From the streets to the ring

Mosley carries U.S. boxing hopes onto world stage

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Tuesday July 21, 1998 09:18 PM

NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- Last month, Larry Mosley breathed a sigh of relief after surviving the rigors of high school. Now he is ready to serve his country.

Life gets tougher for the highly touted 18-year-old amateur welterweight boxer from California. His first stop will be New York City and this week's Goodwill Games, with his eyes focused two years down the road on the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

Mosley heads the 24-man U.S. boxing contingent, which features veterans such as light middleweight Darnell Wilson and heavyweight DaVarryl Williamson, who served as alternates at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Unlike other countries such as Cuba, whose boxers cannot turn pro, the U.S. amateur program has a huge turnover rate following the Olympic Games. With most of the top boxers in the pro ranks, the future of the U.S. boxing team lies squarely on the shoulders of Mosley.

"I have been training very hard for the Cubans and Russians and it is an honor to support the United States and represent my country proud," said Mosley, who is the reigning U.S. champion at 147 pounds. "The United States has been behind me 100 percent and I have to show them some thanks and box the [best] I can."

Mosley grew up in the tough Watts section of west Los Angeles and often found himself getting into trouble at school. He ran the streets until the day he found his calling -- boxing.

"I used to get into a lot of fights in school and got suspended," Mosley recalled. "One day I got picked up on the streets by some police guy and he took me to the gym.

"The first time I got into the gym, I got whupped so bad. I don't know what it did, but it motivated me to come back and train every day and beat the guy up. After I beat him up, they asked me if I wanted to start boxing. My dad didn't know where I was going. I told him I was going to start boxing."

As Mosley took refuge in boxing, he found himself straying further and further away from his troubled neighborhood. He developed a strong mind that prevented him from succumbing to the pressure of local gang activities. He saw some of his close friends killed, but through boxing, Mosley gained the respect from the local gangs -- the Crips and Bloods.

"It is a very rough neighborhood and it was very tough," Mosley said. "I used to get picked on, but they wouldn't fight me. After a while they saw the situation. It's all about business.

"They respected what I was doing because I was representing them. They know when I go to other countries, I'm representing them."

Under the guidance of Kenny Croon, his trainer at L.A. Boxing, Mosley went on to win the 1995 Junior Olympic Championships at 119 pounds. He repeated the feat at 132 pounds the following year.

In 1997, Mosley traveled abroad for the first time in his young career and captured the President's Cup in Indonesia, placing first in the 139-pound light welterweight category. The victory earned Mosley a top-10 ranking from the International Amateur Boxing Association, the world governing body of amateur boxing. He was beginning to receive worldwide recognition.

"It was hard to fight five two-minute rounds," said Mosley. "I saw a lot of experienced boxers. I adapted very well from what I learned over the years."

Mosley began this year by winning the U.S. Championships in March. Fighting at 147 pounds for the first time, he won five straight bouts by decision, including a defeat of Johnny DeJesus in the finals.

"I feel strong at the weight and I still have my speed from 139," said Mosley. "I think I could do a lot of movement and be very strong at 147. I try to base myself on the style of the person I am boxing. I could adapt to the style of any boxer that I get in the ring with."

The talented Mosley owes a lot of his success to his close-knit family. The fact that his parents have been married for 34 years has helped him prosper both in boxing and in life. He points to the guidiance he receives from his father, Larry Sr., who is behind him 100 percent.

"A lot of dads are not with their sons today," said the son. "He has really helped me a lot. We have two lives which are hard to live, a boxing life and life in general."

Not to be forgotten is his first cousin, former amateur boxing star and current International Boxing Federation lightweight titleholder Shane Mosley, who has been a mentor in Larry's amateur career.

They talk to one another daily to discuss strategy, especially international boxers' tendencies and styles. Shane was a heralded amateur champion, winning three national titles and compiling a record of 250-10. "He told me to take my matches one at a time and to look for a lot of things," Larry Mosley said. "I talk to him on the phone every night about different situations and how to box different countries, because he has been there before. He tells me where Cuban fighters have their weakness and how to box them."

But Mosley feels no added presure to match his cousin's success as an amateur or pro. As he looks to make his own name, Mosley finds inspiration from other boxers, such as the great Sugar Ray Robinson and current superstar Roy Jones Jr.

The Goodwill Games should serve as a great measuring stick for the U.S. team and especially for young Mosley, but his love for the amateur game has him looking at the bigger picture down the road.

"I don't want to put too much on myself, but I think I'm going to get a gold medal in the year 2000," Mosley said confidently.

© 2003 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP