“That kid’s got a jheri curl! It’s 2010 baby, he must’ve jumped in that hot tub time machine!”
“How do you wait until you’re 38 to get your first tattoo? Tell ‘em how you asked Golden Boy for an advance to get a nose job.”
“I don’t have to worry about alimony, that’s you. But hey, me and Jin gon’ split this money!”
The soft-spoken, mild-mannered, gentleman from Pomona, CA is usually all smiles. There’s no denying it’s been a little cringeworty, at times, seeing Shane Mosley in unchartered territory: trash-talking.
From the very outset of the promotion, Who R U Picking?: Mayweather vs. Mosley, his opponent, the brash and undefeated Floyd Mayweather, Jr., has made it quite clear that even a future Hall-of-Famer like Shane wasn’t above reproach.
At a press conference last February in NYC, their first of three stops across the country to hype their May 1 Welterweight showdown, Mayweather, who many predicted would be more subdued than usual out of respect for ‘Sugar’ Shane, was as venomous as ever. He dissed Mosley’s style, his bank account, and went as far as to mention recent divorce from his wife of seven years, Jin Mosley. Worse yet was watching Mosley attempt to fight fire with fire. It was the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight. For the first time and last time ever, we saw Shane Mosley flaunt his custom made suite to reporters and cameras.
“I’ve already got him out of character; I’m already in his head.” Mayweather proclaimed. “Before everything, his trainer said there would be no trash talking. That makes us one up.”
If you thought Mayweather would eventually relent and pay homage to a man who, on paper, is the most dangerous opponent he’s fought in years, then 24/7 would prove just how wrong you were. Mayweather used the critically acclaimed HBO series to further degrade his rival, claiming he barely knew who he was and insisting that Mosley be grateful toward him for “allowing (Mosley) to share a ring with greatness.”
Through it all, aside from an occasional jab thrown in defense, Shane has continued to smile and shrug off the words of his challenger. But how great would it be if he, for once, chose NOT to go that route?
Imagine Shane Mosley hurling verbal bolos back at Floyd Mayweather? What a site that would be to behold. It isn’t like he doesn’t have the ammunition to work with, much of Mayweather’s blips are very highly publicized. Sure, it isn’t who Shane is, he’d prefer to do his talking in the ring, but as Mayweather’s PPV numbers suggest, entertainment is entertainment everywhere. The build-up to the fight is every bit as important as the event itself.
Let’s give Shane something to work with. I’m sure the Welterweight Champion of the world doesn’t need a mouthpiece, well, technically he does, but you get the point. Here are five things that Shane Mosley can do/say to make up ground in the war of words, and with the physical part of the war rapidly approaching, he doesn’t have much time! These gems could even things up, or even give him the psychological advantage heading into the ring.
Shane could arrive at Friday afternoon’s official weigh-in, draped in the red, white, and blue, followed closely by Uncle Sam who reaches into his bag and makes it rain tax money on the fans.
Shane could have his trunks and the shirts of his cornermen read Crystal Palace Skating Rink Las Vegas: We Know Floyd.
Have rapper, and recent Floyd Mayweather and 50 Cent foe, Rick Ross lead him into the ring.
After both fighters touch gloves in the middle of the ring, Shane leans in and tells Floyd, “I’ve been using undetectable steroids this whole time, I’m going to punish you!”
