Mayweather sets stage for fight
Source: Agencies |
March 4, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MUSIC blared over the loudspeakers, smoke billowed across the stage, and the curtain dropped to reveal Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley dressed to the nines as a crowd of several thousand inside the Nokia Theater in New York let out a roar.
They won't meet in the ring until May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but the first stop on a whirlwind, three-city publicity tour on Tuesday included plenty of pomp and pizazz.
After lengthy introductions that would have made silver-tongued Michael Buffer blush, the unbeaten Mayweather and the welterweight champion Mosley sauntered to the middle of the stage and stood face to face. Jawing turned to pointing, pointing turned to shoving, and before long, promoters from both camps were rushing forward to separate them.
Perhaps the altercation was staged, but it's hard to fake the animosity between them. "The thing is this: He may be the champ, but we all know belts don't do nothing but collect dust," Mayweather said, smiling. "I'm in the check-cashing business, baby."
Perfect opponent
Both should be able to cash hefty checks after this fight, arguably the biggest in the sport not involving Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather and Mosley have been circling each other for years, and the possibility they would finally meet really gained traction when Mosley crashed a post-fight interview after Mayweather defeated Juan Manuel Marquez last September.
"We have the two best American fighters of our generation," Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said. "Mayweather has become a household name, let's face it. Love him or hate him, he's a household name. And with Shane Mosley, you have the perfect dance partner."
The fight came together after weeks of negotiations between Mayweather and Pacquiao failed to produce an agreement. The Filipino fighter refused Olympic-style drug testing - Mayweather's camp has accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs - and he will instead fight Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
When potentially the richest fight in boxing history fell through, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) turned to the next biggest attraction in the loaded 66.7-kilogram division.
"It's been a long time since I got a chance to show the world that I'm the best fighter, and that's all that I really want, to be the best," Mosley said.
Both fighters will undergo random blood testing, which they claim will set a new standard for safety in boxing. Such an agreement perked some eyebrows considering Mosley has acknowledged unintentionally using steroids before defeating De La Hoya in 2003.
They won't meet in the ring until May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but the first stop on a whirlwind, three-city publicity tour on Tuesday included plenty of pomp and pizazz.
After lengthy introductions that would have made silver-tongued Michael Buffer blush, the unbeaten Mayweather and the welterweight champion Mosley sauntered to the middle of the stage and stood face to face. Jawing turned to pointing, pointing turned to shoving, and before long, promoters from both camps were rushing forward to separate them.
Perhaps the altercation was staged, but it's hard to fake the animosity between them. "The thing is this: He may be the champ, but we all know belts don't do nothing but collect dust," Mayweather said, smiling. "I'm in the check-cashing business, baby."
Perfect opponent
Both should be able to cash hefty checks after this fight, arguably the biggest in the sport not involving Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather and Mosley have been circling each other for years, and the possibility they would finally meet really gained traction when Mosley crashed a post-fight interview after Mayweather defeated Juan Manuel Marquez last September.
"We have the two best American fighters of our generation," Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions said. "Mayweather has become a household name, let's face it. Love him or hate him, he's a household name. And with Shane Mosley, you have the perfect dance partner."
The fight came together after weeks of negotiations between Mayweather and Pacquiao failed to produce an agreement. The Filipino fighter refused Olympic-style drug testing - Mayweather's camp has accused Pacquiao of using performance-enhancing drugs - and he will instead fight Joshua Clottey on March 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
When potentially the richest fight in boxing history fell through, Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) turned to the next biggest attraction in the loaded 66.7-kilogram division.
"It's been a long time since I got a chance to show the world that I'm the best fighter, and that's all that I really want, to be the best," Mosley said.
Both fighters will undergo random blood testing, which they claim will set a new standard for safety in boxing. Such an agreement perked some eyebrows considering Mosley has acknowledged unintentionally using steroids before defeating De La Hoya in 2003.
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