While all the recent talk among boxing fans and pundits is centered on Manny Pacquiao’s potential clash with Floyd Mayweather, the bout that might bring more excitement and has a better chance of living up to the hype is a fight with Sugar Shane Mosley instead. A year ago, a matchup between these two fighters would have been considered a mismatch, but that notion no longer holds true after Manny Pacquiao’s dominant victories over Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Miguel Cotto, proving that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with in both the Jr. Welterweight and Welterweight divisions.
No doubt Shane Mosley has a significant size advantage over Pacquiao, but the Pound-for-Pound King has proven in recent fights that it’s an obstacle he can overcome. Mosley might have the advantage in strength in his upper body, but Pacquiao’s tree-trunk legs are the main reason he has been able to keep his power and explosiveness as he ascended through the higher weight classes. You also can’t overlook the fact that Pacquiao might have the Phil Jackson of the sport in his corner in Freddie Roach.
The mix of their styles is definitely more conducive in bringing an action-packed fight and there will be no shortage of drama either. How will Pacquiao do against a more physical and faster version of Miguel Cotto? How will Shane’s granite chin hold up from Pacquiao’s flurry of punches from all angles? A win over the other also provides the victor more leverage in future negotiations with Mayweather.
Shane arguably deserves the fight with Pacquiao more than Mayweather. He’s a champion and definitely in the list when discussing this generation’s best fighters. Some, including Mayweather, may disagree, bringing up Mosley’s lopsided defeats in the past, but who has he really lost too? His losses have come from fighters that even Mayweather would have found difficult to defeat. He lost twice to Vernon Forrest, who in his younger days and before the shoulder surgeries was as difficult a fight as Paul Williams. He also lost twice to Winky Wright, a great technician and defensive whiz that has fought as high as the Light Heavyweight division. No doubt that Mayweather has paid his dues and has fought tough opponents, but the difference is that Mosley has done that from the very beginning of his career until now, taking more and more risk with each fight.
For many Pacquiao fans, a fight with Mayweather might be more attractive since the latter is undefeated and was considered the pound-for-pound king before retiring, but I argue that a win over Mosley will provide Pacquiao the same recognition. Afterwards, Pacquiao can retire or fight Yuri Foreman for an 8th divisional championship, leaving Mayweather’s legacy in limbo.
