Mayweather-Mosley talks proceeding ‘like a breath of fresh air’
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The preliminary talks for a Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Shane Mosley fight in May are going far smoother than Mayweather’s ultimately scrapped negotiation earlier this year with Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather’s advisor told The Times today.
‘It’s like a breath of fresh air, and I’m sure you understand what I’m referring to,’ Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe said.
Team Mayweather is in talks with a Mosley negotiating team that includes the Pomona fighter’s attorney and business partner, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions. Schaefer represented Mayweather in the failed Pacquiao talks. The welterweight fight between wolrld-champion Mosley and unbeaten Mayweather is being negotiated to occur either May 1 or May 8 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
‘Things are going very smoothly,’ Ellerbe said. ‘It’s a mega, mega-fight, and we’re happy that we’re going to be able to give the boxing fans what they want to see.’
If there’s one obvious elephant in the room it’s how Mayweather is going to handle his push for drug testing after his push to have Pacquiao subjected to random blood tests up until 14 days before the fight caused talks to crash. Pacquiao, who’ll now fight Joshua Clottey March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, would only agree to accept a blood draw 24 days before a bout.
Mosley has admitted he used the banned designer steroids known as ‘the cream’ and ‘the clear’ before his 2003 super-fight victory over Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley says he unknowingly used the drugs, as well as energy boosting EPO, which is a banned substance in international sporting events.
‘Floyd has made it clear that any man who steps into the ring against him must agree to random blood and urine tests,’ Ellerbe said.
Ellerbe declined to say if that stance was proving problematic in the Mosley talks, or who would preside over such testing. The Nevada State Athletic Commission will subject the fighters to random prefight urine tests.
--Lance Pugmire
