Among the famous bouts that Shane Mosley participated in was the 2010 match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Apart from the pay-per-view sales that raked in over $78.3 million, the contest remains famous for the head-on way then-thirty-eight-year-old Mosley took on Mayweather Jr. A first-time experience for ‘Money.’ But, per many accounts, the battle was overdue by five years. Shane Mosley was close at hand to illuminate what transpired in the background, leading to the eventual delay.
Referring to a post-fight interview, seemingly one after the Henry Bruseles fight on January 22, 2005, the ‘The Art of Dialogue’ reporter shared that Floyd Mayweather Jr. called out both him and Prince Naseem Hamed. So he asked Shane Mosley why he and Mayweather Jr. never exchanged punches at the time. More so, he came across rumors of ‘Sugar’ shunning it because of some toothache.
Why it took five years for Shane Mosley to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.
So Shane Mosley tried to recall how an opponent, during a bout, headbutted him. It resulted in one of his teeth turning loose. He kept mentioning (Antonio) Margarito. But per records, he fought the Mexican-American fighter on January 24, 2009. The incident made him apprehensive about getting into a slugfest with Mayweather Jr. However, he cited a more compelling reason. Shane Mosley said that he checked for a matchup with ‘Pretty Boy’ in the 135-pound division, where he stood, during an interview stint with ESPN. Mayweather Jr. was in the 130-pound range.
Mosely shared that the undefeated champion declined, saying he first wanted to clear the Super Featherweight division. He mentioned how only a few knew such details. ‘Sugar’ noted that the fight eventually occurred only after he moved to the Welterweight division. By then, he was older and not as good as he used to be. However, he still went ahead and fought. ‘The Art of Dialogue’ reporter asked whether their respective teams were in touch to bring forth the match.
Shane Mosley declined to take any such steps. He revealed the reason why the fight finally occurred in 2010. So, he was a partner in Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy Promotions and was present in the ring alongside Bernard Hopkins. He said, “… so the real reason is that when I got in the ring, Bernard Hopkins was like, yo, what’s up? What’s up? You go, finally, and that’s when we started talking, and then Mayweather got mad…”
Shane Mosley declined to take any such steps. He revealed the reason why the fight finally occurred in 2010. So, he was a partner in Oscar De La Hoya‘s Golden Boy Promotions and was present in the ring alongside Bernard Hopkins. He said, “… so the real reason is that when I got in the ring, Bernard Hopkins was like, yo, what’s up? What’s up? You go, finally, and that’s when we started talking, and then Mayweather got mad…”
Shane Mosley stayed with boxing for over two decades. The high-profile career saw him participate in sixty-one fights, of which he won forty-nine. He retired in 2016, roughly a year before rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. staged a comeback to fight Conor McGregor and finally retired for good. He reportedly rejoined Jake Paul’s team. The latter called up ‘Sugar’ after the loss to Tommy Fury to prepare him for the Nate Diaz fight.
