Comments Thread For: Insider Notebook: Merchant on Tyson, Pacquiao Backs Mosley

[King Ju-Ju]

Mayweather by unanimous decision.

[Cash Cow]

I like and respect your post but i do disagree with some points. It was not just the boxing and olympic pedigree that bothered shane, it was the size of the two that we see bolded. (vernon/winky). pbf does not have the same attributes of those two, other than a deep amature background. if im not mistaken, arent golden johnson and jesse james similar in size to floyd? may doesnt have the tools to keep ssm off him for 12 rounds. floyd is a good boxer but i am not buying everything that mayweather is selling. may is not this unbeatable force that everyone around here makes him out to be. the losses that shane has taken would be taken by floyd as well imho.

Man Mosley lost to Cotto in 2007..how will beat Mayweather in 2010?

[Cash Cow]

Floyd would have never been so indecisive as Shane was in his bouts with Vernon. Remember the rematch in the Summer of 2002? It was called "No Excuses" I believe due to all the clamoring about the clash of heads that they had in the second round of their first fight. Well in the rematch there was no such controversy but Shane simply could not decide what to do with Vernon; he came out like a demon firing away with passionate power shots at the opening bell then it turned into a grab fest by Forrest for a minute. At the end of the first round Forrest had settled in behind his JAB and his DEFENSE and kept his big right hand at the ready like a viper waiting to strike lol. Shane seemed to be caught between styles for most of the fight; do I box him or fight him?

Floyd would have just stuck with one style against such a tall, capable boxer/puncher - nothing but fluid ring generalship and counter punches with snapping lead left hooks/stinging lead right hands now and then. Floyd would have played that card until Vernon began to show wear and cracks in his defense then Floyd would begin to unleash some different power combos to just to keep Vernon guessing here and there. It would have been like the Diego Corrales fight who IMHO was just as accomplished, maybe even more, in his pro career than Vernon was.

Floyd would have never harboured any delusions of machismo/manhood and attempted to jump on Vernon and like Shane tried to do in first round their Summer 2002 rematch; he would not have been caught between styles like Shane was, because Floyd never been a BEAST scoring stoppage after stoppage to rave reviews but rather he has always embraced the sweet science as "Pretty Boy" Floyd. If the opportunity presented itself for a stoppage sure Floyd would oblige you but he never carried himself as a boxer/puncher like Shane who if you remember prided himself on his KO percentage which had earned him so many accolades from Larry Merchant and the HBO staff enroute to his HBO contract and the multiple awards he recieved in 1999. Floyd however, was and still is to me a finesse fighter, "Pretty Boy" Floyd.

So you see their would be no ambiguity in "Pretty Boy" Floyd's approach towards Vernon "The Viper" Forrest. He would do what he does better than anyone else in the game; he would use his quickness and his experience to outbox Forrest without the slightest bit of indecisiveness or uncertainty. There was no one who Vernon had faced to that point in his career who could puzzle him like Floyd could; remember no one would fight Forrest despite his ties to Main Events not even ODLH. He would have put up a game effort no doubt but who had Vernon faced to make you believe he could figure out 2002's Floyd Mayweather, Jr?

Golden Johnson and Jesse James Leija were handpicked because they were decent, though limited fighters who posed no true risk to Shane who remember was a BEAST as HBO's premiere lightweight champion; he did what he wanted with them and there was nothing they could really do about it. Now consider the 1999 Pretty Boy Floyd versus the 1999 consensus Fighter of The Year Sugar Shane Mosely. Not nearly the same match-up is it? HBO nearly had that fight done believe it or not but Shane's camp didn't really want it ten years ago. They went after the Pay-Per-View Cash Cow instead rather than settle for a decent payday with HBO Championship Boxing at that time.

Floyd is not a good boxer. He is a first ballot HOf master-boxer. Shane will see, yes he will. Floyd may make Shane look like 2004 again.

[jaime lopez]

Lets get it on?

hello WEll lets start by saying WOW remenbering that TYSOIN FIGHT man i was 18yrs old that was like when the world came down or something of that nature.All i heard was tyson this tyson that! But all i can remenber was the Auwwww in everybodys breath...

As for mosley maywhether man let them fight yes 5yrs to late but sometimes thats the way it goes canty have ur cake and eat it tooo.Just fight and let the best man win...


Chris Chris what can i say hes talented but either put up or you know what?I like the kid and i hope he sticks around a little longer cause he could be champ he just need for kno wto stay away from the BIG K,S and we all know who they are and hell be ok ?


As for boxing this year hoping as a big boxing fan that all goes well if not better then last year.Theres alot of talented kids out ther so LETS GET IT ON?

[KOKing27]

@Young Herschel, everything you stated was shoulda, woulda, coulda! Floyd did none of those things. You can speculate all you want but just admit the facts bro? He didn't fight Forrest, he didn't win because he never fought him so please, shut the f**k up about things you don't know for sure. Hey, Holyfield and Buster KO'd Tyson which nobody believed possible, especially Buster. So, please, with a cherry on top, shut the f**k up....

[Young Herschel]

I stand by my post. KOKINg27 you can care to speculate or disagree as you wish. Dispute my postion with insightful articulation if you have the capacity. I have seen much more of the all aforementioned fighters than you probably have.

In regards to Vernon Forrest, I was merely commenting on how his style would mesh with Floyd Mayweather as opposed to that of Shane Mosely. Of course it is pure conjecture and speculation however insightful. This is a boxing forum after all; no need for childish behavior.

[Iceta Lives]

Merchant sounds a lot more objective than Dan Rafael regardless of whether you like him or not.

[Pullcounter]

Man Mosley lost to Cotto in 2007..how will beat Mayweather in 2010?

did he have nazeem in his corner then?

[millcitymauler]

I've always really liked Merchant...the banter he shared with Hopkins from '99 till about 2003 was the closest thing to a Cosell-Ali type relationship as we've seen in this era. That being said, I wish he wasn't such a Floyd basher, to the point that he won't admit what he's actually screaming in this article... - "Shane can't win this one"

[Dave Rado]

It would have been like the Diego Corrales fight who IMHO was just as accomplished, maybe even more, in his pro career than Vernon was.

I stopped reading there. Forrest knew how to fight tall, used his jab, and made the most of his reach advantage. Corrales did not, he liked to mix it up and fight on the inside. Their styles could hardly be more different.

And also, Corrales was not at his best at that time because he knew he was about to go to prison.