During the hectic nature of any big fight week in boxing the professionals involved in the sport have no choice but to keep pace. Whether you are a fighter, trainer, media member or anything in between there are many obligations and requirements that must be fulfilled and it can be a tiring process for all parties involved. Such was the case for Las Vegas based photojournalist Chris Cozzone this past week. The Chicago native?s work can be found on a constant basis on Fightnews and he has been covering the scene in Nevada regularly for the past ten years. Cozzone recently immersed himself in all of the activities involved in the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley super fight as well as Friday night?s card at the Tropicana and by the time the dust had settled he was pretty much worn out. ?It was an exhausting week,? Cozzone claimed. ?I covered everything and it was made busier by the fact that there was a Friday night card too. The [Robert] Guerrero card at the Tropicana. Even when I had a moment to spare to go to lunch or go to the bathroom I was caught up in these other events. Guerrero had a workout, there was a weigh in, the fight itself and mix that up with the regular fight week for a mega-fight like Mayweather-Mosley and it didn?t make for any sleeping at all. There was very little leisure time and I pretty much collapsed on Sunday.? The media involved with any high-profile fight is always diverse and full of people with varying opinions. For this contest in particular many people seemed to be giving Mosley a serious shot at derailing the Mayweather express but it wasn?t to be as Floyd dominated the action for the better part of twelve rounds on his way to a unanimous decision. Looking back Cozzone recalls just how off point many people were.. ?What stood out was just listening to everyone?s analysis and take on what was going to happen in the fight,? Cozzone noted. ?In the end everybody was wrong. Once again, to Floyd?s credit, he proved everybody wrong. I thought Floyd would win but I thought it would be a good fight and I thought it would be a close fight. That was my take. A lot of other people were saying that Mosley was the strongest, fastest guy that Floyd has ever fought. In the end people thought that if Mayweather was going to win he was going to be fighting on the defense like he typically does but he actually came to fight.? Mayweather certainly showed more initiative than in previous fights and for various stretches in the second half of the fight be rocked Mosley at will with clean right hands. Floyd?s performance certainly had the star-studded crowd in attendance paying notice but Cozzone reveals that his real work began hours before the spotlight shined on the main event. ?It?s a madhouse,? Cozzone said of the MGM Grand. ?I started covering the fight card at 2:30. It was non-stop, fight after fight, round after round, all the way up until the main event. By the time the main event happens I am shooting every round of every fight, so I am already starting to get tired but there is so much energy in the air and there is so much adrenaline on my part and everyone else around me that you just forget about being tired. It?s just the moment that everyone has been waiting for the entire week. Everything from Michael Buffer getting on the mic to introduce all of the celebrities everywhere to the ring entrances and finally when the bell rings and the fight actually begins.? Cozzone said that it was ultimately a satisfying experience aside from the one-sided nature of the Mayweather-Mosley fight and said he kept busy during his down time running around and capturing the celebrities in attendance and other action from ringside. Mayweather-Mosley was certainly a grand event, one that Cozzone feels can stack right up there with some of Vegas? biggest showcases in the past ten or so years. ?I don?t know if it overshadowed anything,? Cozzone said. ?I?ve been to some pretty good fights dating back to 2000 in Vegas. I think this ranks up there with any big Pacquiao fight. I think Pacquiao-Cotto had a lot of people talking about who would win that fight. Mayweather-De La Hoya was also pretty big. This one ranks right up there but I don?t think it blew anything away. It definitely is in the top ten of big fights in the last ten years.? Cozzone was certainly impressed with Mayweather?s performance and feels that Floyd showed some facets to his game that hadn?t been seen in year?s past, such as overcoming a wild second round attack from Mosley. More than anything, however, Cozzone feels that Mayweather?s victory has set the stage for one of the biggest clashes of all time. ?In the end I think he really showed a lot of people that it is a toss up as to who is the pound for pound king,? Cozzone said. ?Before the fight it was a no-brainer that Manny Pacquiao was the man and now I don?t think that anybody can really say that Manny is the king. I think it?s a toss up. It solidified the need for Pacquiao-Mayweather. I don?t think anyone can argue that if it happens it will be the biggest fight in the last ten or twelve years.? As a photojournalist Cozzone has also done serious work in his native Chicago as well as New York and Albuquerque but will always concede that when it comes to covering boxing that Vegas is the place to be. That reasoning, coupled with the fact that both Mayweather and Pacquiao have had great success and thrilling moments in the city, is enough to convince Cozzone that the fight belongs in Sin City. ?I think it?s meant for Vegas,? Cozzone closed out. ?I mean both of these guys have made their name in Vegas and for it to happen anywhere else it would be a shame to Vegas fight fans. I mean Floyd is there and it is pretty much Pacquiao?s second home right now. I would hate to see it anywhere else but Vegas.? As for Cozzone he has assignments lined up for the coming weeks with the fourth fight between Israel Vasquez and Rafael Marquez on May 22nd highlighting the bunch. Cozzone is a fixture on the Vegas fight scene and whenever there is a fight card in town, whether it is a club show or a huge event, you can be sure to find him ringside as was the case this past weekend.
