Now 44 years of age, former three-division world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley isn’t quite the box office draw that he used to be. But he’s hoping to recapture some of the old magic by tabbing another boxing legend to train him for his next fight.
According to a report by Andreas Hale of Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday, Mosley has hired Roberto Duran, widely seen as one of the greatest fighters ever, as his new trainer.
“I am very happy to have Duran on my team. This is the type of addition that will push me even farther,” Mosley was quoted as saying. “He is a fighter that I looked up to when I was coming up. How can you not learn from a legend like him?”
The twice-retired Mosley (49-9-1, 41 KOs) is in the midst of his second comeback tour, having knocked out longtime rival Ricardo Mayorga in the sixth round of a farcical fight last August, then defeating Patrick “El Elegante” Lopez via 10th round stoppage in Duran’s native Panama in December.
While the now 64-year-old Duran has not had a history of success with fighters nicknamed “Sugar” (see: Leonard, Ray), he is nevertheless an icon in the boxing world. His storied career in the ring extended over 33 years and earned him title belts in four different weight classes. Duran holds a lifetime record of 103-16 with 70 knockouts.
Mosley’s next opponent has yet to be officially announced. But with Duran, who fought his final professional bout at the ripe age of 50, in his corner, Mosley should get some worthwhile insights to say the very least.
