Manny Pacquiao is set to go against Shane Mosley on May 7 to take place in Las Vegas.
Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions informed The Associated Press that the deal would more or less be completed as soon as Mosley’s lawyers go over and approve of the final paperwork for the fight between Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao to proceed as planned at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
According to Arum, Manny Pacquiao decided to go ahead with the bout because as far as he is concerned, Mosley is one of the most famous and accomplished boxers among the list of possible candidates. The other candidates included Andre Berto and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Arum said, “He’s the most recognizable name, and it’s a difficult fight for him… People are also saying, ‘Well, why hasn’t he fought an African-American fighter?’ He’s doing that, but mostly it’s because Mosley is the biggest name.”
Though fans are calling for a Floyd Mayweather, Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao fight, the latter realizes that a superbout with Mayweather may still be impossible given the amount of legal troubles Mayweather is currently facing.
As of the moment, Pacquiao, with his 52-3-2, 38 KOs, is seated on top of the whole boxing world after successfully defeating Antonio Margarito in November 13, 2010. Pacquiao has won 13 consecutive fights so far, and has claimed several world titles in 8 various weight classes. His victory against Margarito was the most recent one.
Although Arum understands that he may have some trouble selling a fight between Pacquiao and the 39-year old Mosley, he believes that Mosley still has the speed and skill that will definitely be challenging for Pacquiao.
Arum said, “That was obviously a negative, but Shane Mosley is capable of doing great things.”
