Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 | 9:33 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.
Since defeating Oscar De La Hoya Sept. 13 at the MGM in Las Vegas, Shane Mosley has been an innocent bystander in a postfight whirlwind of controversy whipped up by promoter Bob Arum; been subpoenaed to testify in a federal investigation of a Bay Area drug lab; seen a $7 million payday fly out the window when a tentatively scheduled fight with Ricardo Mayorga was derailed by the latter's unexpected loss to Cory Spinks; and been subjected to questions about the De La Hoya fight when a since-refuted story claimed that fight may have been fixed, an allegation that surfaced as part of an FBI raid of Arum's office last week.
Oh, and he has also taken a fight with fellow champion Winky Wright, which will be held March 13 at Mandalay Bay.
Throughout it all, Mosley remains the cheerful, smiling, seemingly honest man that has always made him easy to like and admire.
"It's a bad financial move but I'm not fighting for money anymore," Mosley said this week as his fight with Wright was formally announced. It's a bout that will bring him a guaranteed $4 million, which is certainly decent but not anywhere near the estimated $7 million to $8 million he would have received for fighting Mayorga and nowhere near the money he could have received for a third fight with De La Hoya.
"I do care about money but it's the principle," Mosley said of refusing to accept less money than De La Hoya if they are to fight again. "The principle overrides the money."
Mosley, 32, has defeated De La Hoya twice and has a professional record of 39-2 with 35 knockouts. He is the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association junior middleweight champion.
Wright, also 32, holds the International Boxing Federation championship at 154 pounds and is 46-3 with 25 KOs.
The fight provides the first opportunity since the formation of the IBF in 1984 that all three major titles in the junior middleweight division will be held by the same man.
Mosley is a minus 330 betting favorite in the sports book at Mandalay Bay.
Wright is a plus 250.
Tickets, priced from $50 to $600, go on sale Jan. 24.
"I had a lot of doubt that something like this would ever happen," Wright said of landing the major fight he has actively chased for at least a couple of years. "I think a lot of people in the sport wanted me to lose so that I would never get this opportunity."
But even this opportunity has its asterisk, as Mosley and Mayorga had tentatively agreed to a March 13 fight prior to Mayorga facing the unheralded Spinks Dec. 13 in Atlantic City. Spinks, the IBF welterweight champion, won that fight by majority decision, which eliminated Mayorga as a viable opponent for Mosley at this time.
"Maybe people shouldn't make fights before other fights have yet to happen," said Mosley's promoter, Gary Shaw, in a somewhat critical self-evaluation.
With Mayorga out of the picture, Shaw and Mosley did "the next best thing" and took the fight with Wright.
"It's truly a meaningful fight," Shaw said of the bout, which will be televised by HBO.
"We're getting together to have one champion," Mosley said. "I know what it's like to be in Winky's shoes and want to be the No. 1 guy.
"I also want to be the best out there, that's why I want to fight the best. Until I retire, you're always going to get the best out of me."
Mosley, whose only two losses came in back-to-back fights against Vernon Forrest in 2002, certainly gave his best effort in beating De La Hoya at the MGM, winning on each of the three judges' cards by a 115-113 score. He was ahead by four points on the Sun's card that night, having exhibited an invigorating offensive attack while withstanding De La Hoya's occasional flurries and power shots.
Only Arum -- and the HBO broadcasters working that fight -- thought the judges' decision was in error.
"The crowd swung to my side during the fight," Mosley said. "I didn't sense that they thought the decision was wrong.
"They want to see you fight and Oscar didn't really do that. He didn't show his grit.
"There was no controversy in the crowd."
Arum later apologized for his remarks and was slapped on the wrist by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his outburst.
Mosley then saw his name surface as part of a federal investigation into Victor Conte and BACCO Laboratories of Burlingame, Calif. The feds brought in several prominent athletes, Barry Bonds among them, to testify on the performance enhancing drugs that Conte allegedly was distributing to his clients.
There was no indication that Mosley had used the drugs or had been among Conte's clients.
Wright, meanwhile, was taking care of business and defending his title Nov. 8 at Mandalay Bay, defeating Angel Hernandez by decision. But it was far from a spectacular performance, just as his previous victory, against J.C. Candelo March 1 in Las Vegas, had a run-of-the-mill feel to it.
"I think Winky got bored by his competition," Shaw offered.
"He's right, I have been," Wright said later when apprised of the comment. "It's just that simple.
"You need opponents that make you do the extras. You need to fight great fighters to put that extra effort out.
"Everybody says those weren't exciting fights (vs. Hernandez and Candelo) but it was because those were the opponents I was given.
"This time, it's going to be different."
Wright, a southpaw whose losses have come against Julio Vasquez (in 1994), Harry Simon (in 1998) and Fernando Vargas (in 1999), said his power stats are deceiving and that he will do whatever it takes to upset Mosley.
"I can punch with anybody," he said. "I may not knock everyone out, but that's more a matter of just not hitting them at the exact, perfect time.
"Shane looked real good against De La Hoya but that makes it more exciting for me. If I've got to run 100 miles per hour (in the ring) to stay ahead of him and win, that's what I'll do."
Mosley hopes to not be chasing Wright during the fight, although he realizes there are times when it may appear as if that's what's happening.
"I think he's been fighting to the level of his competition," Mosley said. "But now is the opportunity to show what he can do.
"The difference is, I think I have more power than Winky. He may be a southpaw and he may be as tall as Oscar and he may be fast, but I don't think he's as strong or as hard to beat as Oscar is. And I beat Oscar twice."
Mosley's father, Jack, who doubles as his son's trainer, agrees.
"Everybody knows these are two great fighters," he said. "Winky, most of all, can be a busy fighter. But I think he's going to be hit with some punches that he really doesn't understand."
The Orleans has lined up lightweights Jairo Ramirez and Ricardo Fuentes to headline its Jan. 30 show. Ramirez is 14-1 and Fuentes is 16-1. Adam Carrera, 12-1, vs. Philip Payne, 13-9-1, has been announced as an eight-round fight at 122 pounds, and super bantamweight Cornelius Lock (10-1-1), middleweight George Walton (13-2) and junior welterweight Avelino Chavez (9-0) also have spots on the card. ... Troubled ex-champ Johnny Tapia is profiled in the February edition of Playboy magazine. ... Ishe Smith, 13-0, meets Randall Bailey, 27-3, tonight from Santa Ynez, Calif., on the Showtime cable network in a significant fight for the Las Vegas native and junior welterweight contender.
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