– From Dan Rafael’s Notebook on ESPN, Oscar De La Hoya will use Shane Mosley as a sparring partner for his May 5th bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I will help Oscar out and keep myself in shape as well,” Mosley said. “I’m probably the closest thing fighting to Mayweather right now, so it will be a good advantage for Oscar to work with me. I will get some fight tapes and study Mayweather and his style. I will be able to imitate him and help Oscar dismantle Mayweather.”
I guess if you can’t beat him, spar with him. Mosley is 2-0 against De La Hoya in his career. You can’t ask for a better training partner than that. Although it begs the question, if De La Hoya couldn’t beat Mosley when he was in his prime, how would an older Oscar be able to beat Mayweather?
– Talks of a middleweight title fight between champion Jermain Taylor and Sergio Mora, The Contender winner, have fallen apart. A date had already been set and the financial matters had been worked out, but Sergio Mora refused to fight in Memphis. I assume Mora would like to fight on the west coast but it seems silly for a challenger to make those type of demands. Taylor is looking for a new opponent for HBO’s May 19th date. An offer has been made to Cory Spinks. That fight would suck so it’s pretty likely to happen. Edison Miranda has been calling out Taylor and would make for a far more exciting opponent, which is why that fight won’t happen. Miranda is scheduled to face Kelly Pavlik in a #1 contender fight this summer, with the winner getting a shot at Jermain Taylor. That doesn’t mean the fight will actually happen, however.
– Johnny Tapia almost died, again. Tapia just recently retired from a boxing career in which he earned five world titles. His life outside the ring is just as dramatic as his time inside the ring. Tapia was admitted to a hospital last week after a cocaine overdose. Tapia was in serious condition but has since been upgraded to fair condition. To make matters worse, Tapia’s brother-in-law and nephew were killed in a car wreck last Tuesday. In his book “Mi Vida Loca” (My Crazy Life), Tapia claims he has been declared clinically dead six times.
– Fightnews.com mentions that Erik Morales is rumored to be making a move to lightweight to face WBC champion David Diaz. Morales has fought as a lightweight once before, a 2005 loss to Zahir Raheem. It’s clear that Morales doesn’t have much left in the ring so this may be his final hurrah.
– Victor Burgos remains in a medically-induced coma after his brutal beating at the hands of Vic Darchinyan. Burgos underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. He is still unconscious but has movement in his hands and feet. Burgos looked bad after the fight and had to leave the ring on a stretcher. Hopefully everything works out and Burgos will be able to return to his family.
– Marco Antonio Barrera faces Juan Manuel Marquez on HBO PPV this Saturday but there are some other big fights this weekend. Middleweight prospect John Duddy faces The Contender‘s #1 Daddy Anthony Bonsante on PPV. Also, Evander Holyfield continues his comeback against Vinny Maddalone, O’Neil Bell defends his Cruiserweight title in a rematch with Jean Marc Mormeck on the MSG Network, and Telefutura is showing Super Bantamweight champion Celestino Caballero against Ricardo Castillo.
