Shane Mosley has something to prove against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The odds aren’t the only thing against Shane Mosley. He is 38, hasn’t fought for more than a year, and he’s fighting a skilled tactician who’s never lost.

All of this, Mosley and his veteran cornerman insist, is an advantage.

“I rise to the level of my competition,� said Mosley, the WBA welterweight champion, when he appeared Thursday with his May 1 opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a public, pro-Mosley news conference crowd at downtown’s LA Live.

“This is the chance for me to shine, to show I’m the greatest welterweight of this era.�

Mosley’s veteran trainer, Naazim Richardson, similarly pointed to his fighter’s showdown with an elite foe, Mayweather, 33, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas as a major element in projecting how this bout will play out.

Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts) has been at his best when he has the most to prove. In 2000, he upset Oscar De La Hoya in a split decision at Staples Center. Three years later, in an effort stained by his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs, Mosley beat De La Hoya again in a close decision. And, on the heels of some lackluster efforts, amid talk that age had caught up him, Mosley in January 2009 pounded Antonio Margarito to claim a ninth-round technical knockout.

Richardson explains he’s more confident in Mosley fighting Mayweather than he was before facing Margarito, and far more than he was for Mosley’s canceled January bout against lesser-known Andre Berto.

“You have to keep a guy like this at his level, that’s how he performs best. If not, it can be like asking Baryshnikov to go win a dance contest on the street,� Richardson said.

But Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) pointed to what he perceives as the reasons why Las Vegas bookmakers have installed him as a 3-to-1 favorite over Mosley.

“Age has to be a factor, he thinks he’s a young 38,� Mayweather said. “He hasn’t been in there in so long. I’ve already shook off the cobwebs from my [21-month] layoff. I’m active, agile. Shane is basing everything on power … he doesn’t use his jab. I think I’m a very smart fighter.�

Smarter than Mosley? “I make the extraordinary fighter look ordinary,� Mayweather said. “I just want my due. I haven’t taken the abuse. Look at Shane: his face, he’s slurring [words].�

Mayweather and Mosley have been considered possible opponents for more than a decade. When Mayweather’s talks with Manny Pacquiao crashed earlier this year, however, the next best matchup in boxing was created.

“You’re going to see two experienced, seasoned guys. Now, this is about who’s the best fighter,� said Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather.

[email protected]