By Cliff Rold
After seeing planned encounters in 1990 and 1991 fall apart, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson finally consummated a years-long rivalry in 1996. Promoter Don King didn’t come up with a title like “Brawl in Montreal” or “Thrilla’ in Manila,” instead opting for the obvious.
The fight was dubbed, simply, “Finally.”
The folks at Golden Boy Promotions have gone a little more fan interactive this weekend, the fight being promoted under the moniker “Who R U Picking?” but stealing “Finally” would have felt more like it even if falling short of full honesty.
Full honesty would mean something like, “About Damn Time,” “Took Long Enough,” or “Wow, Never Thought They Actually Would.” It’s often mentioned when talking about the long and parallel careers of Mosley and Mayweather, a KO Magazine cover in the late 1990s which asked who would be the “Future of Boxing.”
Splitting Fighter of the Year honors for 1998, Mosley rewarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America and Mayweather by the Ring, the future seemed fast approaching.
The answer of who would ultimately be the future turned out, in different ways, to be both. Mayweather has just been a little more of it. Mosley was first in many regards. He was named (by some) as the pound for pound leader first; he beat Oscar De La Hoya first. He also lost first and four more times and was found out to be toying with performance enhancing drugs while Floyd nurtured and grew the number sitting aside his zero (it’s currently 40).
The building of the zero has come with peaks and valleys in terms of competition but there’s been more quality than not. There’s been three lineal World Championships, at Jr. Lightweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight, and title claims in five divisions overall. Having never lost the last of his lineal crowns in the ring, Mayweather has a chance Saturday to make a case as resuming his kingship.
Mosley has the chance to cement the claim’s he made upside Antonio Margarito’s head in early 2009. Can he be first one more time? Can Mosley be the first to officially defeat Mayweather as a professional?
Let’s go the report card.
The Ledgers
Shane Mosley
Age: 38
Title: WBA Welterweight (2009-Present, 0 Defenses)
Previous Titles: IBF Lightweight (1997-99, 8 Defenses); Lineal World/WBC Welterweight (2000-02, 3 Defenses); Lineal World/Ring/WBC/WBA Jr. Middleweight (2003-04, 0 Defenses)
Height: 5’9
Weight: 147 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 149.35 lbs.
Hails from: Pomona, California
Record: 46-5, 39 KO
BoxingScene Rank: #1
Record in Title Fights: 15-5, 12 KO
Record in Lineal Title Fights: 5-4, 3 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated/No Contested: 9 (Phillip Holiday, John John Molina, Jesse James Leija, Oscar De La Hoya, Raul Marquez (NC), Fernando Vargas, Luis Collazo, Ricardo Mayorga, Antonio Margarito)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced in Defeat: 3 (Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright, Miguel Cotto)
Vs.
Floyd Mayweather
Age: 33
Titles: None
Previous Titles: Lineal/WBC Jr. Lightweight (1998-2002, 8 Defenses); Lineal/Ring/WBC Lightweight (2002-04, 3 Defenses); WBC Jr. Welterweight (2005); IBF Welterweight (2006); Lineal/Ring/WBC Welterweight (2006-08, 1 Defense); WBC Jr. Middleweight (2007)
Height: 5’8
Weight: 146 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 147 lbs.
Hails from: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Record: 40-0, 25 KO
BoxingScene Rank: #3
Record in Title Fights: 18-0, 9 KO
Record in Lineal Title Fights: 15-0, 8 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 14 (Genaro Hernandez, Gregorio Vargas, Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo, DeMarcus Corley, Arturo Gatti, Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez)
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Mosley A; Mayweather A+
Pre-Fight: Power – Mosley A; Mayweather B
Pre-Fight: Defense – Mosley B; Mayweather A+
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Mosley A; Mayweather A
Mosley still has some of the fastest hands in the sport. So does Mayweather. The latter’s are probably faster but in this fight it will be about the application of speed. Mosley will do what he does: flick the jab as a distraction and look to wail with the left to the body, left underneath to the chin, and the right cross. Mayweather will stick the jab, try to use his elbows to frustrate Mosley and hold him still for pot shots, and then open with combinations as the rounds wear on. Mosley isn’t as active as he was a decade ago but it should still be blazing stuff.
In terms of power, Mosley will have the edge but by how much remains to be seen. Outside of the Margarito win last year, he hasn’t scored many substantive knockouts at the elite level and most of his best stops have been cumulative. Mayweather has only one elite stoppage since his 2001 win over Diego Corrales, his 2007 win over Ricky Hatton, but he can still land stunning stuff because it’s not seen coming. Both have been hurt, Mosley worse and Mayweather by a lesser hitter. In 2002 Mosley was dropped twice and hammered by the late, and massively framed, Vernon Forrest. Mayweather was never dropped but was stunned in round three, and hurt in round four, by Demarcus Corley in 2004.
Each reacted with aplomb in those situations. Mayweather opened up on Corley like hell unleashed, dropping him repeatedly en route to one of his most entertaining wins. Mosley got up and finished the fight against Forrest, still throwing and trying to win until late. He was overmatched but had no quit. Win or lose, Mosley has always given a good account of himself.
There’s no losing for Mayweather, but adversity has existed beyond some nice Corley shots. In the rematch with Jose Luis Castillo in 2002, after struggling through the first fight (the only fight anyone can make a case for Mayweather losing) and the first nine rounds of the rematch, Mayweather did what a great fighter is supposed to. He solved the puzzle, pulling away in the final three rounds to prove superiority.
One of the reasons, and Mayweather’s biggest asset this weekend, was his defense. The “Pretty Boy” has stayed pretty for a reason, using his high shoulders, deft head movement, and great feet to avoid punishment and exasperate foes. he might be a step behind legends like Willie Pep and Pernell Whitaker, but if so it’s not a massive foot behind or anything. Mosley has good enough head movement and slips shots well but can also leave himself open when he charges. If he’s not careful with Mayweather, being open could mean badly swollen eyes by night’s end as he eats countering jabs and finds air as Mayweather slides away.
The Pick
It’s here after all these years.
It’s easy to say that, were we expecting to get the Shane Mosley of the late 1990s and early 2000s, he would be a winner on Saturday. It would also be silly as it pretends Mayweather is still at his absolute peak. At 33, it’s unlikely he is. Instead, we’ve got two well seasoned vets and the favorite, Mayweather, is clearly the one closer to his best. He hasn’t had the aesthetic of defeat to show where he might be slowing and it’s a safe bet to assume he won’t, viewers won’t, experience that on Saturday.
It says here (and this scribe has a losing streak going but the hell with it) the safe bet is wrong this weekend. Mosley isn’t physically what he was but Mayweather seems more aware of Mosley than he has been for any opponent since De La Hoya. He knows who has the real potential to beat him and who doesn’t. That will mean a cautious start and, while Mosley might land a lot clean, he’s going to steal rounds early with aggression and solid body work. When they’re near the ropes, Shane will be ripping to the ribs and, if he’s smart, the shoulders of Mayweather. He’ll hold and hit where he can get away with it and, when Mayweather starts to complain to the official, Mosley is likely to keep punching.
Realizing it’s too close for comfort in the second half, even that he might be behind, Mayweather will have to open up in the second half and that plays into the sort of physical fight Mosley needs. Mayweather’s accuracy will keep him in the fight but Mosley’s early lead and some eye catching bombs, maybe even a shock knockdown, should be enough to capture a rugged, sometimes nasty, decision on Saturday night.
After waiting more than a decade for this fight, fans will then be happy to hear that Mayweather has an automatic rematch clause and what took too long to happen once might just need to happen all over again.
Report Card Picks 2010: 12-5
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
