Mosley seeks return to title mix with Mora bout

LOS ANGELES—Shane Mosley, whose five-title career seemed all but over after a lopsided loss to Floyd Mayweather in May, will seek to put himself back in the title mix when he takes on Sergio Mora on Saturday.

Mosley, 39, will return to the scene of two of his biggest triumphs when he faces former World Boxing Council light middleweight champion Mora, a fellow American, at the Staples Center.

"I have to get past Sergio Mora," Mosley said this week. "I thank him for taking the fight and accepting the challenge. This guy is not someone to take lightly.

"He beat Vernon Forrest. I never beat the late great Vernon Forrest. He is a competitor and he comes to win."

Mosley rocked Mayweather in the second round last May, but faded badly in the final 10 rounds.

Veteran trainer Emanuel Steward noted in his television commentary that Mosley was "looking his age" during the fight.

Mosley, who owns a record of 46-6 with 39 knockouts, says he's "feeling better" than he did at his pre-Mayweather training camp, "landing more shots," in sparring.

The fight will be contested at 154 pounds, rather than Mosley's usual class of 147. He said that he considered opponents other than the taller and heavier Mora, whose victory in the 2005 reality television show "The Contender" gave him some prominence but also caused some boxing purists to discount him.

"I have a lot of qualities that have been overlooked because of television," said Mora, who brings a record of 22-1-1 with six knockouts to the bout. "I earned my spot on 'The Contender'.

"Now, it is time. It is my time now and I'm excited about that."

The undercard of a promotion celebrating Mexican Independence features Mexican sensation Saul "Canelo" Alvarez taking on Argentinian veteran Carlos Baldomir.

Alvarez, whose shock of ginger hair and freckles gave him his nickname - which means cinnamon - will face the biggest test of his career in the 39-year-old Baldomir.

Promoter Oscar de la Hoya believes the pay-per-view bout could be a launching pad for the 20-year-old Alvarez, a brawler who turned pro at 15 and put together an impressive run of seven straight knockout victories in 2008-09.

Outside the ring, Alvarez has makings of a cross-over celebrity - much like de la Hoya himself.

He's in a paparazzi-pleasing relationship with television reporter and former Miss Universe contestant Marisol Gonzalez.

The son of a horse trainer, Alvarez is a keen rider, and de la Hoya said his appearances on horseback just add to his appeal to female fans.

"The girls love seeing him on a horse - love it," de la Hoya said.

"He's already a rock star with Mexicans," de la Hoya said of Alvarez (33-0-1, 25 KOs). "If he wins Saturday, the same thing is going to start happening all over the world for Canelo. I think he'll become a man on Saturday. He could be the next big thing in the sport for the next 10 years."

Inquirer