'Sugar' Shane KO would be sweet message for Floyd, says Pacquiao trainer Roach

By Sportsmail Reporter Updated: 19:50 EST, 7 May 2011

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Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach would dearly love his fighter to put the gloss on his WBO welterweight title defence by knocking out Shane Mosley - if only to give a timely nudge to Floyd Mayweather.

Mosley, whose record reads 46-6-1 with 39 knockouts, has yet to be stopped during his professional career and Roach has set his sights on the Filipino southpaw becoming the first boxer to achieve the feat.

'We don't go into fights looking for knockouts but if the opportunity does come, I want that to happen,' Roach said during the build-up to Saturday's showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The big fight: Manny Pacquiao (second left) takes on Shane Mosley (second right) on May 7

'Nobody else in the world has ever done that and when you do something no one else can, it just proves again how good you are and how dominant you are in the sport. That is what Manny Pacquiao is and I want to prove to Mayweather we can do something he hasn't.'

A year ago, Mayweather resisted a furious early onslaught by Mosley to preserve his unbeaten professional record with a unanimous points victory in a welterweight bout in Las Vegas.

Outclassed: Mosley lost a unanimous points decision against Floyd Mayweather Jr (right) in May 2010

Mayweather has not fought since and boxing fans have long savoured the prospect of a showdown between the defence-minded American and the aggressive Pacquiao to decide the mythical title of the world's best pound-for-pound fighter.

'That is why I want to knock this guy (Mosley) out just to give him (Mayweather) another dig and maybe give him some incentive to sign that contract,' Roach said.

Best of the best: Pacquiao is recognised as the top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet

'He talks the talk but he won't sign and he won't get in the ring with us. I am tired of listening to this guy saying how he is the best fighter of all time and so forth and how much better he is than everybody.

'If he wants to show it, prove it.'

Mayweather had been expected to meet Pacquiao last year until negotiations collapsed over the American's demand for random drug testing.

It's a knockout! The Filipino superstar is looking to inflict a first-ever career KO on American Mosley

Mosley then stepped in to take the Filipino's place but he was outclassed by Mayweather in a non-title welterweight bout in May. That left Mayweather with an unblemished career record of 41-0 with 25 knockouts but even then he was reluctant to commit to a mega-fight with Pacquiao.

'I'm not going out chasing fighters,' said Mayweather, who surrendered his tag as the best pound-for-pound boxer to the Filipino during a 21-month retirement from the sport that ended in late 2009.

'If Manny takes the (blood) test, we can make the fight happen. If he doesn't, we don't have a fight. If Manny Pacquaio wants to fight, it is not hard to find me.'

The likelihood of the two fighters getting into the ring any time soon has further receded with Mayweather facing a September trial in Las Vegas on a misdemeanour battery charge.

Pacquiao deferred any talk of a Mayweather mega-bout to his promoter after improving his own career record to 52-3-2 with 38 knockouts after a unanimous points victory over Mexican Antonio Margarito in November.

'I'm not going to fight anybody as long as there is a problem with the decision of the promoter,' the eight-weight world champion said. 'That's my promoter's job. I'm just a fighter to do my job and train hard for the fight.'

For Roach, a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight needs to take place simply for the good of the sport.

'Mayweather's the biggest challenger in the world for us and he's the hardest style for us to fight,' Roach said. 'I look forward to getting a game plan going.

Fighting talk: Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach is desperate for his man to get in the ring with Mayweather

'I wish we could just come to a happy medium and fight because it's really hurting the game. That fight would be so big. I travel the world and everywhere I go people tell me: "Make that fight happen".

'I don't care where it takes place in the world - Ukraine, wherever it may be. The fans want to see that fight. And I reckon the two fighters would each make $100 million from it.'