Mayweather vs Mosley
By Robert Przybylo
We’ve made it to fight week for Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley…finally. In preparation for this bout, the rest of the week on the blog will be Mayweather-Mosley crazy (except for Thursday with Bellator).
I want to start off with looking at the five best performances of Sugar Shane Mosley’s career, not an easy thing to do for the Pomona, Calif., resident.
Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs)
5. Mosley KO 10 Wilfredo Rivera (Sept. 25, 1999)
This was Mosley’s first fight at welterweight. After dominating the lightweight division, Mosley was ready to move on to bigger and better things.
But after eight and a half rounds against Rivera, you were beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision. But toward the end of the ninth, Mosley showed their determination that has marked his entire career and summoned up the energy, badly hurting Rivera.
In the 10th, ‘like a true warrior’ as Mosley always says, he put on the pressure. He was ahead on the scorecards but wanted to make a statement (especially since it was a week after the Tito Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya fight).
Finally in the last minute, Mosley dropped Rivera and scored the knockout with less than 30 seconds left in the bout.
4. Miguel Cotto W 12 Mosley (Nov. 10, 2007)
Why does a loss make the list? Because deep down (after several viewings), I still don’t believe Mosley lost this bout. And going in, it was supposed to be not exactly a passing of the torch moment, but it was a fight meant to showcase Cotto as the future of the sport.
But as Mosley always does, he didn’t back away from the fight and forced us to see a little into what Cotto is made of.
Cotto fought back and showed his warrior spirit, but I still feel Mosley did enough to at least earn a draw. Guess that’s an argument for another day.
3. Mosley KO 6 Fernando Vargas (July 15, 2006)
The fight that made me believe Sugar still had some sweetness in him. Mosley had defeated Vargas by TKO in the 10th round five months before.
However, that bout was close and swelling around Vargas’ eye was the reason for the damage.
But in this bout, Mosley looked fresh and had that speed back. Or as he has said throughout his career ‘powerboxing.’
One magnificent left hook in the sixth round put Mosley back on the main stage and signified the end of Vargas as an elite boxer.
2. Mosley TKO 9 Antonio Margarito (Jan. 24, 2009)
Now this was supposed to the coronation of Margarito as THE man in the sport, but Mosley had other ideas. This, of course, was also the bout where Naazim Richardson found the plaster of paris-like substance in Margarito’s handwraps.
Mosley battered Margarito from pillar to post in this one, using his handspeed to frustrate Margarito all night.
Margarito, known for his chin, was dropped by Mosley and a barrage of punches led to this one be halted in the ninth round in a huge upset.
Mosley was back on top. Unfortunately, Mosley has not fought since this bout, so who knows what those 16 months have done to him?
1. Mosley W 12 Oscar De La Hoya (June 17, 2000)
The fight that made Mosley a household name instead of just a boxing name. This was De La Hoya’s chance to erase the ending to the Trinidad fight. A jam-packed Staples Center got to see a modern day classic on this night.
And Oscar definitely held the early advantage in this bout. But Mosley’s right hand started to make an imprint, especially in round nine.
Then came the 12th round when Mosley was too fast, too strong, had too much will and pulled it out in an electrifying final three minutes to earn his first welterweight title.
You knew that Mosley was always going to belong in primetime and PPV and that continues today.
Wednesday: Floyd Mayweather’s five best performances.
Source: blog.newsok.com
