Not like his performance last night in the ring in which many of the over 15,000 present at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles wished he would have done more, Sergio ?Latin Snake? Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) was extremely animated as he explained what happened during the twelve rounds he went with ?Sugar? Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) in the main event of ?200: Celebrate & Dominate? presented by Golden Boy Promotions. The bout was ruled a draw. Photos: Big Joe Miranda
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?I have a lot of respect for Mosley, he is strong, fast and smart inside the ring,? Mora stated visibly showing the effects of the bout with a bruised cheek and scrapes. ?I thought I won the fight but I?m not going to cry robbery. I forgot where I was fighting, the Mexicans want to see a fight and not defense, a la otra? (next time)?
Not only did Mora stress the fact that he respected Mosley demeanor inside the ring but also outside the ring as he repeatedly mentioned that two classy warriors had stepped into the ring.
?When I fought Forrest, I didn?t like him, he talked a lot trash,? Mora explained. ?Shane is such a nice guy. I respect Mosley. I had a game plan but it wasn?t enough, I think I won the fight.?
?He stunned me a couple of times so I had to respect his power,? Mora continued. ?I think I was winning the fight but I should have listened to my corner a little bit more.?
For Mosley, who remains undefeated at the Staples Center with wins over Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Margarito and now the draw with Mora, not surprisingly also believed that he won the bout.
?I fought my heart out. I get down on myself when I don?t get the knockout but I tried,? the affable Mosley said. ?I did what I do but I got the draw, what can you do? I thought I beat him by a couple of rounds.?
?That?s what happens when you don?t get the knockout, you get these decisions,? Mosley added.
Oscar De La Hoya, who serves as promoter for both fighters, interjected with his thoughts on the match up.
?Shane Mosley is still Shane Mosley,? De La Hoya stated about the man he faced off against twice. ?You can?t look good against Mora, he is a game fighter. He is still the Mosley we are used to seeing.?
?It was the constant movement, he never planted,? Mosley answered when asked about Mora?s style. ?It?s tough to throw combinations when somebody keeps moving.?
?It was tough to catch up to him. He is a very awkward fighter,? Mosley explained. ?It went farther than I thought it would. I think he overly respected me, he never really engaged.?
Despite lack of action in the main event, the undercard was full of fireworks with every bout on the PPV telecast ending in a devastating stoppage, a fact that left promoter Oscar De La Hoya satisfied.
?We had a spectacular night. Ponce De Leon, Ortiz and ?Canelo? Alvarez were all exciting,? the ?Golden Boy? said with a broad smile. ?We had fans from everywhere especially from several places in Mexico to see Alvarez.?
The star of the night was obviously the read headed Mexican from Guadalajara, Mex, who stopped tough Argentinean Carlos Baldomir with a thundering left hand that left the former world champion out cold. A feat that no man had accomplished before the 20-year-old phenomenon. Alvarado, who received the biggest cheers of the night, also was mobbed when he made his way to the dressing room after the main event.
?80 million people follow him in Mexico,? De La Hoya said about Alvarez. ?He is going to be a star.?
The composed power puncher kept his comments to the assembled media brief with an eye to the future.
?I am happy with what I did today but there is more work to be done,? Alvarez stated to an interpreter. ?there is bigger things in the future and there is more ?Canelo? to come.?
Some of those plans were hinted at by De La Hoya as he announced the date for Alvarez?s next visit in between the ropes.
?We have big plans for Alvarez, December 4th he will be fighting in Mexico,? De La Hoya stated. ?He wants to fight the big names but we want to slow him down. He just turned 20. We want him to get experience so when he faces the Mayweathers and the Pacquiaos, we want him ready to win.?
One who felt a sense of redemption as he made is way to the podium was junior welterweight ?Vicious? Victor Ortiz since it was the first time he performed at the Staples Center since his disappointing loss to Marcos Maidana back in June of last year. This time, he was not only ?Vicious? by dropping former champion Vivian Harris numerous times on his way stopping him in the third round but also victorious.
?Vivian had a lot to say about me. I didn?t have a lot of words to say but I just put my gloves and went to work,? Ortiz stated. ?I don?t have to call out any of the 140 lbs. champions out, they know who they are.?
On cue, current WBO champ Timothy Bradley made his appearance known as he stated, ?Here I am.?
?You?re the man, no disrespect,? Ortiz answered with a smile.
WHen asked about fellow Garden City, KS, fighter Brandon ?Bam Bam? Rios, who just recently earned the #1 lightweight WBA spot and called out Ortiz during his post fight interview on HBO, Ortiz had a short response:
?That?s a tune up fight.?
Former WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce de Leon who now campaigns in the featherweight division, earned a shot against the man who dethroned him at 122 lbs., WBO champ Juan Manuel Lopez, as he stopped Antonio Escalante in three rounds.
?I am getting ready for the world title,? Ponce De Leon said. ?This was an eliminator. I am ready to be a world champion once again.?
In a rare move, Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy Promotions acknowledged an un-televised undercard bout, a female WBO bantamweight title fight in which southern California?s Kaliesha West won stopping her opponent Angel Gladney in seven rounds.
?We want to bring more female boxing to the fans,? Schaefer mentioned. ?It is big in Europe but not here. It is now an Olympic sport and we will add more female fights to our cards.?
The newly minted champion briefly shared her thoughts.
?I have been fighting for twelve years, going on thirteen,? West said. ?It has been a long road. I had to sacrifice a lot of things but tonight it is finally paying off.?
