Mosley said he can try and make 144 and then he plans to climb the ring against Pacquiao at 154 lb or anywhere he’s comfortable at without sacrificing his speed.

Mosley asked Roach why they can’t fight him at 147 lb just like Dela Hoya and the three-time Trainer of the Year simply said Mosley is not Dela Hoya.

Mosley is coming off a big win over Antonio Margarito last January. In that fight, the fighter from Pomona, California looked like a budding superstar, showing great speed and power to win inside nine rounds.

Usually in boxing, common sense comes to the fore in the end, when all parties concerned realise that the fight has to happen due to the sheer size of the event and of the money to be made from it. Let’s hope this turns out to be the case with Pacquiao-Mayweather just as it was with Hatton-Pacquiao - another fight that looked to be off for a while due to disagreements over the monetary share the two fighters were to be paid. In the end, both sides came to their senses, but in an interview today with The Philippine Star, Arum made it clear Mayweather and his team will have to make a big concession if the fight we all want to see is actually made.

“You can tell Floyd Mayweather that Bob Arum says he’s delusional,” Arum said. “Floyd is not the attraction. Manny is the attraction. Floyd’s got no idea what he’s talking about. Floyd must be hallucinating when he said he wants the bigger purse and wouldn’t agree to a 50/50 split. Even a 50/50 split with Floyd Mayweather is nonsense.”

“I feel that Manny Pacquiao’s big enough and should be strong enough for me and him to have a good fight,” said the 37-year-old, 5-foot-9 Mosley, a former world junior middleweight champion.

“Pacquiao was the only one that said yes, he would actually fight me, and I commend him for that. That’s how tough fighters should do.”

Mosley said he won’t be like the now-retired De La Hoya, who dodged criticisms about a supposed mismatch on his favor prior to his fight with Pacquiao in December last year in Las Vegas.

“The pound-for-pound guy is Pacquiao, so that’s my number one choice,” said Mosley. “I think about the future and accomplish my goal. My goal is to be the pound-for-pound No.1 fighter.”

By Robert Cassidy
To this corner, Manny Pacquiao is in the driver’s seat. He’s on top, he should dictate terms. He is wildly popular at home and in the States. If he fights Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Sugar Shane Mosley or Miguel Cotto, it’s big business.
Let’s try to make some sense …

“I want it to be known that I want to fight Pacquiao and I want to fight him now,” Mosley told the AFP. “I’m willing to meet at a catch weight to make that happen.

“I know this is what Freddie Roach wants as well. I am the best fighter in boxing and I am ready to reclaim the title of No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.”

Roach has said the weight could be 143 or 144 pounds. Mosley, 37, has not fought below 146 since 1999 and has fought as high as 154.

“When I was growing up I used to admire Oscar de la Hoya, he was my hero,” Pacquiao explained.

“I also used to like Roy Jones Jnr and Julio Cesar Chavez but Oscar was my number one.

“I was very honoured to actually fight him, that was a real high point for me because of the amount of respect I had for him.”

Although Hatton had built a reputation as a hurtful puncher, Pacquiao said the now-retired “Golden Boy” possessed the edge in power.

“Hatton was strong but he wasn’t like de la Hoya because Oscar was very heavy-handed,” he said.

“Anyway, at this level when anyone hits you it hurts!”

His easy-going demeanour can make you forget that he is one of the most dangerous unarmed men on the planet. Pacquiao doesn’t talk big but his record speaks for itself.

The Asian superstar believes a big part of his continuing success is down to the input of trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.

“Freddie has helped me a lot,” he explained.

“He has shown me a lot of new things and helped me to develop. He is a great trainer and I think he is the best in the world.”

If Shane Mosley is too tough, then how can this fight, especially considering the weight differential, be billed as anything other than a safe comeback bout? It isn’t as if Marquez is a young man moving up from weight class to weight class. Nor can the fact be ignored that in recent years, Marquez, once thought to be a defensive specialist, has been getting hit more and more and getting into war after war. Against Juan Diaz, Marquez looked to be getting blown out early before rallying in the middle rounds and knocking the younger Diaz out. It was a spectacular fight but one that showed vulnerability in Marquez. Perhaps that above all, is the reason this fight is happening. After all, beating the rival of Manny Pacquiao, who hasn’t shown vulnerability as he has moved up to the welterweight division, is a perfect way of setting up what would truly be a super fight between the current consensus number one pound for pound fighter and Mayweather.

Whatever the case, the fight is on and with it the hype train has left the station. A multi-city, international tour is already underway, tickets have gone on sale and will most likely sell out in hours, and HBO’s reality show 24/7 will be back on in full tilt to follow the fighters up to the first bell.

By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer takes over the training of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on Monday when trainer Freddie Roach leaves for Britain to be in the corner of lightweight Amir Khan for his battle with Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera at the M.E.N Arena in …