Shane Mosley Jr. — the middleweight son of his Hall of Famer namesake — is no longer under the Golden Boy Promotions banner, according to a press release Mosley’s team issued on August 20.
“I want to thank Golden Boy Promotions for everything they’ve done for me over the years. They’ve been instrumental in getting me to where I am today, and I’m excited for what the future holds as a free agent,” Mosley Jr. (22-4, 12 KOs), said in a statement. “I’ll be watching the Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia fight very closely. I want the winner, but I’m ready for any of the champions at 160 pounds. I’ve worked hard to get here, and now it’s time to take advantage of all that hard work.”
Mosley signed with Golden Boy in March 2020.
Mosley Jr., 33, turned pro in 2014 and essentially learned on the job. He suffered his first loss in just his third fight and was defeated again in his 12th outing. Another loss, to Brandon Adams via wide decision in 2018, seemed to signify that Mosley had hit his ceiling. A majority decision defeat to Jason Quigley in 2021 appeared to confirm that.
But Mosley has won five straight since, beginning with a majority decision over Gabriel Rosado in 2022 and continuing on with a seventh-round stoppage of D’Mitrius Ballard in 2023 and a clear decision over Daniel Jacobs just last month. The wins over Rosado and Jacobs came at super middleweight, but Mosley seems intent to campaign at middleweight.
All four major sanctioning bodies have Mosley ranked in their top 15 in the 160-pound weight class, whose lack of depth — combined with Mosley’s own name recognition and ability to work with any promoter — may help him to land his first title shot.
The WBA, whose titleholder is Lara, has Mosley in the #1 spot. The WBO has him at #3 and the IBF at #6; Janibek Alimkhanuly holds both of those belts. And the WBC ranks Mosley at #4; its title is around the waist of Carlos Adames.
“Shane is in an incredible position right now,” said Mike Leanardi, Mosley’s manager and the CEO of Victory Sports Ent. “As a top contender in all sanctioning bodies, we have a lot of options on the table. Our goal is to secure the biggest fights possible and bring Shane a world title opportunity in the near future.”
Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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