By Rick Reeno
The two combatants are no strangers to each other. The fighters met in the ring on March 13, 2004, televised before an audience of millions on HBO. Shane Mosley was coming off a very controversial win over Oscar De La Hoya and was set to face Ricardo Mayorga. Mayorga had an agreement in place to face Mosley upon beating Cory Spinks and unifying the 147 weight division. As we all know, not everything goes as planned in the sport of Boxing, Mayorga was upset by Cory Spinks and lost a future date with Mosley as a result. Mosley could have faced many other fighters but decided to step up to plate and take on the most difficult fighter at 154 pounds. The bout was getting plenty of publicity in the fight game due to the fact that all the titles at 154 pounds were on the line. The bout was advertised as the fight that would unify the 154 pound division and stabilize the weight class by only having one legit world champion.
The other bit of hype for the initial meeting between Molsey and Wright was the fact that Shane Mosley had already come to terms with Felix Trinidad for a bout worth millions of dollars. Mosley was ready to move up to 160 pounds after the bout with Winky Wright in order to meet Trinidad in what would of been Trinidad's comeback fight. Once again Boxing showed us that not everything goes as expected, Mosley lost to Wright and it was Ricardo Mayorga who got the first crack at Trinidad.
Many boxing experts criticized Mosley for taking on Winky Wright when a deal worth millions was in place for him to meet Felix Trinidad at a later date, there was also a 10 million+ offer from Oscar De La Hoya for a rubber match.. Most experts did not give Mosley any shot at beating Wright and felt that style wise, this was a bout Shane should stay far away from. The bout unraveled as most boxing experts predicted, a one-sided domination by Winky Wright. Shane had no answers as Wright brushed off any shots Shane tried to put together, bullied Shane, out muscledShane and out boxed the Sugar Man with ease.
The loss was so devastating to Shane Mosley that he fired his longtime trainer/father Jack Mosley and replaced him with top trainer Joe Goossen. The experts still have Shane as a heavy underdog in the rematch and can't see the reasoning as to why Mosley would want to fight Wright in an immediate rematch other then his ego getting in the way. The staff and contributors of BoxingScene give their predictions for the upcoming Shane Mosley-Winky Wright rematch, taking place on November 20, 2004 on HBO.
Christopher P. Cook
"Sugar Shane" will pull out an unanimous decision victory. It is hard to go against the champion, especially after how he won last time, but Mosley should never be underrated. As one of the more gifted fighters of this generation, he will show why he was revered once as a top 5 pound-for-pound boxer. A more focused Mosley will take back the belts he lost earlier this year.
Dave Selwyn
I predict that winky will win by either an impressive unanimous decision or late fight tko. Winky is naturally bigger than Shane and has gained confidence since the last time they met. I still think winky is a hungry fighter and will move up to the middleweight divison
Rusty Rubin
Styles do make fights and Wright, besides being too big for Mosely, has the style that will frustrate Shane all night. Wright was/is the one person none of the contenders wanted to fight. We saw why when he fought McKart. Of course two southpaws rarely make for a great fight, but as a natural at 160 lbs. Wright is more comfortable and a more complete fighter. Molsey, who's at his best at 154, gets the edge in foot speed, but Wrigt's style more then makes up for it...These guys can fight 100 times and Wright would win all of them, unless he got hurt entering the ring
Damien Picariello
Wright UD Mosley: Quite simply, I think Mosley's fire has gone out. Much like de la Hoya, Mosley has been above his ideal weight for some time now, and his formerly spectacular speed has degenerated into nearly nothing. Although I think Joe Goossen always brings quite a bit to the table, Wright is just hungrier and fresher as a fighter.
Robert Padilla
Winky Wright vs. Shane Mosley on paper looks like an even match. Winky’s record is 47 wins -25 ko’s 3 losses and 18 Title fights. Shane Mosley has 39 wins -35 ko’s 3 losses and 20 Title fights. The main difference on paper is all of Winky’s title fights have been at Lightmiddle or Middleweight where as Mosley’s Title fights have been from Lightweight to Middleweight.
Winky Wright is in his comfort zone as he has been a middleweight for all his big fights and this gives him the edge as far as being able to handle the weight and power shots from other middleweights. The second reason that Winky has the edge is that Shane Mosley has not been the same Mosley since he fought Vernon Forest as his problems have been in the ring and especially outside the ring. I’ve known Shane since the days when he trained at Azusa Boxing Club in Azusa, California, he was 14 at the time. He was tight with his father, you couldn’t drive a wedge between them. Jack was a great father as I could see he always wanted the best for his son and always trained him hard and smart. Never did I see his dad stop Shane from associating with other amateurs in the gym (as most that trained there were of Mexican decent) like some coaches do to keep their best fighters from associating with others. Jack knew he had a diamond in the rough but he never acted like he or his son were too good for anyone else. Everyone at the gym thought of them as plain folks and down to earth. The only obstacle I can see for Winky Wright is the fact that the Goossens have a lot of pride and are going to train Mosley for the victory and that could make the fight interesting but I still pick Winky Wright.
Jose Villegas
Winky Wright UD: It wasn't just the fact that Winky won the first fight it's how he won it that makes me 100% certian he will win the rematch. Mosley had no answers for him at all and pretty much just quit trying half way through the fight in my opnion. I see no reason why things will change.
Tom Donelson
Saturday night will feature a fight between two of boxing’s better people. Mosley-Wright II is a big fight for both fighters. For Mosley, this represents his Alamo as far as big fights are concern. He has lost 3 of his last four fights with one no contest for accidental head butt. Even the fight that he won was controversial, so he could easily be 0-4.
As for Wright, win and there is a big money fight down the road with Hopkins or Trinidad. We are talking PPV. Lose and it is back to ignominy. Wright has been one of those solid fighters that no one really likes to fight for he is the awkward southpaw. He loves to box and frustrate his opponent. He is the one fighter most fighters avoided for there were no big bucks and a possible lost.
Joe Gossen now trains Mosley after splitting with his father. What does Mosley need to do to win? First, he needs to fight this fight like he fought the last round against De La Hoya in their first fight and the last four rounds of their second fight. He needs to get inside Wright jab and use his hand speed to its maximum advantage. Wright is not much taller than De La Hoya, so Mosley does have the skills to penetrate. Forget about hitting the home run with one punch. Mosley is not going to knock Wright out with one punch. If Mosley allows Wright to fight from the outside, then this fight is a repeat of the first fight. In their first fight, Mosley allowed Wright to dominate the early rounds and dug himself a hole that he could not get out off.
As for Wright, move and jab. Box and keep Mosley on the outside. This will reduce Mosley to throwing one punch at a time and disrupt his rhythm. And Wright can’t afford to be cocky. Just because Wright won the first fight doesn’t mean he will win this match. Overconfidence can lead to defeat. Mosley has nothing to lose and every thing to prove, so Wright has to be prepared for a determine Mosley. Wright must take command from the first round and let Mosley know that this will be a repeat of the first fight.
As for prediction, Mosley can win this fight if he is able to pierce Wright defenses early. The key to this fight will be the first two or three round. If Wright set the pace, then Mosley is in trouble. If Mosley can win some early rounds, he can put the pressure on Wright in the later rounds and steal this bout. Wright wins a close decision.
Frank Lotierzo
There was a time when I was very high on Shane Mosley. However, since beating Oscar De La Hoya in their first fight back in June of 2000, I've been forced to see that if Mosley can't overwhelm his opponent physically, he doesn't adjust and doesn't win. When fighting an opponent that is bigger and stronger than he is, he panics and tries to end the fight with one big punch. Shane cannot overwhelm Wright physically from what I saw in their first meeting. Winky also doesn't believe he can lose, and if the first round ends up being the 13th round, Shane will start to harbor doubt and think here we go again. Mosley is a warrior and too tough to be stopped by Wright, but he'll lose.......................Wright by UD.
Pedro Fernandez
At The Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas, NV
(HBO) Winky Wright (47-3) vs. Shane Mosley (39-3)
(For The Ring Magazine World Jr. Middleweight Championship)
(WBC and WBA Jr. Middleweight belts) Odds/Prediction: Wright 2 ½ to 1. Wright seemingly has all the aces in hand here. $2,000 beans on Winky.
Mike Indri
Both great boxers - I just can't visualize any change from the first fight. The good big man will beat the good little man: Winky Wright via unanimous decision.
Dave Sauvage
On paper, it's a borderline mismatch. Wright is on a winning steak. He's steadily improving against top competition. And he's been at 154 or thereabouts his entire career. Mosley, by contrast, has lost three of his last five. Against Wright last time out, he looked tired from the get-go. And he's a natural 140 pounder.
Add to that, it's quite possible that some of Sugar's sugar might well have been steroids (read: Balco scandal). So now that he's off the dope, we can expect two things. First, for his voice to drop an octave.
And second, for him to lose virtually every round on all three cards in a lopsided and boring Wright victory.
The only surprise I'll admit a possibility of is Wright, as comfortable as he'll be, finding a way to put Shane on the canvas a couple of times as the fight wears on. So for originality's sake:
Wright KO Mosley 10
Richard McManus
Prediction: Mosley Unanimous Decision over 12 Rounds over Winky Wright
This is how it will happen: Under the watchful eye of Joe Goosen, Shane Mosley goes back to the speed and combination boxing that brought his success as a Lightweight. "Winky" Wright, while still effective with his skilled boxing and southpaw style, can't match the new found hunger of "Sugar" Shane. Mosley goes "soul searching" as he wills himself to victory over the game and tough "Winky" Wright.
Ja Lang G. Greene
Wright UD 12 - Look for "Winky" to finish what he started in the first fight and come out ready to impress to secure a big payday with either Hopkins or Trinidad in 2005.
Dave Wilcox
Wright will do the same thing he did the first time. I don't give Sugar Shane much of a chance here. Mosley is too small to fight at this weight and will be dominated again.
Wright by unanimous decision..or if Shane gets too brave, late round stoppage
Rick Reeno
I think the fight will be close, but I still have Winky Wright winning by decision. Both mens' careers are on the table here. If Wright loses, due to his style, he may not get another big fight with a big name opponent for quite some time. Wright would also lose out on future paydays against Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad. If Mosley loses again, he may be done in the eyes of most boxing fans and experts as a top tier fighter.
Mosley has not looked good since his days at 147 pounds and has not had a dominating performance or even a good performance since July 21 of 2001 when he knocked out Adrian Stone at 147 pounds. Since then he has only won "1" fight, 1 stinking win (Oscar De La Hoya rematch) since July of 2001 and most people look at that win as a loss. So we can safely say that Mosley has not won a fight in 3 years. I hope the NYSAC isnt reading this or Mosley's days are numbered since even Evander Holyfield has done better numbers in the last 3 years. Wright by UD with Mosley trying everything in his power to win.
