Boxer "Sugar" Shane Mosley, a former world champion in three weight classes, said Monday that his adviser was to meet with Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum about a May 7 fight.
Hours after sending a Twitter message about a Pacquiao fight that read, "The ink hasn't dried yet but it's pretty much a go," Mosley said prior discussions set the ground for finalizing a deal quickly, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"We've already discussed the fight about three, four weeks ago, so now we'll go over it again," Mosley said. "Both sides just need to commit to what we've talked about and then I think we're done."
Mosley said his adviser, James Prince, would "go over the particulars and maybe sign" a deal to fight Pacquaio, who turned 32 three days ago.
Mosley, a 39-year-old American, is 46-6 with one draw and 39 knockouts, while Filipino superstar Pacquiao is 52-3 with two draws and 38 knockouts.
"Pac-Man" has won 13 fights in a row, the southpaw having not lost in nearly six years in a span that has seen him dispatch such stars as Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mosley, however, has lost twice and struggled to a draw in his past five fights, falling to Puerto Rico's Cotto in 2007 and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr last May before drawing with American Sergio Mora last September.
Mayweather has twice failed to come to terms on a fight deal with Pacquiao for the megafight showdown fans have desired and Mayweather now faces legal charges over two incidents in Las Vegas set to go to court early next year.
Mosley was the biggest other US name among Pacquiao's possible foes, but also the one with the weakest recent results on a list that included a potential third fight with Marquez and a rising US star, undefeated welterweight Andre Berto.
One detail that needed to be settled by Pacquiao, according to Mosley, was an exact weight for the fight. Pacquiao could fight at welterweight near 147 pounds (66.7kg) or perhaps risk his World Boxing Council junior-middleweight crown.
Reports that Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach wanted Mosley to submit to drug tests in the wake of the American's ties to the 2003 BALCO steroid scandal did not dissuade Mosley, who said he would submit to tougher tests, as he did before fighting Mayweather, as long as Pacquiao was required to do the same.
