about Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather's fight with Ricky Hatton, and what it was like to work with UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going with you man?
SM: Everything is going good. I'm just up here getting everything set up right and getting ready for this camp.
PC: When will you set up training camp for this fight?
SM: Right when I get back from Puerto Rico and the rest of the press tour.
PC: You never really have much drama or animosity towards your opponents during these press tours. Is that due to your respect for the fight game and your opponents, and if so, do you respect Miguel Cotto in that way?
SM: Oh, definitely. I respect him as a fighter. He doesn't do that much talking as well. It's going to be interesting because the fight will actually be more explosive than the actual press conferences and us talking to the media.
PC: It has to be nice for you to be able to get fights like this with the working relationship between Golden Boy and Top Rank right now?
SM: Definitely! It's definitely a lot easier. Top Rank has a lot of fighters over there that we can match up with Golden Boy fighters and that's why we're having this fight on PPV, because a lot of people are interested in seeing what happens.
PC: You haven't fought since the early part of the year (February) against Luis Collazo. Have you been staying in the gym or have you just been relaxing?
SM: Obviously I've been in the gym a little with Oscar, getting him ready for his fight against Mayweather. As of now, I've been sparring a little bit with Robert Guerrero, helping him out for his fight on September 15th. I definitely keep myself in the gym and working out. I have a great passion for the sport of boxing, more so than I've had in a long time. There are a lot of guys in the welterweight division that is out there. I'm looking to clear out the division. I plan on clearing out the division and keeping the crown at the welterweight division and if I have to take a couple of fights at 54 in the process, then I'll do that, but I'm ready to let people know that I'm the king of this division.
PC: In your last fight against Collazo, he was a slick southpaw…the complete opposite of Cotto. What adjustments can we expect to see you make to prepare for a fighter coming straight at you with power?
SM: With a guy like Miguel Cotto, he is more suitable for my style; the style that I like. The Collazo fight was a fight that I didn't really want to take because I knew he was more of a boxer, slick and he could cause more problems. I was looking to fight Kermit Cintron, but he was having promotional problems and we couldn't make that fight happen, which forced the Collazo fight. I'm willing to fight anybody, but I prefer to fight guys that are willing to come at me like a Vargas.
PC: What did you think of Cotto's performance against Zab Judah?
SM: I thought that he did very well. He did everything that he needed to do to win the fight. I guess Zab, as you can see, didn't have the energy or what it took to go the full twelve rounds. Zab started off very well. He was doing pretty well and Cotto weathered the storm and fought through it and came through like a champion.
PC: Your movement and handspeed will be two advantages you should enjoy coming into this fight, but do you think you can knockout Miguel Cotto?
SM: I know I have the power to knock him out. I think that I can knock out anybody in the welterweight division if they get hit right with any of these shots that I throw. At one time, my knockout percentage was the best in the history of anybody that had more than 30 fights. I was 38-0 with 35 knockouts, so I do have knockout power.
PC: I know you said you would take some fights at 54 if you had to, but is 147 where you would like to finish your career at?
SM: I think 147 is my best weight. I really don't know though. Like I said, if I had to take fights at 54, I would. I believe I'm strong enough to fight at 47, 54 and maybe even a few 160 pounders.
PC: Mayweather is a fight I know you wanted before you took the Cotto fight. What do you think of him fighting Hatton?
SM: Initially, I thought Mayweather would have an easy time with Hatton, but seeing that Mayweather is into other activities, I don't know how serious he is taking this fight with Ricky Hatton. He could get surprised. Normally I would say Mayweather all the way, but it's kind of hard to judge. Ricky Hatton comes in very fast and strong and sometimes he fights very aggressive and if Mayweather is not ready for that type of fight, he could have problems.
PC: You recently helped Rampage Jackson train to prepare for Dan Henderson. Do you follow the UFC and what's your relationship with Rampage?
SM: Well, I mean, Rampage has trained in my gym several times before he actually got into a gym here in Big Bear. He's actually a good friend of mine and I go over things with him and we swap ideas. Rampage is the type of Ultimate Fighter that likes to fight with his hands and not too much grappling. He's more of a boxer type of UFC fighter. He asks me how to throw punches and how to get the most power out of a shot because he fights up top. I help him out with stuff like that. Other than that, he might show me some grappling moves on the ground. I watch how they move and turn the arm, wrist and get the guillotine and all that stuff.
PC: We're not going to see you in the Octagon huh?
SM: Ah, nah. No! They take too much punishment. I would have to learn all that stuff on the ground and that might be kind of hard.
PC: That would be like starting all over again.
SM: Yeah, it would be starting all over again. I could hold my own at the top, but on the ground, I would have to learn all kinds of different tricks and that might take a little bit.
PC: Do you have a prediction for your fight against Cotto?
SM: I think it's going to be a very explosive fight. Obviously, like I told Larry or Jim Lampley, I think I could knock out everybody I fight and I think that's why people come and see me fight because they know that I'm not just looking to box around and play patty cake, but I'm looking to knock the guy out. If Cotto is looking to knock me out and I'm looking to knock him out, we're going to have a fantastic fight.
PC: I appreciate your time Shane. Good luck in November. Is there anything you want to say in closing to your fans?
SM: I just want to thank them for being wonderful fans. To all my supporters, thank you and I won't let you down. You will see a great fight and you will see me victorious.
By Percy Crawford | September 05, 2007
Right before he embarked on his three-city media tour, three-time world champion "Sugar" Shane Mosley spoke to FightHype.com about his highly anticipated clash with Miguel Cotto. "I know I have the power to knock him out," stated Mosley as he talked about his gameplan for the fight and much more. You don't want to miss what else he had to say about Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather's fight with Ricky Hatton, and what it was like to work with UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going with you man?
SM: Everything is going good. I'm just up here getting everything set up right and getting ready for this camp.
PC: When will you set up training camp for this fight?
SM: Right when I get back from Puerto Rico and the rest of the press tour.
PC: You never really have much drama or animosity towards your opponents during these press tours. Is that due to your respect for the fight game and your opponents, and if so, do you respect Miguel Cotto in that way?
SM: Oh, definitely. I respect him as a fighter. He doesn't do that much talking as well. It's going to be interesting because the fight will actually be more explosive than the actual press conferences and us talking to the media.
PC: It has to be nice for you to be able to get fights like this with the working relationship between Golden Boy and Top Rank right now?
SM: Definitely! It's definitely a lot easier. Top Rank has a lot of fighters over there that we can match up with Golden Boy fighters and that's why we're having this fight on PPV, because a lot of people are interested in seeing what happens.
PC: You haven't fought since the early part of the year (February) against Luis Collazo. Have you been staying in the gym or have you just been relaxing?
SM: Obviously I've been in the gym a little with Oscar, getting him ready for his fight against Mayweather. As of now, I've been sparring a little bit with Robert Guerrero, helping him out for his fight on September 15th. I definitely keep myself in the gym and working out. I have a great passion for the sport of boxing, more so than I've had in a long time. There are a lot of guys in the welterweight division that is out there. I'm looking to clear out the division. I plan on clearing out the division and keeping the crown at the welterweight division and if I have to take a couple of fights at 54 in the process, then I'll do that, but I'm ready to let people know that I'm the king of this division.
PC: In your last fight against Collazo, he was a slick southpaw…the complete opposite of Cotto. What adjustments can we expect to see you make to prepare for a fighter coming straight at you with power?
SM: With a guy like Miguel Cotto, he is more suitable for my style; the style that I like. The Collazo fight was a fight that I didn't really want to take because I knew he was more of a boxer, slick and he could cause more problems. I was looking to fight Kermit Cintron, but he was having promotional problems and we couldn't make that fight happen, which forced the Collazo fight. I'm willing to fight anybody, but I prefer to fight guys that are willing to come at me like a Vargas.
PC: What did you think of Cotto's performance against Zab Judah?
SM: I thought that he did very well. He did everything that he needed to do to win the fight. I guess Zab, as you can see, didn't have the energy or what it took to go the full twelve rounds. Zab started off very well. He was doing pretty well and Cotto weathered the storm and fought through it and came through like a champion.
PC: Your movement and handspeed will be two advantages you should enjoy coming into this fight, but do you think you can knockout Miguel Cotto?
SM: I know I have the power to knock him out. I think that I can knock out anybody in the welterweight division if they get hit right with any of these shots that I throw. At one time, my knockout percentage was the best in the history of anybody that had more than 30 fights. I was 38-0 with 35 knockouts, so I do have knockout power.
PC: I know you said you would take some fights at 54 if you had to, but is 147 where you would like to finish your career at?
SM: I think 147 is my best weight. I really don't know though. Like I said, if I had to take fights at 54, I would. I believe I'm strong enough to fight at 47, 54 and maybe even a few 160 pounders.
PC: Mayweather is a fight I know you wanted before you took the Cotto fight. What do you think of him fighting Hatton?
SM: Initially, I thought Mayweather would have an easy time with Hatton, but seeing that Mayweather is into other activities, I don't know how serious he is taking this fight with Ricky Hatton. He could get surprised. Normally I would say Mayweather all the way, but it's kind of hard to judge. Ricky Hatton comes in very fast and strong and sometimes he fights very aggressive and if Mayweather is not ready for that type of fight, he could have problems.
PC: You recently helped Rampage Jackson train to prepare for Dan Henderson. Do you follow the UFC and what's your relationship with Rampage?
SM: Well, I mean, Rampage has trained in my gym several times before he actually got into a gym here in Big Bear. He's actually a good friend of mine and I go over things with him and we swap ideas. Rampage is the type of Ultimate Fighter that likes to fight with his hands and not too much grappling. He's more of a boxer type of UFC fighter. He asks me how to throw punches and how to get the most power out of a shot because he fights up top. I help him out with stuff like that. Other than that, he might show me some grappling moves on the ground. I watch how they move and turn the arm, wrist and get the guillotine and all that stuff.
PC: We're not going to see you in the Octagon huh?
SM: Ah, nah. No! They take too much punishment. I would have to learn all that stuff on the ground and that might be kind of hard.
PC: That would be like starting all over again.
SM: Yeah, it would be starting all over again. I could hold my own at the top, but on the ground, I would have to learn all kinds of different tricks and that might take a little bit.
PC: Do you have a prediction for your fight against Cotto?
SM: I think it's going to be a very explosive fight. Obviously, like I told Larry or Jim Lampley, I think I could knock out everybody I fight and I think that's why people come and see me fight because they know that I'm not just looking to box around and play patty cake, but I'm looking to knock the guy out. If Cotto is looking to knock me out and I'm looking to knock him out, we're going to have a fantastic fight.
PC: I appreciate your time Shane. Good luck in November. Is there anything you want to say in closing to your fans?
SM: I just want to thank them for being wonderful fans. To all my supporters, thank you and I won't let you down. You will see a great fight and you will see me victorious.
