Manny Pacquiao: Shane Mosley Fight Won't Be Easy

Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, who is vacationing in the island resort of Boracay in the Philippines, says his upcoming bout with Shane Mosley is not going to be an easy fight.

Boxing insiders said that Mosley is not a worthy opponent, as he is past his prime, while the pound-for-pound king is at the peak of his boxing career.  Pacquiao commented in response to these claims.

Mosley is almost forty years old, and boxing fans say Pacquiao has cherry picked Mosley for a rich purse and an easy fight.

The reigning WBC super-welterweight champion had to remind everybody that Mosley knocked out Antonio Margarito in the ninth round of their January 2009 fight.

For 12 hard rounds, Pacquiao threw bricks at Margarito last Nov. 14 at Cowboys Stadium, but failed to send the 5'11'' Mexican down to the floor even once.

“Wala namang easy fight dyan (There’s no easy fight out there),” said Pacquiao.

“They said Margarito was an easy fight. But you all saw that it was not. Easy ba ‘yun? (Was it easy?) And Mosley knocked out Margarito,” added Pacquiao, chilling out in Boracay.

Pacquiao's handlers quickly defended their choice of Mosley, saying the former three-division champion has an impressive record of ring victories, including his sensational triumph over the legendary Oscar De La Hoya almost seven years ago.

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, says Mosley is definitely not an easy opponent, citing his record of victories over De La Hoya in 2000 and 2003.

“People keep saying this is going to be easy, but it’s going to be tough, especially in the first four rounds,” said Roach, rating Mosley over Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto, who were also considered as opponents for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao's adviser Michael Koncz likewise defended their choice of Mosley: “Mosley’s very dangerous in the early rounds, but after that, Manny’s going to stop him and become the first guy to knock him out, something Mayweather couldn’t do,” Koncz said.

Bob Arum, the owner of Top Rank Promotions, who is handling Pacquiao, said the Pacquiao-Mosley match is going to be a very interesting fight.

"Mosley is very dangerous, he’s a very slick fighter, very experienced," said Arum, "Manny’s style is made to order for Shane. It should be a very, very interesting fight."

"He (Pacquiao) liked Mosley because Mosley is better known than the other two," Arum said of the choice. "It is a name selection. He picked the guy that is known to more people because that is going to generate interest in the fight."

Arum was referring to Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto as the two other shortlisted opponents of Pacquiao.

The Pacquiao-Mosley fight will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 7, 2011.