Pretty Boy outpowers Mosley

FLOYD ‘Pretty Boy’ Mayweather scored a unanimous points win over fellow American Shane Mosley in a welterweight non-title bout in Las Vegas on Saturday.

The 33-year-old recovered from almost being floored for the first time in his career in round two to win 11 of the 12 rounds to extend his record to 41-0. The judges scored the bout 119-109, 119-109, 118-110.

“I went toe-to-toe, it’s not my style but I wanted to give (the fans) that kind of fight,” he said afterwards.

Mosley is five years older than his opponent but took the bout to the five-weight champion and gained the initiative in round two. Several big rights to the head saw Mayweather’s legs buckle, and a follow-up flurry of body jabs forced him onto the ropes.

Asked how he had recovered, Mayweather replied: “When you get hit, you’ve got to suck it up and keep on fighting. And that’s what I did.”

Despite a confident start by Mayweather, Mosley responded in round two with punishing blows with his right. Mayweather buckled and was pinned against the ropes after Mosley switched his attack to body jabs.

But with Mosley’s work rate slowing, Mayweather regained the initiative in rounds three and four with well executed combinations and low body jabs, and went on to dictate the rest of the fight with measured body jabs and crunching rights.

Mayweather was set to fight Manny Pacquiao before a row over pre-fight blood-testing derailed negotiations, but insisted afterwards the bout could still happen. “If Manny Pacquiao wants to fight, it’s not hard to find me,” he said. “If Manny will take the blood and urine tests, we can make the fight happen.”

Mosley, who has 46 wins from 52 fights and weighed in 1lb heavier than Mayweather at 10st 7lbs, had not fought since a ninth-round stoppage of Mexican Antonio Margarito in January 2009. His record stands at 46 wins, six defeats and 39kos.