FIGHT WEEK BLOG: OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN

LOS ANGELES -- "Sugar" Shane Mosley returns Saturday night to the scene of his biggest victory.

January 23, 2008 - by Chuck Johnson | Photos by Will Hart

And, just as it was June 17, 2000 when he soundly outboxed Oscar De La Hoya to win the WBC welterweight title in the first-ever boxing match at the Staples Center, Mosley views his HBO-televised fight (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) against WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito as a golden opportunity to proclaim himself the top 147-pound fighter in the world.

"This fight will pretty much put me back to where I was and let people know I'm still doing it, that I still have the passion and that I haven't lost anything,'' Mosley says. "I'm going to show that I still can dig in there and pull a rabbit out of my hat. It means a great deal to me. Almost 10 years later, I'm about to become big again."

Likewise, the Margarito-Mosley title bout is making a big splash in Tinseltown with a sellout crowd of 20,000 expected tonight at the Staples Center.

The huge throng of fans at Friday's official weigh-in demonstrated that enthusiasm as fans of Margarito, the Mexican legend who made his mark fighting in southern California, and those of Mosley, a native of nearby Pomona, Calif., jammed the Nokia Plaza on a rainy afternoon to cheer on their man.

"This is going to be a great fight,'' says Mosley, who made weight at 147 pounds on the nose on his second try while Margarito, still riding the notoriety of his title-winning 11th-round TKO victory in July against previously unbeaten Miguel Cotto, weighed-in at 145.8 pounds.

"Everybody should thank Margarito for accepting this fight,'' Mosley says. " He could have fought anybody after his victory against Cotto, but he chose to fight me here at the Staples Center. He's from Mexico, but he's from LA, too. We both come from Cali and we both came up the hard way here in LA. We both have big hearts, good chins, speed and power. Margarito has good power but I might have a little more speed. Saying all that, I'm just ready to go."

Mosley prepared for this fight in the mountains of Big Bear, Calif. and with a new trainer, having replaced his father Jack Mosley with Nazim Richardson, the long-time cornerman of Bernard Hopkins.

Richardson, alluding to skeptics who think Mosley, at age 37, won't be able to deal with Margarito, who is seven years younger, predicts a stunning victory.

"I've worked with a couple of the greatest fighters in history, one is Bernard Hopkins and the other is Shane Mosley,'' Richardson says. " I know my position. My position is not to teach Shane Mosley how to fight. Jack Mosley taught him how to fight and did an exceptional job. The change has nothing to do with that.

"My job is to find the flaws in Antonio Margarito, who's a great champion, and put together a format that helps Shane exploit those faults. I believe that's what we've done and you'll see that (Saturday night)."

Richardson says he hopes Mosley is given credit if he succeeds against Margarito, who is considered a solid favorite based on the relentless pressure he brings.

"After this fight, don't declaw Margarito,'' Richardson says. " They say he's a monster, so let him be a monster after the fight also. A lot times what happens is before the fight you hear about the killer. Then after the fight, you hear excuses. After he wins, lift Shane back to where he belongs. This fight puts him back, if not equal, very close to where he was when he beat Oscar De La Hoya."

Mosley, a four-time world champion in three weight divisions (135, 147, 154), was already a lightweight champ and a made man in boxing by the time he decisioned De La Hoya in their first of two fights against each other. He also decisioned him three years later in Las Vegas.

"All the fights I had at lightweight made me because all my title defenses at lightweight were by knockout,'' Mosley says. "But it was the fight at the Staples Center when I beat Oscar De La Hoya that took me to another level. That's what made people say Sugar Shane is the real deal."

Jack Mosley, though he'll be on the outside looking in for this fight, will be on hand to root for his son. He says their professional split is Shane's decision and he harbors no ill feelings.

"He wants to use (Richardson) to fight this guy and that's fine. It just frees me up to train my other fighters," Jack Mosley says. "I work with some heavyweights and I also train (my grandson) little Shane Jr.

"I don't need to be in the limelight like that. Even though I'm not training him, I think Shane will win the fight. As long as he has the energy, he's got the style to beat this guy easily. But he's got to have the energy."

Mosley lost a tough decision against Cotto in November, 2007 but rebounded with a dramatic 12th-round knockout against Ricardo Mayorga in September.

The senior Mosley says what the public doesn't know is that Sugar Shane recently had surgery to remove scar tissue from his nasal passages that was allowing only 60 per cent of his oxygen.

"He found this out after the Cotto fight and had the scar tissue removed. He's getting 100 per cent oxygen now. That's going to play into having a lot of energy. People don't know that and they think he's going to get tired because he's been looking sluggish in a lot of his fights. But if he had been getting 100 percent oxygen, he probably would have knocked Cotto out in five rounds. And if he fights Cotto again, he WILL knock him out in five rounds."

It's what Mosley and Margarito did respectively against Cotto that has many fans favoring Margarito to win a great fight. Indeed , there's no lack of familiarity between the two Los Angeles-area combatants.

"There are no secrets here,'' Margarito says. "We know each other well. He knows my style. I know how he fights. It's going to be who's better that night. I've prepared myself very well and I'm very confident I'm going to win the fight."

Mosley says he's not concerned about Margarito's reputation for relentlessness.

"I know how to fight pressure guys who keep coming at you,'' Mosley says. "I know how to fight guys who have great chins. If I didn't, then maybe there would be some problems. But I know his pedigree and his style. I feel great, sharp and special . I feel like I have cape on and I'm ready to fly."