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By Thomas Gerbasi - Psychiatrists would likely have a field day trying to analyze why a person would watch the sport of boxing. Is it the violence, the action, the visceral thrill, or the idea that two consenting adults are doing something most wouldn’t have the guts to attempt?
For me, and I’m guessing I’m not alone, the lure of boxing lies in the mountain.
‘What is the mountain’, you might ask, and as you’ll probably guess, it’s not a literal mountain, but the idea that every fighter, at one time or another, has to face the impossible, has to look at something in front of him that he has seemingly very little chance at conquering, and yet he moves forward.
So if football is a metaphor for war, then what is boxing? Yes, those who play football suffer the same bumps and bruises, and as we’re finding out, the lasting damage can be just as bad, if not worse. But those athletes compete on a level playing field with equipment and teammates to protect them. Boxers don’t have that luxury. They are armed with gloves, mouthpieces, cups, and if they’re lucky, a good referee and good cornermen.
Those are big ‘ifs’, and it’s been the stories of the interchangeable journeymen, the fringe contenders, the down on their luck champions looking for one last shot that have always been the most fascinating.
Shane Mosley is none of those things. He’s a three division world champion who will have a place waiting for him in the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota five years after he hangs up the gloves. He’s got money in the bank and another healthy payday coming this Saturday night when he battles pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
But who is really giving him a chance to win? I’m not, and I would admittedly classify myself as a Mosley loyalist since he first reigned over the lightweight division in the late 90s. Back then, with a mix of speed, power, and brutal body punching, it appeared that “Sugar” Shane would reign forever.
No one reigns forever though, and as a professor of the game, even at that young age, he knew it. He told me back then that he knew a loss would eventually be tagged onto his record, and that there would be fighters who just had his number. The late Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright were two, handing him four of his six losses. The only other two fighters to beat him, Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr, will likely join Mosley in Canastota when it’s all said and done, so there’s no shame there either. But again, despite his track record, despite the fact that he still has speed and probably more single punch thudding power than Pacquiao, will you say he has a shot against the Filipino icon?
You know the answer, and it probably has everything to do with everything Mosley has shown since the third round of his bout against Mayweather last May. After seriously hurting “Pretty Boy” in the second stanza, Mosley received a boxing lesson from Mayweather en route to a near shutout defeat. Four months later he received an even harsher public flogging after fighting to a draw with Sergio Mora. And he’s 39, his once jackhammer reflexes have dulled, he doesn’t throw punches in combination anymore, and his brutal body attack ceases to exist. [Click Here To Read More]
For me, and I’m guessing I’m not alone, the lure of boxing lies in the mountain.
‘What is the mountain’, you might ask, and as you’ll probably guess, it’s not a literal mountain, but the idea that every fighter, at one time or another, has to face the impossible, has to look at something in front of him that he has seemingly very little chance at conquering, and yet he moves forward.
So if football is a metaphor for war, then what is boxing? Yes, those who play football suffer the same bumps and bruises, and as we’re finding out, the lasting damage can be just as bad, if not worse. But those athletes compete on a level playing field with equipment and teammates to protect them. Boxers don’t have that luxury. They are armed with gloves, mouthpieces, cups, and if they’re lucky, a good referee and good cornermen.
Those are big ‘ifs’, and it’s been the stories of the interchangeable journeymen, the fringe contenders, the down on their luck champions looking for one last shot that have always been the most fascinating.
Shane Mosley is none of those things. He’s a three division world champion who will have a place waiting for him in the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota five years after he hangs up the gloves. He’s got money in the bank and another healthy payday coming this Saturday night when he battles pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
But who is really giving him a chance to win? I’m not, and I would admittedly classify myself as a Mosley loyalist since he first reigned over the lightweight division in the late 90s. Back then, with a mix of speed, power, and brutal body punching, it appeared that “Sugar” Shane would reign forever.
No one reigns forever though, and as a professor of the game, even at that young age, he knew it. He told me back then that he knew a loss would eventually be tagged onto his record, and that there would be fighters who just had his number. The late Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright were two, handing him four of his six losses. The only other two fighters to beat him, Miguel Cotto and Floyd Mayweather Jr, will likely join Mosley in Canastota when it’s all said and done, so there’s no shame there either. But again, despite his track record, despite the fact that he still has speed and probably more single punch thudding power than Pacquiao, will you say he has a shot against the Filipino icon?
You know the answer, and it probably has everything to do with everything Mosley has shown since the third round of his bout against Mayweather last May. After seriously hurting “Pretty Boy” in the second stanza, Mosley received a boxing lesson from Mayweather en route to a near shutout defeat. Four months later he received an even harsher public flogging after fighting to a draw with Sergio Mora. And he’s 39, his once jackhammer reflexes have dulled, he doesn’t throw punches in combination anymore, and his brutal body attack ceases to exist. [Click Here To Read More]
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