Margarito-Mosley: A Return To The January Table Setter

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Jake Donovan - It was the fight boxing fans wanted when first rumored a few months ago, and a fight in which everyone involved stepped up to make a reality.

Former three-division champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley was aboard from jump.

Current top welterweight Antonio Margarito liked the fight, but also wanted what he believed to be fair market value.

HBO obliged, which brings us to this upcoming weekend and boxing’s first big event of 2009, which airs live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California (Saturday, 10PM ET/7PM PT).

Questions surrounding the fight range from intangibles all the way to historical significance. Some are open to debate for the moment, others will continue beyond the final bell, regardless of winner. The rest will have to be answered on Saturday evening.

The matchup alone generates mouth-watering interest, given the fighter’s respective styles. The way the sport has traveled in recent years, such a fight would’ve required a two-show buildup, which is to say that both sides would receive high-profile showcase fights early in the year, most likely against soft opposition, before colliding later in the year.

Instead, boxing bucks one recent trend and renews another: cutting right to the chase and beginning the year with a ****.

It only makes good business sense to ride year-ending momentum to maintain a seamless transition at the start of a new year. The key is not just in the matchup, but also its presentation. The back end of a calendar year is usually loaded with no fewer than two notable pay-per-view events, followed by the holidays. The start of the New Year would be a good time to reward boxing fans while simultaneously allowing them to recover financially. [details]

[SweetScience31]

Say it again, this time in english!

Ok so if margrito wins, he could be the ring magzine champ. But if shane wins he picks up the belts Margrito currently holds. So lets say Shane does win ( and you would have to be smoking crack to think he would win), he doesnt get the recognition by ring magzine because he lost to cotto and if margrito wins( and he should, he is a middle weight hidding among the welter weights) he might not get it ether because his lost to Paul Williams( a middle weight who finaly realized how dumb he looked as a welter weight and moved up). So let me get this strait what does ring magzine want? a guy who is undefeated like floyd mayweather(only because he hides from guys who should be middle weights) but they cant get one because the only undefeated fighter is Berto ( a guy whos not ready for prime time). Well I have the answer one belt, one champ and the problem is solved. WHY do we need so many belts, so many sanctioning bodies. Its real simple you win, you get the belt, you lose, you lose the belt and if you dont want to fight the number one contender, you give up the belt. So if Margrito wins in my eyes he is the champ if Shane wins( he needs to be tested again for steroids) in my eyes he is the champ and the next guy in line i.e cotto or clotty gets the next shot at the belt.

[ACHlLLES]

Ok so if margrito wins, he could be the ring magzine champ. But if shane wins he picks up the belts Margrito currently holds. So lets say Shane does win ( and you would have to be smoking crack to think he would win)

Styles make fights, and that is a moronic comment you said. No wonder why you have red karma dumb ass, so if someone has a different opinion then your own they're obviously a crackhead... Right...

[JakeNDaBox]

Ok so if margrito wins, he could be the ring magzine champ. But if shane wins he picks up the belts Margrito currently holds. So lets say Shane does win ( and you would have to be smoking crack to think he would win), he doesnt get the recognition by ring magzine because he lost to cotto and if margrito wins( and he should, he is a middle weight hidding among the welter weights) he might not get it ether because his lost to Paul Williams( a middle weight who finaly realized how dumb he looked as a welter weight and moved up). So let me get this strait what does ring magzine want? a guy who is undefeated like floyd mayweather(only because he hides from guys who should be middle weights) but they cant get one because the only undefeated fighter is Berto ( a guy whos not ready for prime time). Well I have the answer one belt, one champ and the problem is solved. WHY do we need so many belts, so many sanctioning bodies. Its real simple you win, you get the belt, you lose, you lose the belt and if you dont want to fight the number one contender, you give up the belt. So if Margrito wins in my eyes he is the champ if Shane wins( he needs to be tested again for steroids) in my eyes he is the champ and the next guy in line i.e cotto or clotty gets the next shot at the belt.

I didn't say anything about The Ring championship. It's not my magazine, nor my title to issue.

I'm talking about true title lineage, which is separate from what The Ring rankings represent. In fact, Nigel chooses to IGNORE boxing history when the circumstances don't suit his agenda. Case in point, Daisuke Naito is the true flyweight champion based on the man-who-beat-the-man-who-beat-the-man. If The Ring ever bothered to follow the bouncing ball, then Manny Pacquiao would be regarded as a former lineal flyweight champion under the same thread.

But my reference is in regards to...

Ah, see, you didn't read Cliff's article last week, did you?

[SweetScience31]

I wont take time to respond to cast troy(there is all ways that one guy who wants to make something a personal attack) but jake in tha box I did read cliff's article last week my point was that I thought there should be a better way to get one true champ or at least a simple formula. Thats all I was getting at.

[JakeNDaBox]

I know, I was just clowning. I'm a wise-ass by nature.

There should be a better formula, I agree. The problem is, until we can get everyone to agree on one set of rankings, it's an issue that will go unresolved for the most part. Some people adhere to the sheep mentality The Ring prefers in promoting their rankings, and follow their champions.

It's easier when you have a fight between fighters universally regarded as the best two in their division (like Adamek-Cunningham last December, or Calzaghe-Kessler in Nov 2007). The rest requires greater cooperation than you're moist likely to get from within the boxing fraternity.

I respect The Ring's decision to wait until a Margarito-Cotto rematch to crown a new welterweight champion. But my thing is, if it never happens, Margarito shouldn't need to beat Cotto again to earn that designation, especially if Paul Williams never again fights below 147. Whereas Cotto WOULD need to beat Tony in order to lay claim to such honors.

[SweetScience31]

Ok now that makes since. I hope that Paul williams does however stay at jr middle weight or moves to middle weight, that way we can see a better quality of fights in those two weight classes and get a ww champ in the process. But if Shane does win who does he have to beat, to get the crown so to speak. Or would he have to beat Margrito twice or fight cotto again. It would seem easier to have a ring magzine elimantor between all the guys who have abc belts and 1-2 rankings and get the champ that way so theres no politics involved.

[MANGLER]

I thought this fight shoulda been for the Ring belt. If Pwill was still at 147, Marg would owe him a fight but he ain't so to hell wit it. The reason SSM is #3 is cuz Pwill left. He shouldn't be used as a reason to not establish a new lineal champ, and neither should Cotto. He beat SSM but lost to Marg. If SSM wins, he's got Cotto's daddy in his W column. If Marg wins, he's beaten everybody there so why not? Right now Marg is the man with or without the Ring belt anyway.

[Piper the Great]

imo boxing should start forcing unification fights. thats the only way we gonna get a undsputed champ

[FLY TY]

I thought this fight shoulda been for the Ring belt. If Pwill was still at 147, Marg would owe him a fight but he ain't so to hell wit it. The reason SSM is #3 is cuz Pwill left. He shouldn't be used as a reason to not establish a new lineal champ, and neither should Cotto. He beat SSM but lost to Marg. If SSM wins, he's got Cotto's daddy in his W column. If Marg wins, he's beaten everybody there so why not? Right now Marg is the man with or without the Ring belt anyway.

he already owed PWILL that fight, he wasn't in any kind of hurry to give it to him......THAT'S WHY HE MOVED UP IN WEIGHT.

imo boxing should start forcing unification fights. thats the only way we gonna get a undsputed champ

then you get into all kind of sticky situations w/ the various alphabet bodies. start forcing unifications, then there's really no need for the various titles, there'd be 1 title per division, and there's too much money involved and too many ppl looking to line their pockets to let that happen. i actually agree with your point tho.