By Jake Donovan
For the second time in as many ring appearances, Sergio Mora will fight in honor of the recent passing of a notable sports figure.
The 34-year old takes on recently crowned middleweight titlist Jermain Taylor next month at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The bout comes less than two months after Mora appeared on the non-televised undercard of a special edition of ESPN2 Friday Night Fights (though on a Thursday night) as part of a tribute show dedicated to the memory of beloved boxing promoter Dan Goossen, who passed away last September following a battle with liver cancer.
The upcoming middleweight title fight will also air on ESPN2, with Mora dedicating the fight to one of the most iconic figures in the history of its parent network ESPN.
“Last month, I fought in honor of Dan Goossen. My next tribute will be for my friend, Stuart Scott,” Mora (27-3-2, 9KOs) says of the title challenge.
Scott passed away earlier this month at the tender age of 49, also succumbing to cancer. Considered the heart and soul of ESPN a mentor to an entire generation of sportscasters, Scott had nary an enemy in the sports world.
“I was very close to Stuart. I was devastated when I heard of his passing,” notes Mora. “Stuart and Dan Goossen were both huge figures, larger than life. I really cherished the time I spent with Stuart, and plan to honor his memory in grand style on February 6th.”
The bout marks the first title defense for Taylor (33-4-1, 20KOs), whose second tour as a middleweight titlist came with a unanimous decision win over Sam Soliman last October. The feat serves as the cherry on top of one of the more unlikely comeback stories in the sport, as Taylor was forced to retire in 2009 after he suffered bleeding on the brain following a 12th round knockout at the hands Arthur Abraham, his fourth defeat in five fights and third knockout loss in that same stretch.
Taylor was given a clean bill of health and allowed to return towards the end of 2011, having since won five straight including the title-lifting effort over Soliman.
Mora enters the fight having won four straight—and also recently aligned with adviser Al Haymon (also Taylor’s longtime adviser)—amidst his own career turnaround. This May will mark the 10-year anniversary of his becoming the first winner of the now-defunct boxing reality series The Contender. He also went on to become the series’ first fighter to capture a major title, scoring an upset decision win over the late Vernon Forrest in June ’08 to win a super welterweight belt.
The title reign was short-lived, dropping a decision to Forrest in their rematch just three months later. The loss was the first of his career, but kicking off a stretch where he managed just two wins in six fights, including an ugly 12-round draw with Shane Mosley and a pair of disputed losses to fellow Contender alum Brian Vera.
“The main focus was going back to the drawing board following the draw with Mosley and the losses to Vera,” Mora notes of the worst patch of his 14-plus year career.
Even with a four-fight win streak, few expected Mora to be back in this position. But then few expected Taylor to ever again return to the title picture. It’s safe to say neither fighter envisioned this fight—once targeted for 2007 (when Taylor was World middleweight king) before falling through—taking place in 2015, if ever at all.
Mora is grateful for the opportunity, and granted additional motivation to shine.
“I never counted myself out, but I admit I didn’t expect my next title shot to come against Jermain Taylor,” admits Mora. “He was semi-retired, but now he’s champ again.
“I plan to bring home the title. It will mean everything to me to win the championship in honor of my friend, Stuart Scott.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox