Mosley trainer nixed quit plea

MANILA, Philippines—Shane Mosley wanted to quit in the late rounds against Manny Pacquiao, but trainer Naazim Richardson would hear none of it.

Luckily for Mosley, he survived the 12-round ordeal on May 7 by backpedaling and “touching gloves” with the pound-for-pound king from the third round, when he got knocked down by a wicked left.

Although Richardson’s insistence prevented Pacquiao from being the first man to make Mosley quit a fight, Filipino trainer Buboy Fernandez believed he did the right thing in coaxing his fighter to hang on.

“Maybe he sensed that Mosley could still fight and was in no grave danger yet,” Fernandez told the Philippine Daily Inquirer over the phone in Filipino. “He wanted to show the people that Mosley could last the distance.”

“As a trainer, it’s his duty to push his fighter to finish the bout. Of course, he was still hoping for a lucky punch,” Fernandez said.

It never came, of course, as Pacquiao thoroughly dominated the 39-year-old three-division world champion in a sleeper of a fight to keep his World Boxing Organization welterweight crown before a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Previously unheard of, Mosley’s intention to quit, either before or after the 10th round, was exposed in a video clip of Showtime’s Fight Camp 360, according to Examiner.com’s Michael Marley late Wednesday.

Through Richardson’s lavaliere mike, Mosley was overheard saying “You’ve got to stop the fight.” Richardson ignored Mosley’s pleading.

In the same clip, Mosley harped about his inability to move, giving credence to a story line that he sustained blisters on his left foot.