By Kevin Kincade
So much to do and so little time in which to do it; that is the case for us all, but those words ring truer for professional athletes than for those in any other profession. Ali was done by age 36, losing to the unheralded Leon Spinks. Larry Holmes was 35 when he lost to “Neon” Leon’s younger brother, Light Heavyweight Legend Michael Spinks; and though his career continued through his fifties and he picked up a win of some significance here and there, “The Easton Assassin” never pulled the trigger quite as quickly as he once did against Ken Norton, Mike Weaver, and Gerry Cooney. “Sugar” Ray Leonard looked like an old man at 34 against Terry Norris; Jack Dempsey called it a career at 32 after his second loss to Tunney. The list goes on and on; and sadly enough, some never get the message.
It’s only natural, I suppose. A man in his mid 30’s to early 40’s is barely middle-aged by average citizen standards; but in the world of athletics, unless you’re a curler or a walking miracle like George Foreman, it’s over or about to be by then.
Any sane boxing fan knows Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr. are both example of fighters desiring to grab glory one more time, despite the forks with which they’re skewered. It can’t be easy being a once great fighter in decline; to see your once great skills diminish before your very eyes, to hear the faint whisperings of Father Time and Mother Nature in your ears, to know that your time in the sun is almost at an end.
Only the few, such as Lennox Lewis, Rocky Marciano, Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Gene Tunney, and a few others choose the right time to get out. For most, the echoes of the applause and the longing to experience it just one more time drown out what most would see as common sense.
At the moment, “Sugar” Shane Mosley is nearing that crossroads in his life: he’s nearing his 35th birthday and has gone 4-4 with 1 NC in his last 9 bouts. Despite his 10th round TKO over the shell of Fernando Vargas, the handwriting is on the wall; the question is will Shane read it.
There was a time when Shane Mosley wouldn’t say no to anyone; and it seems that same mental toughness inherits his welterweight frame, which could get him into trouble down the line should he go on too long or take the wrong fights. When Mosley first climbed into ring with Oscar De La Hoya in June of 2000, he was 34-0 (32ko’s), a former Lightweight Champion with eight defenses under his belt; and on top of the world.
The match exceeded expectations as both men traded rounds and heated combinations for the first half of the fight; and, then, in the second half, the world saw the heart and hunger of Sugar Shane as he rallied down the stretch, out punching the tiring “Golden Boy”, and taking his WBC Welterweight Title in the process. He was so fast, so quick, so focused, and so determined to steal some of Oscar’s star dust.
Mosley wanted to be a boxing star in the worst way and was willing to put it all on the line for the fans to show that he was worthy of their admiration and praise. What more could any fan want from a prize fighter? Sugar Shane had everything a fan could want; everything except welterweight punching power. Ultimately, it was the lack of pop in his punches that started the skid that he briefly halted back in February of this year against “El Feroz”.
If Mosley could have hurt Vernon Forrest as Mayorga did later on, he might have stayed at 147 and continued his reign there; but if “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas. In retrospect, I had a feeling of dread when Shane walked to the ring that night to the strands of James Brown’s “Living in America”, clad in his red, white, and blue trunks. All I could think of was Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV”; and Round 2 of Forrest-Mosley I didn’t do anything to quell my quasi-revelation inspired by that horrible chapter of seemingly endless sequels to an original classic.
The first Forrest fight was the beginning of the end of the dream of pound-for-pound immortality and the premature prophesies of some of boxing’s most respected pundits. Shane just didn’t hit hard enough to strike fear into the hearts of the best welterweights.
The move up to 154 didn’t help matters any either. The legitimacy of the second De La Hoya win is still debated among followers of the sport to this day. Add the two Wright losses into the mix and it’s no wonder that Mosley has stated he wants to climb back down the ladder. The problem is Shane would no longer the fastest fighter at welterweight; and he must know that.
One has to think soul searching would be at the top of Shane Mosley’s agenda these days; what will his legacy be, for time is running thin to carve new notches. Fellow welterweight, Floyd Mayweather Jr., is considered the best pound-4-pound fighter in the world; and Shane’s old nemesis and current business partner, Oscar De La Hoya, has recently reemerged from his post-Hopkins self-exile to devastate Ricardo Mayorga and pick up a paper title at Jr. Middleweight.
The Sugarman is literally between a rock and a hard place. No real options at 154 and heavy under-dogdem for dominance at 147; what’s left for Mosley? Where can he go?
Currently, it looks like a rematch with Fernando Vargas is on the horizon for July 15th. Why? Sure, the first fight was exciting and it was close when the stoppage occurred in the 10th; but the feeling to me is the title for this event should read, “Mosley-Vargas II: The Quest for More Money”, rather than simply “The Rematch”.
Mosley should have used his win over Vargas as a spring board towards a title fight; but instead, he’s treading the same water again. Could it be he realizes his capabilities at this stage of his career and knows something within himself that all boxing fans suspect; that he can’t beat Floyd Mayweather? What is Mosley-Vargas II going to prove: Who’s the second best old Welterweight/Jr. Middleweight out there?
The irony is that even though Mayweather is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and arguably the best Welterweight, he’s not the World Welterweight Champion; and in there lies the opening. The real World Championship belongs to the unheralded Carlos Baldomir, who beat Zab Judah in a huge upset back in January. One would think the 35 year-old light-hitting Argentinean would have been an easier mark for Shane; and, more importantly, a more meaningful one than rematching Vargas. But, maybe that’s the plan in the long-run.
Baldomir is scheduled to defend against ancient Arturo Gatti on June 22nd; and most favor Gatti to walk away with the official welterweight strap at the end of the night. Should Gatti beat “Tata” and win 147Lb gold and Mosley repeat the trick against Vargas in July, can you imagine the kind of gate that could be pulled down in Atlantic City should Mosley challenge Gatti for his newly won World Welterweight Championship? Another thought is: should Vargas beat Mosley this time, why not put together De La Hoya-Vargas II for Oscar’s newly won WBC Jr. Middleweight strap. It spells Doe-Ray-Me-Money either way, baby. And, who wouldn’t favor Mosley or De La Hoya in such show-downs, or think they would be exciting clashes worthy of shelling out the dough?
Of course, this is mere speculation on my part, and really would be sad in regards to “history” vs. “hypery”; but who am I to judge.
What comes to mind, oddly enough, is Leonard-LaLonde, Leonard-Hearns II, Duran-Barkley, and Leonard-Duran III. After he defeated Marvin Hagler, Ray Leonard retired and vacated the championship. His next comeback, to me, is still one of the biggest travesties in boxing logistics. Ray Leonard fought Donnie “The Golden Boy” LaLonde for both the WBC Super-Middleweight and Donnie’s WBC Light-Heavyweight Championship while making Donnie fight below his natural weight. HOW CAN YOU FIGHT FOR TWO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TWO DIFFERENT DIVISIONS IN ONE FIGHT?! You can’t; unless you’re Sugar Ray Leonard, unless you’re a superstar who can attract those pay-per-view receipts like the Pied Piper did rats.
That win for Leonard wrote his name down, officially, as a four and five division World Champion; and, it began the original “Seniors Tour” where he fought Tommy Hearns again, after most thought Tommy was done and Duran for a third time based on the strength of Roberto’s then-recent upset win over Iran Barkley. Friends, I fear we are facing “The Seniors Tour: The Next Generation”; and it involves Sugar Shane Mosely, Oscar De La Hoya, and Fernando Vargas. You could also throw Arturo Gatti into the mix and maybe even include Felix Trinidad if enough Franklins are waved under his nose.
Should it happen, it’s not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you realize what it is. Just as Leonard, Hearns, and Duran were no longer the best fighters in the world in 1988 & ’89, De La Hoya, Mosley, and Vargas are no longer the best fighters in the world now. Any credible boxing fan knows this. It is the love we have for them that they earned during their heyday that keeps us hanging on. We remember the thrills of De La Hoya-Quartey, De La Hoya-Mosely, De La Hoya-Vargas, Trinidad-Vargas, Forrest-Mosley I and so forth and we want to experience that again. Nostalgia is what it all boils down to; and, apparently, Oscar knows it.
Oscar has become quite a good business man, almost as good as he was and still is as a prize-fighter. He, I dare say, learned from his fistic predecessor, the great Sugar Ray Leonard, who drove the establishment nuts at the time and has taken it one step further in the form of Golden Boy Promotions. And Mosley, likewise, seems to be following in the second Sugar’s footsteps by partnering with De La Hoya. Good for them, I say. Fighters risk it all, they should benefit from it more so than any manager or promoter who has never taken a shot in the chops. Just don’t be fooled into thinking Mosley-Vargas II or any senior match really means anything in regards to the boxing landscape, or, in laymen’s terms: Don’t Believe the Hype.
Ask yourself these questions: Would you favor Sugar Shane Moseley to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. at this stage in their careers? If so, or, if Shane believed that, then why isn’t he moving back down to Welterweight, as he said he intends to do, and pursuing that option rather than taking a meaningless rematch with Vargas? Does he want to prove he’s still the best or is he merely looking for the easiest paydays? “Leonard-ism” is in the house, me thinks.
Oh, Mosley-Mayweather might be made eventually; but I’d be willing to bet the pot will be more than sweetened by then. Mosley, though not as young and fast as he once was, isn’t shot yet. At this stage, he could still beat the likes of the 35 year old Baldomir or the 34 year old shopworn Gatti and; maybe he’ll pursue the winner of that fight should he get win number two over Fernando. He may not be able to beat the cream of the crop anymore; but if he were in possession of the lineal World Welterweight Championship, Shane would certainly have more bargaining power in a match-up against Mayweather than he would if he didn’t.
From all accounts, Shane Mosley is one of the nicer guys in boxing; and while it’s a shame that he didn’t end up realizing all the expectations of the boxing pundits who were backing him on his rise to the top, at least he seems to have learned from the experiences of those who came before him and will be financially well off when he finally does hang up the gloves. He didn’t always beat the best; but at least he fought them. In the end, none of us can outrun Father Time forever; but if we get the most out of our youth and the opportunities that come knocking, then who’s to say the journey wasn’t worth it, regardless of where history places us.
Mosley, apparently, has indeed seen the writing on the wall; and, more importantly, has read between the lines as well: “If you can’t go out on top, make sure you get well paid for your trip back down the mountain.”
Questions or Comments: kevin.kincade@citcomm.com
