Mayweather vs Mosley
The 12-round welterweight bout between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley on Sunday, May 2 (Manila time), could not have picked a better title than "Who R U picking?" Considering their standing in the boxing world and what they bring to the ring, a fan/observer should either be for "Money," or for "Sugar," no gray area.
While both fighters have established themselves as flamboyant stars in the boxing ring, there is no denying that Mayweather, 33, and Mosley, 38, are different from each other. Whether it is in their style or how they have built there respective careers, that two are their own man. Which is why their fight this weekend has engaging written all over it, never mind if it is an offshoot of the botched Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight of the decade that the entire world was hoping to see.
Being the younger fighter and boasting an unblemished record in 40 fights so far, Mayweather has been tagged a 9-2 favorite over his opponent. Money’s defensive skills have been well documented all throughout his 14-year career and so does his great adaptability when he is in the ring which has allowed him to come out on top. He may talk a lot but he backs it up with action and boxing intelligence as well. His speed and stamina are topnotch and will surely come in handy against Sugar.
Despite being tagged as the underdog, people should know better than ruling out Mosley for he is legit as it gets. His record (46-5, 39 knockouts) in 16 years of fighting is not something to sneeze at. He is very much battle-tested in his weight class, possessing much power in his punches. Mosley basks in the big fights and very much primed for this one.
Zeroing in on their fight, six-time champion Mayweather may find Mosley as one of his tougher battles, if not the toughest, to date. Mosley is taller than him at 5’9" (to Mayweather’s 5’7 1/2") and has the longer reach, 74 to 72. While such disadvantages are not totally alien to Mayweather, still they have the potential to be a handful.
Mosley has the power which he unleashes in a barrage of punches and a strong chin to stand his ground, which could only make Mayweather use his speed and defensive sets double the time.
But the thing about Mosley is that he has established a reputation of being a slow starter, and a tendency to fizzle out in the end (lately), which could go directly to Mayweather’s alley and in turn use them to his advantage. Mayweather is at his best when he gets to dictate the tempo of the fight. Mosley must find a way to balance things out -- take the fight to Mayweather early while at the same time leaving something in the tank to carry him for the long haul -- lest he find himself in Mayweather’s game.
So with all these dynamics and more going into Mayweather-Mosley on Sunday, one just has to pick where to go. Mo’ Money or mo’ Sugar? Offense or defense? Speed or power? Puncher or Defender? No neutral ground. Who R U picking?
SolarTV and Solar Sports, along with GMA-7, will air Mayweather-Mosley: Who R U Picking? on Sunday, May 2. Check your TV listings for schedule.
Source: bworldonline.com
