The Neutral Corner

Manny Pacquiao stopped David Diaz to win the WBC lightweight title on Saturday in Las Vegas and in doing so he captured a title in his fourth weight class. With Floyd Mayweather Jr. in retirement, the talk now is that Pacquiao should also be adorned with the mythical title of best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the sport of boxing.

Maybe.

Pacquiao, a southpaw, is a fantastic action fighter. He throws punches in bunches but not of the pitty-pat variety. The man can hurt you. Like Naseem Hamed of yesteryear, he's awkward and much of his power comes from his foundation -- strong legs.

But this corner can't help but wonder if timing has played a major role in Pacquiao's ascension to the top. His biggest wins have come against Marco Antonion Barrera and Erik Morales, when both men were on the downside of their careers. His recent win over Juan Manuel Marquez came against a 34-year-old champion.

HBO will air the PPV fight on Thursday and Saturday. Interesting, Pacquiao sparred for the Diaz fight with rising Cuban prospect Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Look at photos from the Manny Pacquiao-Diaz fight.

Read the AP report of the Manny Pacquiao-Diaz fight.

-- CASSIDY

We caught up with Escalade, AKA Troy Jackson, from Queens, cousin of former New York Knicks guard Mark Jackson. Escalade has been a fixture on the wildly popular And-1 streetball hoops tour. Escalade was ringside at a recent fight with four-time Golden Gloves champ Brian Adams.

The Neutral Corner: With both men in their prime, who wins, Ali or Tyson?

Escalade: Wow. Wow! I'll go with Ali. I'm from New York, born and raised and Tyson is my boy. But I played at Louisville in college and Ali came by and gave us some pep talks. So I say Ali.

The Neutral Corner: Who wins, Tyson or Escalade?
Escalade: (Laughing) Me. I'm from the city, I don't back down. I know one thing, it would end in a knockout either way. I told Junior Jones and Brian Adams if they want to make a comeback, I'd fight either one at a catch weight of 225 pounds.

The Neutral Corner: Who wins, an MMA fighter or a pro boxer?
Escalade: If it's MMA rules, an MMA fighter. If it's boxing rules, a boxer would win.

The Neutral Corner: How about Floyd Mayweather Jr. against Sugar Ray Robinson?
Escalade: I think Floyd would win. Athletically you can't keep up with an athlete from 2008. He has advantages in training, in dieting. It's a whole different ballgame. Athletes today are stronger and faster.

The Neutral Corner: What is the best fight you've seen in person?
Escalade: Terry Norris vs. Sugar Ray Leonard at the Garden. I was like 16. The other one would be Oscar de la Hoya vs. Sugar Shane Mosley, the first fight.

Cuban boxer Erislandy Lara, left, and promoter Ahmet Öner

It’s happened again. Another top Cuban amateur boxer has fled the island and landed in Germany. Former amateur world champion Erislandy Lara will fight professionally for promoter Ahmet Öner under the Arena Box banner.

According to a release, the welterweight left Cuba on a speedboat, arrived in Mexico and then flew to Hamburg on Thursday. He is scheduled to make his debut in Istanbul on July 4.

“It feels great to be in Germany”, said Lara in the news release. “I don’t want to talk about the details of my escape. I am just glad to be here and I am looking forward to turning professional and becoming champion of the world.”

This is the fourth Cuban boxer to defect and fight for Arena Box. In December of 2006, Olympic gold medalists Odlanier Solis, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Yan Barthelemy left a training camp in Venezuela and signed with ARENA Box-Promotion.

“Unfortunately the communist regime in Cuba still puts a lot of pressure to different people,” said Öner. “It’s about time that things change in Cuba and that they finally accept and respect Human rights… I am sure that Lara will be able to compete with the best in the world very soon. He’s an outstanding talent like Gamboa and Solis.”

Lara had attempted to defect last summer at the Pan Am Games in Brazil. He and two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux left the team during competition. They were caught later at a seaside resort and were arrested by Brazilian police for overstaying their visa. While in custody, the Castro regime exerted tremendous political pressure to have the fighters returned to Cuba.

The fighters feared that their remaining family members in Cuba would be mistreated and agreed to return home. At the time, in an attempt to diminish the consequences back in Cuba, both claimed that they did not intend to defect, but rather, were out partying and then became embarrassed because they missed curfew.

Lara and Rigondeaux – perhaps the two best active fighters on the island – were left off the 2008 Cuban Olympic boxing team.

It has also been announced that Lara and Barthelemy will be co-promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.

"It takes special talent to excel for so many years in the Cuban amateur system," De La Hoya, a U.S. gold medalist in 1992, said in a release. "I know that Yan and Erislandy will use that experience to soar through their professional careers."

-- CASSIDY

If you were at the Book Revue in Huntington you would have seen Oscar De La Hoya signing copies of his book. Lefthanded. That's right, Oscar is a natural southpaw who fights in an orthodoxed stance. And that explains the power in the Golden Boy's left hook and the snap in his left jab.

You'll learn a lot more about Oscar if you purchase his book -- "American Son: My Story." He said the book is an honest and revealing story of his life in which he tackles the triumphs and the setbacks. The book is published in English and Spanish.

By the time we left the Book Revue, the line stretched outside the building and into the street. Watch this video to hear what the Golden Boy had to say about his book and who he may fight since Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement.

-- CASSIDY

That’s the way he wanted it. It wasn’t always the way I wanted it. But today, I know he was right.

It’s Father’s Day and the world of sports has thousands of great Father’s Day stories. I’d like to share mine with you.

My father fought under the name of “Irish” Bobby Cassidy from 1963 to 1980. His fights were often covered on the back pages of the local newspapers. I grew up with a professional athlete in the house, but one who never forgot to call his two sons no matter the time zone or area code in which he found himself. His career took him to nearly half the states in the union and to Sweden, Italy, South Africa, Belgium and Trinidad.

It was a tough act to follow. But I was willing.

As a young kid, I had seen my father fight in person seven times and at home I’d often watch his fight films. I’d put on his Kelly green trunks and his gloves and mimic the action in the living room of our Levittown home.

There was one film that would always serve as a reminder of what boxing is and why I could never confuse this make-believe game with my other sports fantasy of playing shortstop in Yankee Stadium.

The footage was grainy and the frames of the black-and-white 16 millimeter film sometimes hiccupped, accelerating ahead of the action. As worn as the film was, there was no confusing what took place on October 13, 1970 at Sunnyside Garden in Queens, New York.

As the film starts, two men come together at the center of the ring. Johnny Burnside is the man in the white trunks. My father is the man in the dark trunks, which I recognize as the green pair I wear in our living room. At the age of 26 and 163 pounds, my father is near his prime. His wavy black hair is cut short. His back is wide and his torso is funneled into the narrow waistband of the green trunks. Interpreting his body language is like reading an essay in confidence. He arrives at this fight, at every fight, savoring the conflict before him. When it is accomplished inside of a ring, the physical dismantling of another man can be elevated to art.

My father was an artist, supremely certain about the beauty – the destruction – his fists were capable of producing.

Burnside, a Golden Gloves champion and unbeaten pro, was touted as the future of the middleweight division. This fight was an important steppingstone en route to being a contender. Burnside would solidify his reputation with a win on this night.

The footage begins rolling by and the action is fast-paced. Burnside is bouncing on the balls of his feet, firing right crosses with an emphatic enthusiasm that illustrates his confidence and determination. My father, in his seventh year as a pro, is calm and patient. He counters with left hands. Burnside, full of youth, speed and adrenaline, is growing comfortable with the pace to which this violent ballet has been set. In the final moments of the fourth round, my father drives home a stiff left hand that causes Burnside’s legs to shimmy.

The blow should have served as some form of notice that, in boxing, your future can change with a single punch. But such warnings are often lost on the young and gifted. The fifth round begins with the same pattern. Burnside is moving nimbly, pumping right hands. My father is following. But now his posture changed from studying his opponent to stalking him. A weakness has been exposed and not even Burnside’s talent or enthusiasm can save him. It happens, suddenly, midway through the round. A left uppercut – boom -- followed immediately by an overhand left – BOOM! -- and Burnside is moving about the ring like a man who has one foot stuck in a bucket. Another left sends him tumbling backward to the ropes.

I watch the remaining moments again and again. The ropes prevent Burnside from falling. He is lying, motionless, at a 45-degree angle between the third and fourth strand. His arms are down, his chin pointing to the ceiling. My father moves closer to Burnside, his left arm swinging back. This will be the definitive blow of the fight, perhaps the final blow of Burnside’s life. There is absolutely no hesitation on my father’s part. The left hand starts to come forward when, seemingly out of nowhere, the referee grabs my father’s arm. But like a windmill, my father’s right arm is also in motion. Its destination is Burnside’s head. It is airborne; the referee is unable to rein it in. Somehow the momentum of the referee upsets my father’s balance and, luckily, the right hand sails harmlessly into the arena’s smoky air.

The referee begins to issue a 10-count but stops the fight at the count of five. The camera pans to my father, pacing the ring with his arms raised in triumph. Twice he glances to the corner where they are attempting to revive Burnside.

Johnny Burnside did wake up. He was escorted to his dressing room and wept when he was told of what happened. “I don’t remember any of it,” he said in the papers.

My father remembers all of it, every frenzied second. The adrenaline rush of scoring a knockout and the sense of satisfaction in derailing a popular young prospect. And yes, the consequences of what could have been if another left hand landed.

“It’s not something you think about,” he told me when, as an adult, I asked him about the fight. “As a fighter, you can’t afford to think about that. You have a job to do. You fight until they stop you. It’s instinct. He would have done the same to me.”

It was true. His profession did not allow him to contemplate his own mortality or that of his opponent. It was all part of the risk he willingly took in each fight. With two sons growing up in the shadow of his legend, he could certainly afford to think about the dire byproducts of boxing as it related to us. He pondered it often and was unwavering in his belief.

“My sons will never fight,” and he stated it with pride.

Today, I thank him for that. And I thank him for exposing me to a sport where nobility and grace and honor are found in three-minute intervals at every fight card in the world.

My father retired from boxing in 1980. He had 59 wins, 15 losses and 4 draws. He was a contender in four weight classes, fought main events in both the old and current Madison Square Garden, went on to train two world champions and has been inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.

By steering me away from the ring, he encouraged me to play many sports. Today, by the luck of my job, I get to watch many different sports, including boxing, at many different levels.

And for every single event that I’ve covered, I’ve always had one thought. I wish I was watching this with my Dad.

Happy Father’s Day.

Please watch this wonderful video of the original Middle Class Middleweight. It was produced by my brother Chris. The song is called, "Last Party," by the Huntington-based band, Mad Larry.

-- CASSIDY

Anyone interesting in catching some great fights this summer, Top Rank, which released its summer schedule, is the organization to follow.

Thursday, June 26, The Orleans Arena, Las Vegas - VERSUS
12 Rounds, Lightweights
ANTHONY PETERSON, 26-0, 19 KOs, Washington, D.C.
vs. FERNANDO TREJO, 30-13, 18 KOs, Mexico City

10 Rds., Super Welterweights
VANES MARTIROSYAN, 19-0, 13 KOs, Glendale, Ca.
vs. ANGEL HERNANDEZ, 28-6, 16 KOs, Chicago

Saturday, June 28, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas - HBO PPV
"LETHAL COMBINATION"
12 Rds., WBC Lightweight Championship
Champion DAVID DIAZ, 34-1-1, 17 KOs, Chicago
vs. MANNY PACQUIAO, 46-3-2, 34 KOs, General Santos, Philippines

12 Rds., WBO Featherweight Championship
Champion STEVEN LUEVANO, 35-1, 15 KOs, LaPuente, Ca.
Vs. MARIO SANTIAGO, 19-1, 14 KOs, Ponce, Puerto Rico

10 Rds., Heayweights
TYE FIELDS, 40-1, 35 KOs, Las Vegas
vs. MONTE BARRETT, 33-6, 19 KOs, Queen, N.Y.

12 Rds., Jr Lightweights
HUMBERTO SOTO, 43-6-2, 27 KOs, Los Mochis, Mexico
vs. FRANCISCO LORENZO, 32-4, 14 KOs, San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

Saturday, July 5, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Las Vegas - Showtime
'NO EXCUSES' REMATCH!
12 Rds., WBO Super Lightweight Championship
Champion RICARDO TORRES, 32-1, 28 KOs, Barranquilla, Colombia
vs. #1 contender KENDALL HOLT, 23-2, 12 KOs, Paterson, N.J.

10 Rds., Jr. Welterweights
LAMONT PETERSON, 24-0, 11 KOs, Washington, D.C.
vs. ROGELIO CASTENADA, 24-13-3, 8 KOs, Sacramento, Ca.

Saturday, July 12, Monterey, Mexico
Latin Fury 5
10 Rds., Super Welterweights
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR., 36-0-1, 29 KOs, Culican, Mexico
vs. MATT VANDA, 38-6, 21 KOs, St. Paul, Minn.

12 Rds., IBF Light Flyweight Championship
Champion ULISES SOLIS, 26-1-2, 20 KOs, Guadalajara, Mexico
vs. GLENN DONAIR, 17-3-1, 9 KOs, General Santos, Philippines

Wednesday, July 16, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, Ca.
12 Rds., Heavyweights
HASIM RAHMAN, 45-6-2, 36 KOs, Las Vegas
vs. JAMES TONEY, 70-6, 43 KOs, Sherman Oaks, Ca.

Saturday, July 26, MGM Grand, Las Vegas - HBO PPV
"THE BATTLE - LA BATTALIA"
12 Rds., WBA Welterweight Championship
Champion MIGUEL COTTO, 32-0, 26 KOs, Caguas, Puerto Rico
vs. ANTONIO MARGARITO, 36-5, 26 KOs, Tijuana

Saturday, July 26, Cannes, France
12 Rds., WBA Light Flyweight Championship
Champion BRAHIM ASLOUM, 23-2, 9 KOs, Bourgoin Jaillieu, France
vs. GIOVANNI SEGURA, 19-0, 15 KOs, Bell Gardens, Ca.

Saturday, August 2, Site TBA - HBO
12 Rds., Vacant IBF Welterweight Championship
JOSHUA CLOTTEY, 34-2, 20 KOs, Accra, Ghana
Vs ZAB JUDAH, 36-5, 25 KOs, Brooklyn, N.Y.

It may be career suicide, but it appears Ricky Hatton has turned down the opportunity to fight Oscar De La Hoya. Hatton beat Juan Lazcano last month and a fight with Oscar would clearly bring the British welterweight the largest payday of his career.

Prior to Hatton's fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Oscar was talking Hatton up as a possible future opponent. Hatton was dominated by Mayweather Jr., losing for the first time in his career.

According to the AP, Hatton doesn't want the fight because the Sept. 20 date is too soon. There is talk of Hatton fighting Brooklyn's Paulie Malignaggi at the Garden in the fall.

Here is the AP report of Hatton turning down Oscar De La Hoya.

By the way, Hatton said he is hoping Mayweather Jr. comes out of retirement so he can get a rematch with Floyd. He wouldn't be considered a favorite to beat Oscar, but he'd have a far better chance of winning that fight than he would a rematch with Mayweather Jr.

-- CASSIDY

BY MARCUS HENRY

If we've learned anything about boxing, it's that boxers rarely leave the sport on top or on their own terms. (Apologies to Rocky Marciano and Lennox Lewis). If Floyd Mayweather is indeed done with the sport, I'm not mad at him. He's made enough money for his grandkids to live on. And let's face it, too many boxers leave the sport broke and in poor health. If he isn't finished and makes a comeback within the next 10 to 12 months, I wouldn't be surprised either, because money talks. If Top Rank or Golden Boy Promotions comes forth with a $30-plus million offer for Mayweather to return to the ring, could he say no to that? Few of us, if any, could turn down that kind of money.

Assuming Mayweather is really retired it will open the door for top spot in the sport. WBC and WBO middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik, who had no problems taking down Gary Lockett last Saturday, is primed for a big-ticket event in the near future. Joe Calzaghe (a bout which could be announced in the coming weeks, if not days), Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins (yeah, I know, wishful thinking) are the likely candidates for Pavlik. No, Jermain Taylor fans, the boxing world doesn't want to see Pavlik-Taylor part III. I know I don't.

A Pavlik-Calzaghe fight would draw big viewership and big money. A Pavli-Jones or Pavlik-Hopkins fight could, too, but to a lesser extent. A Pavlik-Calzaghe matchup would bring in the big European audience and big European dollars that Jones and Hopkins couldn't. To be honest, Calzaghe, fresh off his defeat of Hopkins, is the hottest fighter of the three.

Miguel Cotto is also on the short list of fighters who could emerge as the next big name in the sport. If he can get by Antonio Margarito, Cotto will have his choice of who to take on next. Oscar De La Hoya is probably on the top of his wish list. Top Rank hasn't made any official announcements regarding Cotto's future since Mayweather's announcement, but any reasonable boxing fan can assume that Bob Arum and his crew will work hard behind the scenes to set up a Cotto-De La Hoya thriller. While I wouldn't necessarily call that fight the passing of the torch in terms of popularity (Cotto doesn't have the charisma, charm or crossover appeal De La Hoya has), it would cement Cotto as one of the top two fighters in the world.

The winner of that fight could lure Mayweather out of his so-called retirement. Stay tuned.

A very, very busy boxing weekend.

It all kicked off with the news Friday that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has announced his retirement from boxing ... again. Floyd says that he no longer has the passion to fight. If that is true, then good for him. Boxing is a sport that you can't approach half-way. If you do, you get hurt. But, in boxing, no retirement is ever permanent. So we'll wait and see.

Here is an AP story about Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s retirement.

It will be curious to see which fighter Oscar De La Hoya selects to replace Mayweather on his September card. The picks here are either Shane Mosley, Ricky Hatton or Miguel Cotto. Hatton and Cotto already have fights lined up, but when Oscar calls, plans change.

In Atlantic City, middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik stopped Gary Lockett in the third round. The result is no surpise. Here is a recap of the Pavlik-Lockett fight, courtesy, again, of AP.

What was a surprise is what took place at Foxwoods. 'The Contender' reality star Sergio Mora upset Vernon Forrest to win the WBC super welterweight title. He is the first Contender alum to capture a world title after appearing on the show. (Several had been champions prior to their participation on the ESPN series.) Mora won a majority decision. Here is a fight report on Mora-Forrest from TheSweetScience.com

I was waiting for the weekend to pass before writing the "Contenders are merely pretenders" blog entry. When you watch Alfonso Gomez, Stevie Forbes and Peter Manfredo Jr. get dominated by world-class fighters, it puts the show in it's proper perspective. Not that Mora beating Forrest was unthinkable at this stage of Forrest's career, but it does give the series a shot of credibility. We'll revisit this topic soon.

And finally, Larry Holmes, Eddie Perkins, promoters Frank Warren and Mogens Palle, writer Joe Koizumi and the great New York Times sports columnist Dave Anderson are being enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame today in Canastota, New York. Congrats to the class of 2008.

-- CASSIDY

Could a fight between Mike Tyson and Kimbo Slice happen?

After Kimbo Slice’s debut on network television, sports fans on the internet were chatting and posting about a potential Slice-Mike Tyson fight. It’s good for both sports that the casual fan is intrigued by the possibility of this match.

It could happen. Here’s why.

If Kimbo Slice continues to get the kind of exposure he's gotten since fighting on CBS, and if he continues to win, the public will make it so that people will get very rich off this fight. So, when there is money to be made, things tend to get done.

Kimbo’s promoter is Gary Shaw, who got his start in boxing and still promotes some of the best fighters in the world. MMA and boxing generally don't mix, but in this particular case, one man is firmly entrenched in both sports. Shaw has the wherewithal and connections to make the fight a reality. In fact, Kimbo was part of the ring walk for Cuban sensation Yuriorkis Gamboa when he fought on HBO recently. (Shaw co-promotes Gamboa in the U.S.)

And for the third reason, we return to the issue of money. According to some published accounts, Tyson’s fortune is long gone. Any time a fighter has ventured into the realm of Mixed Martial Arts, it is because they have viewed it as a quick and easy score. That’s a mistake for Tyson or any other fighter who crosses over. Nonetheless, if money is indeed a factor for Tyson, half the battle is already won.

While the comparisons between Slice and Tyson are rampant, they don’t really ring true. Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, a man who dominated the game for nearly a decade. My MMA sources tell me that Kimbo would be defeated by nearly every legitimate heavyweight fighting in the UFC. (Kimbo currently fights for UFC rival, EliteXC.)

As imposing as Kimbo is, the experts peg him as a neophyte in his own game.

Still, he has the aura of intimidation that you can't ignore. Shaw gave this quote to TheSweetScience.com about Slice and Tyson: "Slice is the closest thing I know to Tyson. He has an on and off switch. When it is on, someone is in trouble for sure."

Slice is indeed a phenomenon, but before Tyson's rape conviction, Iron Mike was as big as it gets in the world of sports. He earned $20-million paydays and drew pay-per-view numbers that the UFC hasn't even sniffed yet. Tyson was on the cover of Time magazine, Sports Illustrated and nearly every other major national publication you can imagine. He did national commercials for Pepsi and Kodak. Slice still has a long way to go to reach greatness within his own sport and to achieve the kind of celebrity that Tyson enjoyed. In fact, he still enjoys it. In terms of relevance to boxing, Tyson hasn’t been a factor since the Lennox Lewis fight in 2002, but people are still talking about him, still making documentaries about him.

The appeal of a Slice-Tyson fight has everything to do with the mystique that surrounds both fighters. Slice became an internet legend when his ferocious street fights were broadcast on YouTube. Tyson was forever boxing’s bad boy, saying things like, “Everyone has a plan until they get hit.” And that he tried to catch his opponent on the tip of his nose to "drive his nose into his brain." He hit fighters when they were down, and after the bell, and, of course, he bit a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear off.

Was there ever a badder dude on the planet?

The people around Slice believe he is. If a fight of this magnitude were to happen, here’s why it would make sense right now for both men. When making a match, any astute boxing manager tries to get some kind of an advantage for his fighter. The advantage for Tyson would be, fight the guy now before he gets better. Catch him on the way up. The advantage for Slice would be the opposite, catching the guy on the way down. And in the case of Tyson the fighter, he’s about as down as he’ll ever be.

“Bad” Chad Dawson, the current WBC light heavyweight champion often watches MMA fights and tunes in especially to watch Slice. He doesn’t think Tyson should fight him. “I watched Kimbo Slice, he’s a big strong guy. I don’t think the fight would be a good idea for Mike. I wouldn’t want to see him do it. Once he got him on the ground, the fight would be over.”

That is most likely true. Even though MMA folks say that Slice has no ground game, he has more ground game than any boxer. A few years back, he beat a 46-year-old Ray Mercer by bringing him to the ground and squeezing his rib cage with those massive legs. No, Slice couldn’t drop Mercer with a punch, but he did force him to submit. All this certainly works against Tyson.

Remember, the last thing a fighter loses is his punch. And it's always been my contention that one of the main differences between a boxer and mixed martial artist is their ability to take punches. Wouldn’t you like to see what would happen if Tyson nailed Kimbo with just one left hook?

I would.

-- CASSIDY

By Marcus Henry
Marcus.henry@newsday.com

Paulie Malignaggi has never been one to admit his fears publicly. All of that changed after his split-decision victory over Lovemore N’Dou last Saturday. The 27-year-old IBF junior welterweight champion admitted the broken right hand he suffered during the fight could bring forth an early end to his boxing career in an interview on the nationally syndicated radio show “Through the Ropes” last Thursday.

Several rods were placed in his right hand during a recent surgical procedure. It’s the fourth time Malignaggi (25-1, 5 KOs) has broken the hand. “I want to be able to use my hand after boxing,” he said during the interview. “But if I keep breaking it, that could cause some real problems down the road.”

The hand injury shouldn’t do anything to prevent him from fight Ricky Hatton, however, according to promoter Lou DiBella. No fight date has been set, but as usual, Malignaggi was not at a loss for words regarding Hatton.

“Even though he comes forward, if you look at him, Ricky Hatton does not like to get hit,” said the Brooklyn native. “I promise you, if I have two good hands, I will beat him badly. It won’t even be close.”

There is a report that trainer Derryl Hudson and BALCO boss Victor Conte say that Sugar Shane Mosley knew he was taking a performance enhancing drug prior to his second fight against Oscar De La Hoya.

Sugar Shane Mosley fights Oscar De La Hoya in 2003. Mosley has been accused by Victor Conte of using a performance enhancing drug while preparing for this fight.

Here's a link to the story by AP that ESPN moved on its web site regarding the Victor Conte, Shane Mosley BALCO mess.

Conte and Hudson both claimed in court papers that they witnessed Mosley injecting the drug.
Mosley has testified under oath that he unwittingly took the PED -- the excuse that way too many athletes have used.

The reaction to all of this has been interesting. The media came down much harder on James Toney when he tested positive for steriods. Perhaps its because we all want to believe Mosley, who is a well-liked and well-respected figure in the sport.

The one person's reaction this corner is waiting for is that of De La Hoya. He and Mosley are business partners now. But their two fights were razor close and some have made the argument that Oscar could have gotten the decision in both fights.

Oscar has a limited number of fights left in him, but De La Hoya-Mosley III would still be a great fight. -- CASSIDY