9:09 AM, June 4, 2009
Shane Mosley has made no bones about his desire to fight Manny Pacquiao,
appearing on ESPN's "SportsCenter" to call him out, then announcing in
the last week that he's willing to fight at a catch weight against
boxing's top pound-for-pound fighter and accept a 60-40 split of the
purse for an Oct. 17 bout.
On Wednesday, Mosley's publicists released "news" implying Pacquiao wanted to fight Mosley next.
That isn't necessarily true, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum told The Times later Wednesday. And now Pacquiao's saying it, too.
In his own press release, Pacquiao was said to be
"surprised and flattered over the enterprising reports which came out
in the media that a fight with Sugar Shane Mosley has been forged
Wednesday."
"It's funny that I am the last man to know about
this supposed fight. I know everyone wants to fight me and I have said
I will fight anyone, including Mosley," Pacquiao said. "But I have not
heard from my promoter or have seen any contract or fight detail. So,
there is no fight yet."
"I am flattered that even the great Sugar Shane
Mosley is now going after me by any means. I am not closing the door on
any negotiations, though, and I trust my promotional and training team
to make the best decision for me."
"I am not blaming people for coming up with ideas
to lure me to fight them. I have said it before and I will say it
again, I will not run away from a great fight. Floyd Mayweather
is even using reverse psychology, saying he will not agree to fight me
for a 50-50 purse. Of course everyone wants to fight me."
"We will make the announcement at a proper time and a proper place after all the fight details have been discussed."
Pacquiao, 30, has won world titles in six divisions, including his May 2 second-round knockout of England's Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao will watch Miguel Cotto
fight in New York on June 13, then huddle with his team to discuss his
next bout. He could decide to fight Cotto, Mosley, or wait to see the
July 18 bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he has already fought twice.
In his Thursday news release, Pacquiao announced,
"For sure, my next match will be on June 18 to 21 and it will be
against some of the best darters in the world" -- the $100,000 Pacmania
II Darts Tournament in Burbank.