One boxer is a great trying to prove he can still compete at the top, the other is a world champion fighter who feels he never got the respect he deserves, but that hasn?t stopped SecondsOut?s team of fearless writers from making their confident picks for Saturday?s junior middleweight boxing match between Sugar Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, televised in the USA on HBO Pay-Per-View.
?This is a classic case of the older star facing a younger rival who hasn?t quite yet reached the same level. While there was no shame in losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr at his peak, Mosley will need an impressive performance to re-enforce his reputation as still being in championship condition. Didn?t Mora say a while back he can?t make the junior middleweight limit anymore? Anyway, Mora?s skills and youth will score him some rounds, but ultimately Mosley will do just enough to win, his power punches catching the eyes of the judges, in a twelve round battle. Sergio just doesn?t have the power to worry Shane. Mosley W.12.? – Paul Upham, Content Editor – Sydney, Australia
?Sergio Mora is no push over but Shane Mosley has enough left to handle a fighter who?s skills are less than his. Shane by decision. Mosley W.12.? – Jerry Glick – Contributing Editor – New York City, USA
?This is a high risk low reward fight for Mosley and Mora could be a pesky opponent given his style. Shane obviously is a future Hall of Famer and should win a decision but a Mora upset given Shane?s age and perhaps lack of motivation for this fight would really not shock me. Mosley W.12.? – James Smith aka. Smitty, Host, In This Corner TV – USA
?How longer can Sugar Shane still pull the trigger? Gradually his skills should be declining, but is he is motivated still has more than it takes to run over Mora. This Californian derby doesn?t seem to be a gruelling battle, I think Mora, a well deserved contender anyway, will take the bright out of Mosley for more of the fight, but this won?t prevent the Legend to go out with a comfortable and uneventful points win. Mosley W.UD.12.? – Juan Pablo Manfredi – Buenos Aires, Argentina
?The tough thing about this match is that we do not really know where Shane Mosley is. In his last bout, he looked positively out of it. Of course, you could easily argue he was fighting one of the best fighters on the planet. He looked sensational in his previous bout, but there is also the distinct possibility that Margarito had been taken out mentally before the bout started. Then there was the Mayorga fight. The good thing about this fight is we know that Mosley tends to fight better if he is not coming off a long layoff. The bad thing is he is fighting an awkward taller guy who moves a lot and throws lots of punches ? not a great combination for an aging fighter. Mora has difficulty making 154 pounds, but Mosley is sporadic at the weight. For every point, there is a counter point filled with speculation. Speculation aside, Mosley has the clear advantage of class. Mora will be competitive and it could be a bit messy at times, but class should win out. Mosley W.UD.12.? – John Lumpkin – Madison, Wisconsin, USA
?The last time I underestimated Sergio Mora, he upset Vernon Forrest. The last time I gave him credit where it was due, he went on to lose the rematch. Mora has fought once in the two years since losing his rematch with the late Vernon Forrest and the quality of opposition in that bout didn?t impress me. Mosley, on the other hand, is a fading Hall of Famer, who is perhaps riper for the taken than he?s ever been. He looked absolutely dismal against Mayweather, but that was against one of the best fighters in the sport. If SSM fails to let his hands go again, he could lose this one to Mora on the cards. However, I don?t think Shane is as done as he looked in that fight and should have enough to beat Mora by a close decision. Mora isn?t difficult to find and as long as SSM can get off his punches, I think his speed will thwart most of Mora?s offensive. Mosley W.MD.12.? – Derek Bonnett – Connecticut, USA
?A fresh Mosley = a good Mosley. That last time Sugar Shane Mosley was considered old he got back into the ring four months later and destroyed the favored Antonio Margarito. Now, four months after getting picked apart for 10 rounds by Floyd Mayweather Jr, Mosley returns to the place his career peaked twice (Staples Center in Los Angeles). Only this time Mosley is facing a guy in Sergio Mora that has a style all wrong for him. Mora is taller, stronger, and smart enough to know he can?t come straight at Mosley. He will force Mosley to use his legs, score from the outside, and tie-up a fighter that fails to use his jab to get inside. Mora will have to win ugly, which will make the fight closer on the cards than it is inside the ring. Mora W.MD.12.? – Jason Pribila – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
?Even though Sergio Mora has youth on his side (he is a couple of years younger), and Mosley is pushing 40, I don?t think we should write off Shane?s abilities to handle young guns just yet. He is by far the better boxer of the two and in my book – had this fight taken place a couple of years ago under similar circumstances it would have been no contest for Sugar Shane. He is an excellent athlete. The age factor has tighten it up a bit, Mora could turn out to be a surprise but I am going to be realistic here and trust Shane Mosley still has too much to offer for a guy like Mora. I would say, Shane wins it by late stoppage, in round 10 the referee stops it (TKO) and I wouldn?t be surprised if he stops it on cuts! Mosley W.TKO.10.? – Teddy Stenmark – Sweden
?This will be a very interesting fight, many people said Mosley was finished after the Mayweather loss, if he loses this one we will know for sure that he is finished. Mora isn?t a bad challenger despite only having two real names on his resume, Manfredo Jnr and Forrest. You can?t write off Mosley, he still has the power and I think he will be too crafty for Mora. Mosley W.UD.12.? – Lwazi Ndzobongo – South Africa
?This fight is a tough one. Mosley out talents Mora but Mora is bigger and younger with a difficult style to solve. I see Mosley landing the cleaner and harder punches in between moments of being psychically pushed around by Mora. Mosley gets the nod by close decision. Mosley W.12.? – Harry Rosenbluth – Los Angeles, California, USA
?I still think Mosley has one more good fight in him, he seemed to be getting old in the Mayweather fight. He seemed tentative and not throwing many punches, something he isn?t known for. Was it more Mayweather or Mosley slowing down? Maybe a little of both. Mora is a good boxer with no power what so ever, so I see his only chance as boxing and using his height to keep Mosley outside his jab. Mosley still has speed and I think he has enough to beat Mora at this time in his career. Mora was able to split with Vernon Forrest where Mosley lost twice. Styles make fights and Mosley should have the style to win a unanimous decision over Mora. Mosley W.12.? – Andy Rivera – New Mexico, USA
?Mosley-Mora has the potential to be a very good fight. Shane Mosley is coming off of a one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. while Sergio Mora is coming off of a 7th Rd TKO win over Calvin Green. Many wonder if Mosley is shot after the Mayweather fight and if he is he capable of delivering a great performance the same way he did against Margarito. Mora, on the other hand, has some questions to answer of his own. Was his first fight with Forrest (RIP) a fluke or can he beat the top tier fighters? I think he is very capable of winning a decision over Mosley if he stays on the outside and opts out of a slugfest. He won?t be able to knock out Mosley but his height advantage and fast hands may be enough to keep an aging Mosley off of him. However, is it fair to say that Shane is shot just because the best boxer in the world beat him on points? I don?t think so. Shane may start off a little slower in this fight but towards the middle rounds I think he?ll outwork a very game Mora and squeeze out an impressive victory by a close score after 12 competitive rounds. Mosley W.UD.12.? – Derek Gionta – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
?Shane Mosley is still a pretty good fighter in his golden years. At 39, he gave Floyd Mayweather his toughest round ever and just last year bludgeoned Antonio Margarito into submission. His speed and power are still there but his reflexes, timing, and workrate have slipped since his prime. Mosley is a guy who truly LOVES fighting and trains tirelessly. Against Sergio Mora, he should be able to produce highlight reel shots against his taller but less gifted opponent. Sergio Mora is a good fighter but not in the top echelon. While he?s a hard worker, he just isn?t a natural talent. I see a late TKO win for Mosley. Mosley W.TKO.8.? – Tri Nguyen – Alexandria, Virginia, USA
?I could live to regret this but I?m going for Sergio on points. I attended Shane?s last fight against Mayweather and thought he showed signs of serious decline. Mosley was easy to hit and struggled to pull the trigger for eleven rounds of that contest, shipping a lot of damage along the way. Mora will have significant height, weight and reach advantages on fight night and his style will create real nightmares. I think Shane has had his day in the sun and Mora will prove that at the Staples Centre. If the Sugar Man proves me wrong then I?ll be a happy man. Mora W.UD.12.? – Tom Gray – Motherwell, Scotland, UK
