Mosley: I’ll hit Pacquiao on the chin

It’s alright with Sugar Shane Mosley if Manny Pacquiao’s camp thinks he would be the easier opponent compared to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez or reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Andre Berto of Haiti. The more he’s taken for granted, the better. “They think I’m the easier fight, that’s fine with me," said Mosley in an interview published in the L.A. Times. “Pacquiao’s a fighter like me. He comes forward. I promise you, I’ll hit him on the chin. His defense is not that good. I knock out all those guys who come at me." Mosley is one of the three marquee names — along with Marquez and Berto — being considered as Pacquiao’s next opponent when the Filipino boxing sensation makes his first ring appearance in 2011. Although already way past his prime at 39 and not that impressive against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Mora, the native of Pomona, California, said he’s got the perfect style to beat Pacquiao. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, admitted they are both leaning towards Mosley taking on Pacquiao in a scheduled April 16 fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Arum, for one, believes a third and highly-anticipated meeting with the 37-year-old Marquez is no longer appealing to the casual boxing fans, while Berto, a native of Haiti, has yet to truly establish a fan base in the U.S. Still, the final decision rests on Pacquiao, to whom Arum will present the viability of all three fights once he arrives in the country next week to attend the Dec. 17 birthday celebration of the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter today. And Mosley believes he is the chosen one. “I think they’ve made their decision already and that I’ll be hearing from them around Dec. 18," said the only boxer to have beaten the great Oscar De La Hoya twice in the ring. “I’m a better fight, and I say that starting with the question people ask: If Marquez and Shane fight, who would win? Me. I’m the better puncher and the stronger guy." Mosley personally made a pitch for a future showdown with Pacquiao to Arum last month when he went to Arlington, Texas for the eight-time world champion’s super-welterweight title fight against Mexican Antonio Margarito. Koncz said Mosley claims he’s no longer associated with Golden Boy Promotions, the leading promotional rival of Top Rank, although he remains among the minor stakeholder of the boxing company owned by many-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley insists he has not breached the agreement he had with Golden Boy that stipulates he’s not allowed to enter any agreement with other fight promotions. After all, he said, there’s no deal yet signed between him and other parties involved. But the three-time world champion said he should be allowed to make the fight many believe could be Mosley’s final stab at glory. For its part, Golden Boy has been trying to move heaven and earth to make a third Pacquiao-Marquez fight happen. “I was trying to get this Pacquiao fight, and I never knew Golden Boy was going to make this big campaign for Marquez," said Mosley. “My intention wasn't to leave Golden Boy, just to make the fight happen. When I got it done, people started going crazy and showing me their true colors. It's made me believe they didn't want me to have the fight in the first place. “But how is that betrayal? They're making the fight I want. They're not telling me what's going on. I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing. I'm 39." - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV