Mosley is back to business against Berto

LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya likes to say at that all roads lead to Sugar Shane Mosley.

Andre Berto has decided to take the trip, perhaps because Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr wouldn’t. One day, Mosley believes that Pacquiao and Mayweather will have to come his way.

Until they do, there’s Berto on Jan. 30 at Mandalay Bay in a fight on a Golden Boy Promotions card that could upset the welterweight map if he beats Mosley.

Berto (25-0, 19 KOs) is convinced he will. So is his promoter, Lou DiBella, who praised Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) as a legend who wasn’t quite the force he appeared to be last January in his stunning stoppage of Antonio Margarito.

“He lets you look better than you are,’’ DiBella said to Mosley during a formal news conference at Mandalay Bay before the Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto showdown at MGM Grand.

DiBella suggested that Margarito’s feared reputation was forged by gloves found to be loaded with a plaster-like substance before Mosley stopped him in the ninth round in Los Angeles.

“Right before the fight, he got caught for being the cheater he is,’’ said DiBella, fueling further suspicions that Margarito’s gloves were loaded before his stoppage of Cotto in July, 2008.

Mosley sounded as if he only wanted to move on and get back to business. He, like Margarito, has been idle since January.

“I have this fire in my stomach,’’ Mosley said. “I can’t tell you. I’m so anxious to show my skill.’’

Mosley tried – and tried – to talk Pacquiao into a fight, but Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum had other plans and fewer complications. Arum also promotes Cotto. Then, there was Mayweather, who was angry at Mosley for climbing into the ring and then onto the stage at the press conference after Mayweather’s decision over Juan Manuel Marquez in September.

Mosley wanted to remind Mayweather that he was still there, that he wanted a shot. But Mayweather confronted him, saying he was only trying to crash his victory party.

“I still want to fight Mayweather,’’ Mosley said. “But it’s all up to him’’

Now 38, Mosley said he intends to fight four more years. Joshua Clottey, he said, was a possibility.
“Over four more years, I can make $20 million,’’ Mosley said.

After the Mosley-Berto news conference, heavyweight David Haye met with the media. Haye’s right hand is broken. Physicians estimate it will take three months to mend. Haye said it would not stop him from fighting John Ruiz, possibly in March in London.