"I'm determined to knock Pacquiao out. I'm determined to shock the world. I'm just determined and people are going to see a different Sugar Shane. Naazim already sees it. He's drooling already. He's sees it, but it's not for me to do it in the gym; it's for me to show it in the actual fight and that's what I'm excited for, so it's about to go down...There's going to be a lot of people up here. It's going to be crowded. I've got like 6 different sparring partners; it's crazy. It's going to be something to see," stated three-division world champion and future Hall of Famer "Sugar" Shane Mosley as he talked about how training camp is going for his May 7th showdown with pound-for-pound champion Manny Pacquiao. Check out what else he had to say about the fight, Manny Pacquiao, this weekend's clash between Miguel Cotto and Ricardo Mayorga, and much more.
BT: What's up Shane? How's everything going in camp so far?
SM: It's been going great. I'm sore as hell. Naazim Richardson is working the shit out of me and we're going hard up in there. I'm determined to knock Pacquiao out. I'm determined to shock the world. I'm just determined and people are going to see a different Sugar Shane. Naazim already sees it. He's drooling already. He's sees it, but it's not for me to do it in the gym; it's for me to show it in the actual fight and that's what I'm excited for, so it's about to go down.
BT: I'm sure Brother Naaz is going to have his regular crew out there sparring with you, but is there anyone else you guys are looking to bring in?
SM: We've got some good ones coming in. Right now, I mean, there's a couple of young guys coming in that's real fast. There's going to be a lot of people up here. It's going to be crowded. I've got like 6 different sparring partners; it's crazy. It's going to be something to see.
BT: From what I heard, Pacquiao is taking you very seriously and got an early start on his training too. I don't know what kind of game plan Freddie Roach is coming up with, but I have a funny feeling that he's going to have Pacquiao using a lot movement and throwing a lot of flashy combinations that may not necessarily land, but will look good in the eyes of the judges.
SM: If he tries that, Pacquiao can't fight going backwards. That's not what he does; he can't fight backwards. Every time he goes backwards, he gets hit with a lot of shots. If you put him on the ropes, that's when he starts getting hurt, like when Margarito landed that body shot. When he goes forward and he punches, that's when he does good. If they play that and try to box me, that's fine. I'm all good with that. I can catch his little ass. I'm longer and taller than what he thinks. I'm longer than him and I'm faster than what he thinks. He can try to run and box and all that stuff, that's cool, but I'm still going to be right there fighting him. He's still going to see my face right there coming at him. Regardless if he moves or if he comes at me, we gettin' it on! Naazim is preparing for that. I've got guys that are running around the ring out there. We're preparing for him to move real fast and move out the way and do side punches and stuff like that, but we're also preparing for the war too.
BT: It seems to me like every time Manny fights someone, Freddie always has him constantly working on one thing over and over again. For this fight, I think they're working on the jab in preparation for you. I think they believe that the key to beating Shane Mosley is to put a jab his face. As much as everyone will want him to go to war with you, I really think the plan will be to put that jab in your face and stay away from your right hand.
SM: But he can't. His arms are too short. He can't do that. He can try, but I'm faster than Margarito. He can throw jabs at Margarito, but he can't throw jabs at me like that. I'm longer than Margarito and I'm faster than Margarito. But you know, let them work on what they gotta work on. That's fine. I know what I gotta do. I know what my mission is. I got a mission! I know what my mission is and we're going to see which one works.
BT: Are you watching the fight this weekend, Cotto vs. Mayorga?
SM: Yeah, that should be funny; that's gonna be interesting. I wanna see because Mayorga throws punches from crazy angles and the way Cotto fights, Cotto fights kind of low and Mayorga will hit you on top of your dome with those heavy hands he's got. That's how he got Vernon; he'll rock you. Cotto thinks he's gonna keep his chin tucked, but I don't even think Mayorga goes for the chin. If he's gonna keep his chin tucked and come in, Mayorga is just going to club him on top of his head. He's got some big 'ol hands too. But I think Cotto beats him because, you know, he's been in the game and he's been working out and training and staying active, whereas Mayorga really hasn't. But Mayorga, I don't think he really has to train like that because he's not really a technician. He's a bruiser, so he can just come out there and just be himself.
BT: Have you seen pictures of Mayorga? He looks like he's in pretty good shape.
SM: I've seen pictures of him, so I know that he's working hard because he's crazy, but it's going to be good. I think it's going to be an interesting fight. I don't know how it's going to play out yet, but it's going to be interesting. It could very well be a hard fight for Cotto because he [Mayorga] is so strong. He's gonna be like 172 when he gets to the ring. When he fought me, he was 172 pounds, maybe 174 pounds, and we fought at 154 and I weighed like 159. He was way bigger than me. He's gonna definitely test Cotto and see what's going on with him.
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