Outtakes

Kenny Mayne ruminates on aging with Sugar Shane Mosley

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KM: Ever considered walking out before a fight and trying to negotiate for peace?
SM: No. I wouldn't do that. I want to fight it out. Though sometimes you talk a bit—let the other guy know that you're going to win and he's going to go down.

MAYBE I COULD RUN HIM IN CIRCLES

KM: Your son, Shane Jr., is a boxer too. Will he be given the "Sugar" mantle?
SM: I don't think so. "Sugar" was given to me when I was 10. A fighter in my boxing gym said I reminded him of Sugar Ray Leonard. Shane Jr. hasn't been given a nickname yet.
KM: Maybe he could go with Fructose or NutraSweet—something smaller than yours.
SM: Sweet'N Low Shane Mosley.
KM: Are you a worrier as a parent? Do you cover your eyes during his fights?
SM: No, he knows what he's doing. I have a lot of faith in him.
KM: There's always a point when a son's skills overtake his father's. That happened yet?
SM: No. [laughter] No, not yet.

KM: You're 37. In sports, everyone starts to write you off when you hit 35. Are you old?
SM: Old happens when you feel like you're old, when you say, "Oh, I'm old." But if you take care of your body, you can feel young for a long time.

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KM: During a big fight, ever look at the celebs and think, Wow, Jack Nicholson's here?
SM: I did before my first fight against Oscar. Denzel, Will Smith and Jada … everybody was there. I just walked around the whole ring and waved to everybody.
KM: Were you wondering, Are they for me or the other guy?
SM: I didn't even care. They were there, and I was going to wave at them.

KM: How do you think you'd do against mixed martial arts guys?
SM: If I got into the MMA arena, I'd lose. It would be no contest unless I learned some takedowns. But as far as throwing hands, they can't compete with us in the boxing ring.
KM: How about against Brad Pitt when he was at his peak, in Fight Club?
SM: Yeah, it wouldn't matter.
KM: How would you combat a sumo wrestler?
SM: I don't know. Maybe I could run him in circles, get him dizzy and then put him down.

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KM: At what point did you say, "Well, I'm going to be a boxer"?
SM: When I was 10, I told my parents I wasn't going to stop until I became a world champion. I was stubborn and competitive, and I knew exactly what I wanted at that age.
KM: That's pretty ambitious for a 10-year-old. My daughter's 9, and she just wants to download Hannah Montana. Were you a guy who got into fights at school? Is getting sent to the principal a prerequisite for becoming a boxer?
SM: I did get into fights in elementary school, but when I started boxing, it happened less frequently. The sport helped me understand how much you hurt the other person.

KM: Your sisters are named Venus and Cerena. Do they have any tennis ability?
SM: No. They're 43 and 41.
KM: Yeah, but they're not old unless they think so.
SM: Very true.

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