Road Less Traveled

Shane Mosley’s road to success seemed wide open. Blessed with blinding speed, dazzling feet, a solid chin, solid values and a winning smile, his rise to the top of the boxing world seemed inevitable.

But every road he took led to a dead end.

Now he finds himself at a crossroads, facing the biggest decision of his career. And he does so with shifts and intrigue in his own camp. His father, Jack, is no longer calling the shots; his wife, Jin, has become a strong influence; his promoter, Barry Frank, is laboring under speculation he is nothing more than a puppet of Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya’s promoter.

Once considered boxing’s best-kept secret, the best pound-for-pound fighter the world has never known, Mosley figured all that would change when he beat De La Hoya in June 2000 at Staples Center. Mosley won and waited for the glow of boxing’s Golden Boy to sweep over him.

He’s still waiting.

While De La Hoya bounced back to again become the hottest non-heavyweight in boxing, Mosley still found himself getting lukewarm response from the boxing world, and still fighting in the same small venues for the same small purses.

Then, Mosley suffered his first two losses, both last year, both to Vernon Forrest, and went from lukewarm to cold.

Which leaves him in his present predicament.

Mosley, who will face Raul Marquez in tonight’s main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, has another chance to capture the golden ring with a tentative agreement to face De La Hoya in a September rematch, should he win tonight. Mosley agreed several months ago to a guaranteed $4.25 million.

Since then, he has had second thoughts and has yet to sign the contract, causing Arum to threaten to pull out of the deal.

Mosley has had second thoughts because he made more -- $4.5 million -- the first time he faced De La Hoya and won the fight.

He has had second thoughts because De La Hoya would make at least $12 million in the rematch.

Mosley has had second thoughts because Fernando Vargas got a guaranteed $6 million to fight De La Hoya last September.

Should Mosley put pride aside and take the money and another shot at elevating his career? Or should he turn his back on the largest purse out there for him and try to prove he can be successful outside De La Hoya’s shadow?

Involved in the decision-making process are:

His Wife

No one can accuse Jin Mosley of being a boxing groupie who hit the jackpot.

She knew so little about the sport that, on the biggest night in Shane’s professional life, the night he won a split decision against De La Hoya, she spent the early rounds of that match in a shopping mall.

“I didn’t understand the importance of it all,” she said.

Jin was his girlfriend then. Shane had flown her out from her Long Island home to introduce her to his violent world.

Jin finally made it to the arena in the fourth round, located her seat by the eighth round, but left early for the dressing room, enabling her to see only a few punches.

As the verdict was being announced, Jin, watching on a big screen, saw Shane shrug in disgust and figured he’d lost.

She and Shane, married last November, have two boys -- Najee and Taiseki -- both under 2. He proposed in a restaurant, offering her a 12-karat diamond that took her breath away.

She has heard the whispers that she’s only around for the diamonds and the money, that she has taken control of Shane’s career.

“I really miss New York,” she said, “and I wouldn’t waste my time and my body on someone I didn’t love. I wouldn’t have moved out [to Pomona] for the money. But you don’t find men like Shane anymore. He is so genuinely sweet.”

As for her input into his career, Jin says, “I speak my opinion,” she said, “but ultimately, it’s what he wants to do. With something this controversial, I don’t want to be the one to blow something as sticky as this.”

His Father

Mosley won’t discuss his position on the De La Hoya situation until after tonight’s fight, saying, “I will not let Bob Arum distract me,” but he recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that De La Hoya is acting “greedy.”

When he was younger, Shane left such talk to his father, who served as his manager/trainer/guru.

Jack was given much of the credit for Mosley’s development into one of the sport’s most polished technicians, a boxer with the complete package. When De La Hoya took the early edge in his fight against Mosley, Jack was credited with making the adjustments that turned the struggle in Shane’s favor.

But while Jack remains in Shane’s corner, dictating the ring strategy, he is pulling back from directing his son’s career.

“Shane’s a man now,” Jack said. “He’s 31 years of age. He knows how to make good decisions.”

His Promoter

After his loss to Forrest in January 2002, Mosley signed with Barry Frank of the International Marketing Group, hoping to burgeon both his appeal and bank account.

Now he finds himself at odds with Frank, who is pushing him to accept the De La Hoya deal.

Mosley knows about the close relationship between Frank and Arum, friends and business associates for more than a quarter century. He has heard the snickers that Arum has become Mosley’s de facto promoter.

Indeed, Arum is promoting tonight’s show.

But both Arum and Frank heatedly deny allegations of impropriety.

“He’s not a great personal friend,” Arum said of Frank. “We’ve done business together, but it’s not like I went to his kids’ bar mitzvah or he went to my kids’ bar mitzvah. It’s not like we went on vacation together.

“If I’m able to do this [promote a Frank fighter], it’s only fair because, for so many years, I did [Frank’s] bidding when he was a television executive. He’s the one who got me in with ESPN in the 1980s.”

Frank too insists he is operating independently.

“Bob and I are friends,” Frank said. “If I didn’t do business with my friends, I couldn’t do business at all. But I have a reputation for not bending over backward and letting people walk all over me. Even if I was dealing with a brother, I would still have to treat it as business.”

It’s become a tricky business for Mosley as he listens to all the opinions, weighs the options and tries to find that yellow brick road.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Fight Card

SHANE MOSLEY (38-2, 35 knockouts)

vs. RAUL MARQUEZ (34-2, 23 knockouts)

* What: 12-round junior middleweight bout

* When: Tonight, 7, (HBO)

* Where: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas

Undercard: Antonio Margarito, Mexico, vs. Andrew Lewis, Brooklyn, N.Y., 12, for Margarito’s World Boxing Organization welterweight title.