‘I go for a knockout’ says Mosley

“I go for a knockout, but I’ll be shocked to see him just laying there on his back like that,” said WBA welterweight champion Sugar Shane Mosley. “Happy, but shocked.”

“They were picking Margarito to win by landslide, and people were worried about my health and saying he was going to retire me.

“I’m saying to you guys again, that isn’t going to happen. He’s not going to beat me.”

About being labeled an underdog for Saturday’s fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas, he said, “I really don’t care.”

Mayweather, renowned as a superlative defensive fighter, has never been knocked down or defeated and is a strong favorite to record his 41st victory on Saturday but Mosley believes he can shock the world and deliver a stoppage win.

He had been expected to fight Filipino Manny Pacquiao but the pair could not agree to a drug testing procedure leading to Mayweather agreeing to take on Mosley, which the champion believes could be a mistake.

Mayweather retired as the sport’s pound-for-pound number one fighter after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007 but returned in style in September, outclassing Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez over 12 rounds.

“Fighting me can be hazardous,” Mosley said. “The times I have knocked out people, a lot of the fighters don’t come back the same.”

Mosley acknowledged that it would be “shocking” to see his opponent lying on the canvas but it was something he would look forward to witnessing.

“When the fight starts, I’m going to go out there, I’m going to throw some traps here and there, touch him here and there, see what’s going on,” he revealed. “I’ll probably be able to tell from the first bell what kind of fight it’s going to be.”

Although Mayweather, 40-0 (25 KOs), has won most of his bouts with relative ease, some observers have pointed to his split decision win over Oscar De La Hoya in May 2007 as providing the blueprint to defeating him.

De La Hoya troubled Mayweather in the first half of the contest with a stiff left jab, a punch that Mosley agreed could be a key on Saturday.