Mosley eyes fight with Pacquiao

Shane Mosley is keen on fighting the winner of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton showdown for the International Boxing Organization welterweight crown on May 2 in Las Vegas.

Especially if the victor turns out to be the Filipino ring icon.

“I’m very interested in that fight,” Mosley, the WBA welterweight champion, told Ricardo Lois of Examiner.com. “I really want that fight. Very good for the boxing world and the public, Manny Pacquiao being No. 1 in the pound for pound list.”

But the 37-year-old Mosley doesn’t want to go down to junior welterweight anymore, saying it would be very difficult for him to fight at 140 lb having fought at 154 in the past.

Mosley noted that Pacquiao and Hatton fought at 147 lb with contrasting results. Hatton absorbed his lone defeat from the now-retired Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2007 while Pacquiao stopped boxing’s poster boy Oscar De La Hoya in eight rounds last December.

If the fight with either Pacquiao or Hatton doesn’t work out, Mosley, a three-division world champion with a record of 46 wins, five losses and one no contest, spiked by 39 knockouts, said he is interested in having a rematch with Miguel Cotto.

Two years ago, Cotto beat Mosley by a close but unanimous decision.

The 5-foot-9 Mosley owns the distinction of besting De La Hoya, the world’s only six-division champion, twice.

After Hatton, Pacquiao is looking at two more fights before hanging up his gloves.

Among those prominently mentioned as possible opponents are Cotto, Mayweather Jr. WBO super featherweight champion Joan Guzman and Juan Manuel Marquez, who is raring for a third fight with Pacquiao after his ninth round stoppage of World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organization and International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Juan Diaz last month.

In their first meeting on May 8, 2004, Marquez battled back from three first round knockdowns to forge a controversial draw.

In their return bout last March 15, Pacquiao squeezed out a split decision victory over the 35-year-old Mexican to win the WBC super featherweight crown.(Roy Luarca)