World welterweight king Shane Mosley said getting down to as light as 143 to 144 lbs will be a monumental task, though the price of it is more than enough for the sacrifice.

Mosley is luring--and almost begging--Filipino Manny Pacquiao to face him on Oct. 17, telling Michael Rosenthal of The Ring in its on-line edition that sliding south of 147 lbs will entail a lot of work.

"In my case, that's a lot of weight to lose. I previously fought at 154. Coming down to 147 can be a task. Then coming down even further, that is a real task. Even one pound makes a big difference," Mosley told Rosenthal.

"To make things fair, we'll meet halfway," said Mosley, who turns 38 in September.

Mosley, the reigning World Boxing Association (WBA) 147-lb champion, said he is amenable to a catch weight of 144 lbs, acknowledging the fact that Pacquiao is not a natural welterweight and appears to be more comfy at 140 lbs.

Mosley, whose last fight was a brutal knockout win over the seemingly-indestructible Antonio Margarito of Mexico, also told The Ring that he currently weighs 160 lbs.

The past few days, Mosley has been speaking to the media, whetting the fistic world's appetite for a Pacquiao-Mosley clash.

Pacquiao has expressed his desire to collide with Mosley as long as they both agree in the negotiating table.

Mosley said he will not let the issue of weight and even revenue split to stand in the way of such a matchup made in heaven.

"I think we can make it easy. Everyone does the money thing; they want this, they want that. It's like they try to prevent it from happening. I definitely want to do this. It would be historical, a fight I think boxing needs."

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is keeping his options open and will be at ringside at Madison Square Garden next week when a potential foe, Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto meets Joshua Clottey of Ghana.

Pacquiao leaves either Monday or Tuesday for the US in time for the 84th Boxing Writers Association banquet at the Capitale in New York on June 12. The Cotto-Clottey showdown happens the next day.

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• Arum eyes all-Pinoy slugfest
• Pacquiao for President
• Wolverine vs. Pacman