LOS ANGELES (AP) -Try as he might, and Ricardo Mayorga certainly tried, the broad smile never left Shane Mosley's face.
Mosley, a four-time world champion, was in the best of spirits at a news conference Wednesday as he spoke about Saturday night's 12-round junior middleweight bout against Mayorga at The Home Depot Center in suburban Carson.
Responding to Mayorga's pledge to send him into retirement, Mosley replied: ``We have a comedian up here. He tells a lot of jokes, a lot of stories. Every time I turn around, it's all about retirement. I'm not going away, I'm going to keep knocking people out and take what's rightfully mine. The next one and the next one and the next one are all going down.''
Mosley, who turned 37 earlier this month, said it's not about getting another title shot, although he certainly would like that opportunity.
``I really don't know what's next for me right now,'' he said when asked the hypothetical question: Assuming he beats Mayorga, where does he go from there?
``I'm not worried about the title right now,'' Mosley said. ``Just the bigger fights, that's all, so people will know I'm one of the best fighters of this era.''
Mosley, from nearby Pomona, and Mayorga, a three-time former world champion from Nicaragua, can both make such a claim although both are nearing the end of their respective careers.
Mosley said he could continue fighting for several more years, although he acknowledged that that was unlikely.
``I'm not sure when the cutoff date is - I'll keep going until I don't feel like it anymore,'' he said.
Speaking through a translator, the 35-year-old Mayorga said he's thought about retirement, and figures he'll do so after another three or four fights.
But he said he feels as good as he's felt in years.
``I've been in training camp for about three months,'' he said. ``We have enough talent and enough skills to win this fight easily. I would make (conditioning) equivalent to when I won my first title against Six Hands Lewis.
That was in March 2002, when he stopped Lewis in the fifth round and walked into the post-fight news conference smoking a cigarette with a beer in his hand.
``(Mosley) is going to be fighting with his laundry at home. I'm going to be fighting for a world title,'' Mayorga said when asked to look beyond this bout.
Mosley, 44-5 with 37 knockouts, hasn't fought since losing a close but unanimous 12-round decision to Miguel Cotto for the WBA welterweight championship at Madison Square Garden 10 1/2 months ago. He won his previous five fights - two over Fernando Vargas.
Mayorga, 28-6-1, has been idle since scoring a majority 12-round decision over Vargas 10 months ago. That was his first outing in more than 18 months; he was stopped by Oscar De La Hoya in the sixth round of their WBC junior middleweight title bout on May 6, 2006.
``Obviously, Oscar's been a thorn in my side,'' Mayorga said. ``Oscar's definitely on the hit list. I want to fight De La Hoya. Let him retire fighting a true super welterweight or middleweight. How's he going to retire fighting a featherweight? After I beat up his dad (Mosley), who beat him twice, I want another opportunity.''
De La Hoya is scheduled to meet Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6 in what he says will be his final fight.
Besides losing to Cotta, Mosley has been beaten twice each by Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. Mayorga has two wins over Forrest.
``I like him very much,'' Mayorga said of Mosley. ``Before Forrest beat him, he was a great champion. Vernon beat him twice, he hasn't been the same. He no longer has the speed nor the conditioning.''
Mosley will receive a guaranteed $1.5 million and Mayorga is guaranteed $550,000. Andre Berto will defend his WBC welterweight title against Steve Forbes on the card, which will be televised by HBO.
