Shane Mosley Jr. will face former middleweight titleholder Daniel Jacobs on July 6 in a super middleweight bout – one that Mosely hopes will change his life.
The contest will serve as the co-main event to a 10-round light heavyweight boxing match between former MMA fighters Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs), 33, son of Hall of Famer Shane Mosley, is returning after a seven-month layoff. He enters on a four-fight win streak since losing a majority decision to Jason Quigley in 2021.
Jacobs (37-4, 30 KOs), 37, of Brooklyn, New York, marks a significant step up in competition for Mosley Jr., who has never faced a former world titleholder before.
Mosley believes a win over Jacobs could change his career trajectory, much like John Ryder charted a new course after beating Jacobs in 2018.
“I think so,” Mosley said. “If I beat a two-time middleweight champion, especially when John Ryder went on to fight Canelo – he went on to fight all of these guys because of that fight with Danny Jacobs. That made him a legitimate name as a contender.”
Mosley’s strategy is somewhat similar to that after his biggest win, over Gabriel Rosado, when he moved up in weight class to face a bigger-name opponent. This time Mosley hopes to use a victory as a stepping stone to secure a world title at middleweight, not super middleweight.
“I do want to go back down to 160,” Mosley said.
A self-professed boxing fan, Mosley has studied Jacobs’ past fights – but he isn’t certain what his opponent’s mindset will be coming into their matchup.
“To be 100 percent honest with you, I have no idea how motivated he is leading into this fight,” Mosley said. “I would hope that he’s come back for the reasons being that he loves it and that he still wants to be a super middleweight champion.”
Mosley wants to prove himself against an opponent who shares his competitive drive, rather than just taking on someone who is only motivated by money. Facing a former champion offers extra motivation.
“I’m a competitor,” Mosley said. “I’m somebody that wants to prove myself, so I want to prove myself to the best of my ability. So that’s why I want to fight somebody that is also trying to beat me as well.”
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