WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Shane Mosley is already tired of Floyd Mayweather’s pre-fight antics and will knock him out when the two meet in May, the boxer said Wednesday.
The two American fighters scuffled on their opening day of their press tour in New York and 24 hours later at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington went nose-to-nose jawing at each other.
“I’m a mild-mannered guy. People must understand I’m a gentleman when the other person has been a gentleman as well,” Mosley told reporters. “If he wants to get feisty, that’s OK.
“His personality is to fight before the fight. Since I’m older I understand this. He can’t do the same thing he’s done to other fighters because I know his tactics.
“He’s not in my head, no. I’ve waited for this fight for too long.”
Whether or not the pre-fight clash was merely boxing theater, it is clear Mosley does not care for Mayweather, who has been hurling insults this week as quickly as his jab.
“I’m just happy this fight is taking place,” said Mosley. “He can say what he wants to say, he can do what he wants to do. It doesn’t matter to me.
“I just want him to show up in the ring. There’s nothing he can say to me that would make me mad. I just want to see him on May 1 and we can settle it with our fists.”
The Mayweather-Mosley fight at the Las Vegas MGM Grand was signed only after the mega-fight between Mayweather and WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao collapsed.
Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) bristles at the idea that he was an afterthought, having long sought a fight against either Mayweather or Pacquiao.
“I was waiting for a year to fight either one of these guys,” the WBA welterweight champion said softly. “Did they care if I was going to wait? No. But it’s the fans who are going to benefit from this fight.”
“I don’t play. I give 100 percent. I’m going to give everything that I have. Mayweather knows that.”
The 38-year-old Mosley was nattily attired in a charcoal gray suit, with a light-green shirt and a green floral tie. He glanced at Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs), who was casually dressed in a sweatsuit.
Mayweather, 33, laughed with fans, signed autographs and posed for pictures. Each signature was accompanied with an insult lobbed toward Mosley.
Mosley shrugged and said: “I’m going to knock him out. I can’t wait to get into the ring and dig my teeth into Mayweather. It’s going to be the fight of the decade.”
