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LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) - Oscar de la Hoya will have some help from Shane Mosley, who inflicted two of his four career defeats, in his bid to "humble" unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jnr in their May 5 boxing showdown.
The "Golden Boy" said Wednesday that Mosley will join him in Puerto Rico on Monday for a month of work as sparring partners ahead of de la Hoya's World Boxing Council light heavyweight title defense against Mayweather.
"We've always been friends since we were kids. We always got along great," de la Hoya said. "He will be here for a whole month which is great. I'm sure my sparring with him is going to help both of us."
Mayweather, 37-0 with 24 knockouts, has been a champion in four weight classes while de la Hoya, 38-4 with 30 knockouts, has owned crowns in six divisions.
Mosley took de la Hoya's WBC and World Boxing Association light middleweight titles with a unanimous decision victory in 2003, three years after Mosley won a split decision over de la Hoya for the WBC welterweight crown.
Mayweather has ripped de la Hoya at every opportunity and took another chance Wednesday in a teleconference where both men boasted of tremendous conditioning from their pre-fight workouts.
"He ain't real. Oscar de la Hoya is a fake-ass fighter," Mayweather said. "He says I don't deserve to be in the sport of boxing. He's greedy. He's ungrateful and he's a brat."
De la Hoya had similar words for Mayweather.
"I truly feel Mayweather Jnr needs a humbling experience," de la Hoya said.
"He really is a little brat. He's very arrogant. He talks all this trash about how I'm nothing and haven't fought anybody. It's not necessary.
"It's disrespectful and it really revs me up to shut him up on May 5."
De la Hoya was trained for years by Mayweather's father, Floyd Snr, who has been estranged from his son for years.
But father and son have reunited and are together at Mayweather's camp while Roger Mayweather, Floyd Jnr's uncle, serves as trainer.
De la Hoya has turned to veteran trainer Freddie Roach to handle preparing him for the fight and says he is not concerned that Mayweather Snr. will spill secrets to his son about the strengths and weaknesses de la Hoya offers.
"I don't think it's going to make a difference," de la Hoya said. "I know Mayweather snr is telling him to look out for this and Oscar will be good here. We're ready for that. We're sticking to our game plan. We're going to do what we do best.
"After watching his videos for several weeks, we have him down. It's not going to be a fight where I have to change my strategies. It's going to be a fight where I have to make little adjustments to take full advantage."
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