Says he'll drop down to 147 for Shane
Whether they’re bigger or smaller, Kassim Ouma wants to fight the best. Just months after moving up to middleweight to challenge Jermain Taylor, Ouma now wants to go down to welterweight and challenge Shane Mosley. "I want the biggest and best fights so you got to go where the action is," said Ouma. "Shane looked great in his last fight against another southpaw in Luis Collazo. I know it would be a tremendous fight between me and him. I really respect him and I’d have to get down to 147, but I think for once I would have a size advantage. I could make 147 and be really strong, but I’d only go to welterweight for a major fight." The matchup that Ouma was really looking for was a showdown with champion Cory Spinks for the IBF junior middleweight belt he once owned. "The fight I really want is Cory Spinks, and we know that Cory wants the fight, and he can pack the arena in St. Louis. It would be a great atmosphere and HBO would seem to want that fight," Ouma said. "But my promoter (Golden Boy/Peltz) and his promoter (Don King) don’t seem like they’re getting a deal done. So I want a challenge, and then I see where Shane Mosely said the only one for him to fight at welterweight is Carlos Baldomir. But I think Ouma-Mosley is the best welterweight fight out there."
"Since we have the same promoter, Shane and I should be an easy fight to make. Golden Boy has Marco Antonio Barrera fighting Juan Manuel Marquez this weekend and promotes both of them. Golden Boy is making a fight with Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright. So this fight with me and Shane Mosley should be easy to make. They promote us both so we gotta do it. Golden Boy is proving they can be the biggest and best promoter in the sport by making the biggest fights so let’s get it done. I will make welter so I can fight Shane for the [WBC interim] title."
Many boxing fans believe Ouma raised his stature against Taylor.
"I know what I did wrong chasing Jermain. I’d love a rematch. I didn’t fight the way I trained to fight. I threw my tactics and technique out. I fought the wrong fight. I fought his war," Ouma said. "Respect to Taylor because he took advantage of it. But I was the guy fighting. Jermain was running and holding. The referee was sleeping or maybe he thought it was a "Dancing with the Stars" competition."
After fighting middleweight his last time out and now maybe moving down to welterweight, Ouma prefers to stay at his most natural weight, junior middle (154).
"I’d rather stay at junior middleweight and fight Cory Spinks in his hometown. That would be a great fight and a big challenge and that is the weight I should be," Ouma said. "But I’ll go where the biggest challenge is. If I need to go to 147 for a big fight, I’m sure I can do it with the right diet and training. HBO would love Ouma against Mosley. All we need is for our promoter Golden Boy to make it happen."
