At 39, Shane Mosley says biggest fights still ahead of him

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010 | 6:42 p.m.

At 39-years-old, Shane Mosley believes he still has what it takes to beat the best boxers in the world.

Whether or not he’ll get the chance to prove it will be decided Sept. 18.

Mosley (46-6, 39 KO) will look to bounce back from a lopsided decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. he suffered on May 1 when he meets Sergio Mora (22-1-1, 6 KO) later this month at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The light middleweight contest is far from the highest profile fight of Mosley’s career — but at this point, it might determine what big fights are left for him.

“The fact is that not every NFL game is the Super Bowl,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “The storyline on this card is when people have their backs against the wall, that’s when they become dangerous.

“For Shane, coming off the loss it is a must win; especially since he’s 39-years-old.”

Despite rocking Mayweather in the second round of that May fight in Las Vegas, Mosley was clearly dominated, losing nearly every round according to all three judges.

After the fight, some believed that Mosley’s age played a factor, as he appeared to lose steam quickly in the middle rounds.

During a conference call Thursday, however, Mosley blamed the performance his neck tightening up during the fight.

The former three-division champ went on to say that, physically, he feels as strong as he has at any point in his career.

“It’s evident that I can go until I’m 45, 46, 47, if I want to,” Mosley said. “It just depends on how I feel. I’ll know when it’s time to hang up the gloves. Right now is definitely not the time.”

Mosley is favored to win the fight, but he could have his hands full against the bigger Mora on Sept. 18.

Mora won’t carry the name recognition of some of Mosley’s recent opponents, but he certainly showcased his boxing ability by becoming only the second man in the world to defeat Vernon Forrest in June 2008.

Although Forrest came back with a unanimous decision win in a rematch three months later, it was an impressive performance from Mora — particularly to Mosley who came up short in back-to-back fights against Forrest in 2002.

“(Mora) is a little bigger, works hard and he’s a competitor,” Mosley said. “He’s lost one time in his career and that was to Vernon Forrest.

“I think that people are mistaken in thinking this is going to just be a walk in the park when it’s really not.”

Mora will also be looking to prove he’s deserving of a high-profile fight after contract issues and the decision to turn down a title fight against Jermain Taylor in 2007 led to a lot of inactivity for the 29-year-old.

A former cast member on the television reality series "The Contender," Mora fought just once in 2007 and not at all in 2009.

But after signing with Golden Boy late last year, Mora now feels the fights he deserves are coming — starting with Mosley.

“I think I’m in a position where I’m mentally ready for the best at junior middleweight or middleweight,” Mora said. “Whether that’s (Antonio) Margarito, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Paul Williams or Sergio Martinez, I’m ready for the absolute best.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at LVSunFighting