Shane Mosley
Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971),[2][3] often known by his nickname "Sugar" Shane Mosley, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2016.[4] He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF lightweight title; the WBA (Super) and WBC welterweight titles; and the WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring magazine light middleweight titles. He was also a lineal champion at welterweight (twice) and light middleweight.[5]
In 1998, the Boxing Writers Association of America named Mosley as their Fighter of the Year.[6] He was also given the same honor by the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2000 and 2001 he was named the world's best active boxer, pound for pound, by The Ring.[7]
Early years[edit]
Mosley was born in Lynwood, California, and raised in Pomona, California. He has two older sisters, Venus and Cerena.[8] Mosley became interested in boxing after watching his father, Jack, box in street fights.[3] Mosley has been trained and managed by his father since the age of eight.[9]
Mosley was an amateur standout, capturing various amateur titles, including:
As an amateur, Mosley completed a record of 250–16.
Professional career[edit]
Early career[edit]
On February 11, 1993, a 21-year-old Mosley made his professional boxing debut in a scheduled six-round fight at the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California. His opponent was Greg Puente, who he knocked out in round five. Mosley fought a further 6 times in 1993, winning all of them inside the distance. In 1994, Mosley fought 9 times, winning all of them and 8 inside the distance. He was taken the 10 round distance by Oscar Lopez. In April 1995, Mosley knocked out Raul Hernandez in round 2 at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, California. In July, he knocked out 34-year-old veteran Mauricio Aceves in round 4 at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California. Aceves was best known for being the first-ever WBO World lightweight champion.
In January 1996, Mosley had his first fight outside of California since beginning his pro career. He fought at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, knocking out 35-year-old Mike Bryan in round one. By May 1997, Mosley went 23 fights unbeaten, with 22 coming inside the distance.
BALCO scandal[edit]
In August 2002 federal agents initiated investigations into BALCO, a California-based laboratory suspected of selling banned performance-enhancing drugs to top athletes. Shane Mosley was among those named as a BALCO client, and he testified before a grand jury that he injected himself with the energy-boosting drug EPO and used undetectable steroids known as "the cream" and "the clear", acquired from BALCO, prior to his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, which Mosley won by a unanimous decision.[124] Mosley insisted that he did not knowingly take banned substances, and thought they were vitamins.[125] He said he believed "the cream" was flaxseed oil, but under questioning he admitted it was probably something else. In 2008 Mosley launched a $12 million defamation lawsuit against BALCO founder Victor Conte, who claimed that Mosley knowingly took performance-enhancing drugs. The suit was dismissed with prejudice in November 2010.[126]