By Cliff Rold
They were supposed to meet once before in better days. Ricardo Mayorga (29-6-1, 23 KO) was the lineal Welterweight champion of the World; Shane Mosley (44-5, 37 KO) held the same distinction one division up at Jr. Middleweight. Each also held two alphabelts to go with the historical honors. Mayorga was coming off of two wins against Mosley’s sole conqueror at the time, Vernon Forrest, while Mosley was fresh off a career saving second win against Oscar De La Hoya. It was slated for the spring of 2004.
Mayorga didn’t make it past December 2003.
In what was considered an upset then, Cory Spinks did the legacy of his father Leon and Uncle Michael proud. Spinks dazzled Mayorga to become the undisputed Welterweight king and Mosley moved on to tougher tasks. Instead of the rugged but unrefined Mayorga, Mosley stepped in with the larger and technically brilliant Winky Wright and met defeat. They fought again to the same outcome. Like Mayorga, undisputed honors eluded him.
In the years since, each man has traveled their own path but found ways to work through those described defeats. Mosley did it by winning five in a row, including two over Fernando Vargas, before dropping a close one to Miguel Cotto in his last bout. Mayorga traveled a rockier road, losing by knockout to Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya before scraping together his own win against Vargas last year.
Four years later, the road leads back to each other. Mosley is 37; Mayorga is 34. The winner moves on for one more day; the loser might too, but only because Boxing so reluctantly lets go of those it should. Fans won’t get the fight they might have in 2004, and almost no one thinks Mosley loses this one, but it’s unlikely anyone will walk away not having been entertained.
Let’s go to the report card.
Speed: Mosley is favored here. He would have been faster four years ago; he’ll be faster forty years from now. In his prime, Mosley had the sort of hand speed that made you sit up straighter in your chair, made you blink. Past his prime, he can still get them past the guards of younger men. Slick Welterweight contender Luis Collazo couldn’t do anything with Mosley; Cotto could do just enough to win and had to suck it up down the stretch. Mayorga, in his prime, threw such oddball stuff that the quickness and snap of the power shots he fired was often missed. It provided an element of surprise he doesn’t seem to have much of any more. If this fight comes down to the man who lands first, and most fights do, Mayorga could have trouble. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B+; Mayorga C+
Power: This would seem to be the place where Mayorga’s best chance comes and it is, but is it the chance he used to be able to make it? Mayorga dropped Vargas a couple times last year, but Vargas was moving in quicksand and he couldn’t finish him. He hasn’t scored a knockout since the first Forrest fight over five years ago. Mosley’s only KO’s came against Vargas, the first on a swollen eye and the second at the end of his left hook. Even with more years on the calendar, Mosley’s greater respect for his body and more consistent application of craft should mean a power edge to compliment speed. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B; Mayorga B
Defense: Mayorga was never a defensive wizard, using his own offense to smother incoming fire, and with a lost step is more open than ever to getting hit. Mosley though has also always been hittable. The difference is that the fighters who hit Mosley had to work for it. He slips and moves enough to make them work for it. Mosley pointing to his chin and letting opponents tee off, something Mayorga got famous for, just doesn’t happen. He comes to win and let the show develop naturally. Mayorga comes to be a show. Against Oscar and Tito, Mayorga’s openness meant exits on his shield. Mosley is quicker than both and, if he catches Mayorga blind early, the shield could be on duty sooner than expected. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley B; Mayorga C-
Intangibles: In many ways, this is a bout between the consummate and un-consummate professionals outside the ring but inside both have shown never to take a backward step. Mayorga used to try to play the mental game, talking trash and looking to tick foes off but he doesn’t even bring much of that edge here. Perhaps he’s mellowed with age; perhaps he sees what most everyone does and wants no part of making it look worse. He may be the younger man, but the mileage and punishment factors weight in Shane’s favor and he’s got the better chin to boot. Mayorga, during the brief highlight run against Forrest and before that Andrew Lewis seemed to will himself past men of superior skill. He showed some of that will with Vargas, in a fight he knew he could win, but how much pain would will require him to endure to beat “Sugar” Shane. Pre-Fight Grades: Mosley A; Mayorga B
Overall Grades: Mosley B+; Mayorga C+
The Pick: There’s no way to view this other than as a foregone conclusion. Shane Mosley has been off for almost a year and he’s being given an opponent designed to make him look good with the hope of bigger business in 2009. As noted, it will be fun while it lasts. Mayorga is going to get in to Mosley’s power alleys and give him the chance for a knockout. Mosley should take advantage of that somewhere around round five.
Expect fireworks on the televised undercard as well. 31-year old Former Jr. Lightweight titlist Stevie Forbes (33-6, 9 KO) has never been stopped, but newly minted 25-year old WBC titlist Andre Berto (22-0, 19 KO) should change all that within eight on Saturday. The card starts live on HBO at 10:30 PM EST/7:30 PM PST.
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
