By Lem Satterfield
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum feels the public is underestimating Shane Mosley's abilities. The former three division champion will challenge WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mosley did not appear too dangerous in his last two fights, but Arum believes the 39-year-old boxer was matched against the wrong opponents. Although Mosley rocked Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the second round of their May clash, he lost almost every round that followed. In September, he fought to a twelve round draw with former junior midddleweight champion Sergio Mora.
"People are like, 'Well, what about Mosley's last two fights?' Well, what about his last two fights? Mosley fought Mayweather, and he's the only guy in Mayweather's whole career to really hurt Mayweather and to really have him in trouble. So Mosley is capable of hurting Manny," said Arum.
"But, then, you take the Mora fight. Anybody who made that match should be shot. To put Mosley, an older fighter, in with a guy who is completely defensive and just stinks you out is not doing Mosley any favors," said Arum. "So, as far as I'm concerned, the most competitive guy of the three for Manny is Mosley. And I mean, that's after looking at Mosley's whole track record."
Mosley does his best work against offensive fighters, says Arum. When a fighter has a defensive style, like a Mayweather, Mora or even a Winky Wright, then Mosley appears to be very vulnerable. But when a fighter takes the fight to Mosley, the veteran boxer becomes a dangerous counter-puncher.
"Mosley is vulnerable to defensive fighters," said Arum, referring to Mosley's loss to Mayweather the two each to Forrest and Wright. "The only fighter he lost to that wasn't defensive was Cotto, and that was life and death."
"So maybe if you put Mosley in there with a defensive fighter at his age, you know, Mosley runs out of gas because he can no longer handle it if you run from him," said Arum. "But if he's in there with someone who comes forward like Pacquiao does, then Mosley still has the bullets and the counter-punching ability and he's a strong guy who can give anybody like that trouble."
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.