Mosley's Fists Need to Do Negotiating
LAS VEGAS — Separated by only two seats at Thursday's news conference to hype tonight's Shane Mosley-Raul Marquez 12-round junior middleweight fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, Mosley and promoter Bob Arum are worlds apart on the subject of Mosley's worth as a fighter. They remain stalemated over a possible Mosley-Oscar De La Hoya fight in September, Mosley not ready to accept Arum's offer of a guaranteed $4.25 million.
But Arum was happy to illustrate his side of the argument by taking a reporter down the hall from Thursday's news conference to the arena where tonight's fight will be held.
It is the 12,000-seat arena De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas filled five months ago for their 154-pound title fight, a match that drew about 950,000 pay-per-view buys.
But that arena will look drastically different for tonight's fight. Bleachers have been wheeled in to seal off the ring, cutting the capacity to less than half at 5,000. That was all, it was believed, the fight can draw -- and not all of those seats have been sold.
There will be no pay-per-view for Mosley. Tonight's bout will be shown on HBO beginning at 7.
The limited appeal of tonight's fight is not really surprising. De La Hoya alone has shown the ability to draw, regardless of the opposition. Mosley has needed another marquee name in the ring, and he's hardly getting that tonight in Marquez.
But that doesn't mean it's not a big fight for Mosley. In fact, few have been bigger. It's his first fight at 154 pounds, the weight at which he will face De La Hoya if that fight does occur.
And it's a fight that Mosley must not only win, but win convincingly if he ultimately decides to settle for Arum's offer.
"I am not going to dwell on anything other than this fight," Mosley said. "Raul Marquez is in a world of trouble. He thinks he will be able to push me around, but I think I am going to be stronger and even better at this weight."
Arum insisted Friday that he would pull out of the tentative agreement unless Mosley puts on an overpowering performance tonight.
A loss, of course, would end the discussion.
And it's not as if Arum doesn't have an alternative. He has intensified discussions with Vargas as a substitute for Mosley.
In the Other Corner
Talk about an afterthought!
Marquez need not even have bothered to attend Thursday's news conference, because the focus was all about after tonight and what will happen with the De La Hoya fight.
