Pacquiao's sparring partner: Manny will brutalize Mosley

source: Michael Marley | boxingscene.com

He's no casual observer. When Karim "Hard Hitta" Mayfield of San Francisco, California speaks about the lightning speed and the brutal power of Manny Pacquiao, he speaks from first hand knowledge.

Mayfield, a welterweight with a record of 13-0-1 with eight knockouts, was specially hired for Pacquiao's camp by trainer Freddie Roach. Mayfield has ended the unbeaten runs of two 8-0 fighters, Mario Norberto Lozano and Francisco Santana, and also handed 5-0 Rahman Yusubov and 2-0 Alejo Sepulveda their first pro defeats.

As his brother, LeRon Mayfield explained to SF Weekly in a profile:

"All of his fights have been with contenders.Other big fighters fight bums, then fight hard fights. My brother was the other way around."

Mayfield's mission at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where he's already endured 12 sparring rounds against Pacquiao, is something like the second string pro football quarterback who emulates the signal caller for the next opponent.

But Mayfield's job is not to throw passes like a Tom Brady but to approximate the well-known but often unappreciated ring style of Pacquiao's May 7 opponent, "Sugar" Shane Mosley.

To hear Mayfield tell it, he mixes things up, sometimes copying the 39-year-old Mosley and sometimes being his 30-year-old self.

"That's why Freddie got me," Mayfield said. "I've been a Mosley clone before. I helped Antonio Margarito get ready for Mosley and I did the same for Sergio Mora when he fought Shane."

Mayfield said he believes he's more than held his own but remains amazed at Pacquiao's speed of hand and foot, his workrate and how he walks down an opponent while still maintaining a solid defense. And, he was impressed with the amazing angles from which Manny's punches come from...

"It's been good for me, bro," Mayfield said. "I knew Manny was fast and he is definitely fast. I think he's going to beat the crap out of Mosley. I switch back and forth, from a Mosley style to my own style. Manny can definitely be frustrating to deal with. I use that pepper jab that Mosley uses and I throw a lot of right hands. Mosley has a tendency to hit and hold also. I don't hit and hold Manny but I do hit and smother him. I guess I am emulating Mosley and Freddie seems pleased so far."

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tags: Manny Pacquiao, ShaneMosley