Will Mosley mix it with Ricky, Manny and maybe Mayweather?
Superb. Fantastic. In fact, absolutely superb and absolutely fantastic.
They are about the only words I can find to describe Shane Mosley’s performance against Antonio Margarito. And the fact that Ricky Hatton is going to fight Manny Pacquiao after all.
We knew Mosley was a fast, accurate puncher and we knew he’d catch the Mexican with shots, but I honestly didn’t think he’d be that good. And I thought Margarito would take what he had and then eventually wear him down.
I actually thought it was a bit of a silly fight for Shane to take at his age, but we all know styles can mesh and boy did Margarito’s style suit him down to the ground.
It is always great to see a good fighter like Mosley throwing combinations, but what I liked was the way, as his confidence grew and grew as the fight went on, he ended up standing there right in front of the Mexican, pushing him off and basically doing whatever he wanted.
Pleasure
Everybody, myself included was raving about Pacquiao’s recent performance against Oscar de la Hoya recently, but this was better. Why? Because Oscar offered nothing back; he’d got his sums all wrong and that meant Pacman could pretty much do what he wanted.
Yes Mosley ended up that way, but he had to earn it because as always, Margarito came back, and made him look good. I think he probably brought the best out of Sugar Shane and it was a pleasure to see him live up to the nickname: it really did remind me of tapes of Sugar Ray Robinson when he was willing – and able – to stand there and have a brawl.
Sugar Ray Leonard would have been happy with that performance as well and I wonder, on the back of the Hatton-Pacquiao news, whether we could be talking about a Fabulous Four for 2009. Of course, we are never going to see a repeat of the Leonard-Hagler-Hearns-Duran era, but surely now we can add Mosley to the mix at the top of the tree?
One thing that performance did was book him a superfight next time out, no doubt about that. The man is of course Pacquiao, but he’s got Hatton next, so maybe Mosley will fight the winner of that one. Or maybe what he saw in the Staples Center – and wasn’t it great to see such a big crowd for a fight outside Las Vegas? – on Saturday night will be enough to tempt Floyd Mayweather back.
Surely a fighter like Floyd cannot stay away too long? He has beaten Hatton and will surely fancy proving a point against Pacquiao? And maybe seeing Mosley’s quick hands, flashy combinations and most impressively of all, that finish, will prove too much for him to take. There’s no doubt he will still be in shape, it’s just whether he thinks Mosley may have dared to out-Mayweather him!
Could we see some sort of semi-final set-up, with the winners facing off? It’s unlikely, but it would be great.
Popular
At least Ricky is going to do his part and fight Pacquiao. You have to give him credit because not many fighters really get to fight the man considered to be the best pound-for-pounder on the planet once, never mind twice. But Ricky does not duck anyone and the fact that he has to go back to the MGM shows just how popular he is.
And it shows what you can do in boxing if you can put bums on seats and sell tickets. Of course there is more to Ricky that that, but the kid works hard on his public image, does a heck of a lot with the general public and is never far away from his fans, and boxing fans altogether.
His fighting style also makes him popular and there is no doubt that he and Pacquiao will meet head-on. But Pacquiao is a smarter fighter than a lot of people give him credit for, so it might not be the all-out tear-up you’d expect. And Ricky can slow it down and box if he has to, as he showed against Paulie Malignaggi.
But above all, he is a rejuvenated Ricky Hatton and that is what I really like about this. Normally I worry like hell ahead of a Hatton fight, about all sorts of things, but this time – four months out at least – I am not too concerned. I like this fight for Ricky and I think it’s one he definitely can win.
Whether he can then get up to welterweight and mix it with those others, remains to be seen. But as always with my old mate, let’s enjoy it while we can.
Welterweight is certainly the most exciting division in boxing right now and that could well be the case in Britain. It will be on Friday Fight Night when we get another look at Kell Brook.
Surprised
If you haven’t heard too much about him then tune in, because this lad is worth it. I was very surprised that first-round knockout of Kevin McIntyre wasn’t bigger news. I really though the papers would have made more of it.
Maybe Brook caught us cold – he certainly did McIntyre! That made him the British champion at just 22 and while some fighters can win titles too early, I don’t think that is the case with Brook. He is one of those that I would just let go: sometimes if you’re good enough you are old enough, simple as that.
One of my Cubans, Luis Garcia, might well be in the same mould. I will know more after he fights in Ireland this Friday, but believe me, I will be Sky-Plussing Brook because I liked what I saw last time. A lot.
He is also in very good hands with the Ingles up in Sheffield as well, although that will lead to comparisons with Naseem Hamed, this lad is not the same: he is far more orthodox, but might be just as effective.
Speaking of Naz, I can’t go without mentioning Reg Gutteridge, who we sadly lost this week. Reg was a top boy who I was lucky enough to work with a couple of times many, many years ago.
He was a great boxing man, who actually commentated on my world-title win and was always pleasant, always polite, and always had a joke for you. He will be missed by all of us in the sport.
Will we see Floyd Mayweather back in the ring? Will Mosley mix it with Hatton and Pacquiao at the top of the pound-for-pound tree? Share your thoughts by filling in the feedback form below…
