SUGAR SHANE MOSLEY SET TO MEET IN
MAYWEATHER VS. MOSLEY: WHO R U PICKING?,
AN ELECTRIFYING WELTERWEIGHT MEGA-FIGHT
SET FOR SATURDAY, MAY 1 AT MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS
LIVE ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW®
The buzz surrounding the biggest night of boxing this year has already started
as superstar and six-time World Champion Floyd "Money" Mayweather
and welterweight mega-star, five-time World Champion and current WBA Welterweight
World Champion Sugar Shane Mosley, are set to meet in Mayweather vs. Mosley:
Who R U Picking?, on Saturday, May 1 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas in a spectacular
bout which will be produced and distributed live on HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning
at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
The bout, promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, and sponsored
by Cerveza Tecate, AT&T, Dewalt Tools and StubHub,promises to be a spectacular
display of talent and skill with Mayweather and Mosley will meet in a 12-round
welterweight battle that is already being compared to other great and historic
welterweight match-ups like Sugar Ray Leonard against Tommy Hearns and Oscar
de la Hoya against Felix Trinidad.
"Ever since I came back to the sport I said I only wanted to fight the
best and Shane Mosley is one of the best," said Mayweather (40-0, 25 KO’s).
"Not only does he have the skills, but he is also fast, strong and a very
tough competitor. His speed and power won’t mean much that night against my
will and determination to dominate him inside the square circle. When I compete
against the best, I am always at my best; so on May 1 the fans will see one
great performance."
"I have always wanted to fight Floyd Mayweather and now that dream is finally
coming true," said Mosley, (46-5, 39 KO’s). "Floyd is excellent at
what he does, but my past record of beating the best competition and other great
champions shows that he is just another one of my opponents I intend to beat.
He has never faced anyone like me before and I think that will be a big factor
on May 1 when I plan to show him just what it means to meet a true champion
in the ring."
"This fight has been in the making for a long time and now Floyd has the
opportunity to showcase his skills against a great champion like Shane,"
said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO, Mayweather Promotions. "It is these kinds of
opportunities that elevate and excite Floyd. The people and the polls might
be wondering who is going to win this fight, but on May 1, I have no doubt that
Floyd is going to give them a dominant performance and continue to prove why
he is the best fighter in the world today. "
"The theme of this fight is "who are you picking?" because when
two champions of this caliber meet in the ring, you can expect nothing but an
extremely competitive fight and an unknown outcome that will only reveal itself
on May 1," said Richard Schaefer, CEO, Golden Boy Promotions. "Shane
Mosley is one of the greatest fighters of this era and so is Floyd Mayweather,
so it is a true gift that the fans will have the opportunity to see a fiercely
competitive and fantastic night of boxing."
"MGM Grand is thrilled to host two of the sport’s superstars," said
Richard Sturm, President of Sports and Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE. "Mayweather
and Mosley bring tremendous speed and skill to the ring and will no doubt electrify
the fans on May 1."
"Mayweather vs. Mosley is a showdown of superstars that fans have been
talking about for years," said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View. "It
has all the elements of a pay-per-view mega-fight."
A 1996 Olympic Bronze medalist for the United States, the undefeated Floyd Mayweather
has since gone on to strike gold in the professional ranks, winning six world
titles in five weight classes to firmly establish himself as one of the most
elite fighters of his era. With dominating wins over the likes of World Champions
Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar de la Hoya
and Ricky Hatton, Mayweather was on a meteoric rise to hall of fame greatness
when he announced his retirement from the ring in 2008. But he left the door
open for a return if the right challenge presented itself and after 18 months
of a much needed physical and emotional break from the ring, he returned to
boxing on September 19, 2009 with a dominating and spectacular victory over
future Hall of Famer Juan Manuel Marquez. He now faces Mosley on May 1 in what
will be one of his most challenging contests to date.
In addition to his boxing accomplishments, Mayweather has managed to become
a crossover star, appearing in HBO®’s Emmy® award winning reality series
"24/7" three separate times as he provided cameras with an all access
look at his training and personal life. Additionally, as a competitor on ABC’s
Dancing With The Stars, Mayweather was introduced to a completely new audience
with over 35 million viewers tuning in each week.
It would be easy for Sugar Shane Mosley to be a satisfied man, but Mosley will
not be content until he feels that he has climbed every mountain the sport has
to offer, including beating Floyd Mayweather on May 1. His goal is to continue
to win as this future Hall of Famer always has, compiling six world titles and
having ruled the lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight divisions
over his storied 16-year career. Mosley has defeated them all, including the
likes of Oscar de la Hoya, Fernando Vargas (twice), Luis Collazo and Ricardo
Mayorga, but his most recent victory could be his most spectacular – a ninth
round stoppage of Antonio Margarito in January 2009 to win the welterweight
world title for the third time.
Mosley has a worldwide fan base and feels that he can continue to win, including
one more world championship, his sixth, which is an amazing feat for any fighter,
but seems easy when you’re a given the hallowed "Sugar" nickname,
shared by Mosley with the legendary "Sugars," Robinson and Leonard.
He also hopes to ascend back to the number one spot on the mythical pound for
pound list, which will only happen by taking on the best in the world, fight
in and fight out.