By Cliff Rold
As noted last week in the pre-fight report card, there was little chance Shane Mosley-Ricardo Mayorga circa 2008 was likely to be as good as the once-intended Mosley-Mayorga 2004. One of the best things to be said for the 08 version we got was it made wondering what might have been worthwhile. These two former World Welterweight champions showed the world they still have the same champion’s desire.
In other words, it wasn’t a bad fight and it was better than most thought it would be. Rumors of the demise of Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 KO) as a serious World title contender might not be exaggerated, but he wasn’t the spent force he’d appeared in recent years. He came to fight on Saturday and stayed on his feet until a final onslaught in the final seconds made for an ending rife with finality. The final left hook from Mosley (45-5, 38 KO) pressed Mayorga into the mat and extended the shelf life of the “Sugar” man for at least one more big check.
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: As expected, Mosley was the faster man in the ring but he is also beginning to show the inevitable slip that comes with being 37. Mosley’s speed is still world-class; it’s just not Mosley prime anymore. He mostly got there first anyways because, well, speed is relative. Speed was often taken out of the equation in the fight though as Mayorga was prepared and willing to throw the wild bombs he’s known for and attempt to play rough on the inside. Mayorga’s lack of orthodoxy, and better conditioning than he’s shown in years, allowed him to strike first on some notable occasions with some thudding lead uppercuts and a big right in the early first round. Even the final salvo from Mosley was less about speed and more about raw will. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B+; Mayorga C+/Post Fight: Mosley B+; Mayorga B-
Power: Mayorga’s rocking right in the first brought a rare shudder from the iron-chinned Mosley. Considering he’s been down only once in his long career, any sign of hurt is an accomplishment for a given foe. Considering Mayorga landed other bombs as well, the reputation of the Mosley chin remains intact. So too does the ability of Mosley to close the show. In securing the stoppage, Mosley closed the show with flourish, abandoning the pretense of Boxing and loading up with targeted bombs. He’s never been a particularly massive puncher; the torture and earlier ends inflicted on Mayorga by Tito Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya show the contrast. Regardless, Mosley has always been a great finisher and he reacted like a shark to blood. He attacked, pressing when the decision was well in hand. It was the sort of ‘fighter’ mentality display which reminds fans why Mosley has meant so much to the game and why he will be so sorely missed. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B; Mayorga B/Post-Fight: Same
Defense: Mayorga deserves some credit for a defensive strategy that called for frustrating and upsetting the timing of Mosley and Mosley was effective in rolling with shots as the fight wore on, taking heat off of Mayorga’s fastball. That said, neither man exceeded expectations; both took shots and gave them in looking for victory as expected. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B; Mayorga C-/Post-Fight: Mosley B; Mayorga C+
Intangibles: In defeat, Mayorga probably moves now to stepping stone for some young gun on the way up but he gave a solid effort in trying to maintain elite level relevance. For Mayorga to have as much will as he did against someone like Mosley, especially after the De La Hoya bombing in 2006, showed professionalism in his craft Mayorga isn’t always credited for. Mosley showed all of the little things about him over the years which can be chalked up as intangibles: he showed his chin (good), willingness to be drawn into wars his skills could avoid (not as good for him but fine for fans); and he showed want. Mosley has mostly been a winner, and he’s never had quit in him, even when getting worked over pretty bad by Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright in the first bouts with each. His go-for-the-kill finish said a lot about why he stayed up years ago in those bouts. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley A; Mayorga B/Post-Fight: Mosley A; Mayorga B+
Overall Grades: Mosley B+; Mayorga B
Already the question is out there: what next for Mosley? There isn’t a clear answer. WBA Welterweight titlist Antonio Margarito doesn’t appear in the cards right away. At Welterweight, that means Joshua Clottey (IBF) and Paul Williams (WBO) are probably the best title chances for him, with Clottey the easier (and not easy at all) task. Andre Berto (WBC), regardless of his belt and solid performance on the Mosley-Mayorga undercard in defeating Stevie Forbes, doesn’t appear to be a fighter who needs to be rushed right away into a still dangerous, and more experienced, Mosley. Being Mosley, it might mean Williams because that’s just how he rolls, regularly skewing the risk/reward ratio and not to his benefit…but often to the benefit of fans and the sport. All look forward to his next move forward as he gets closer to the day when the gloves hang up for good.
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
