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"From Pillar to Post" - Mosley-Cotto: A Real Fight By Ryan Songalia PhilBoxing.com Wed, 07 Nov 2007  Youth versus Experience. Past versus Present. A Native son of the Puerto Rican boxing tradition versus a California-raised product of the American amateur system. In summary, a true prizefighter versus a true prizefighter. In the end, that's what Miguel Cotto's third defense of the WBA Welterweight title against "Sugar" Shane Mosley ammounts to, a fight. Too often, a "title" bout is nothing less than a ritual, a convention where appointed judges decree victors upon their own discretion. Almost an election of sorts. Not with these two. This perfect fistic storm is what fight fans clamor for: A real fight. Fourteen years ago, when Shane Mosley stepped into a Hollywood, CA arena for his professional debut, Miguel Cotto was in middle school learning algebra and how to dissect frogs. Boxing is a young man's game, where the tortoises are swarmed and trounced by unforgiving hares. But even with the titles won at lightweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight, Mosley remains ambitious and hungry. Yet one can only evade Father Time but so long. Mosley, at 36, is at the age where most of his contemporaries have become semi-retired, fighting once or twice a year against worn-down retreads taking their victory laps. Instead, Mosley finds himself in with a fresh Cotto, nine years his junior at 27. These are the fights that Shane has participated in for the past seven years, since the night Mosley announced his arrival as a big-time fighter by besting Oscar De La Hoya in 2000. The experience of being in high-profile matchups will be significant in how the fighters hold up as the rounds go by. Jack Mosley, trainer and father of Shane Mosley, feels that the atmosphere will be too much for Cotto. "He might have jitters. He's worried sick. You can look in his eyes and tell. He knows he's not as strong as Shane, he knows he's not as fast as Shane, and Shane probably hits harder." Shane Mosley, 44-4 (37 KO), invests a lot of his hopes in his experience edge. "I respect Cotto, he's good. But he hasn't faced the opposition that I have faced in my career." Cotto, 30-0 (25 KO), acknowledges that this is "a bigger event" than he's ever been a part of previously, but stopped short of calling this his most difficult assignment. Suffice it to say that Cotto has had better memories at Madison Square Garden than Mosley. Cotto's most triumphant victories, over Judah, Malignaggi, and Abdullaev have taken place above Penn Station. The "Nuyorican" contingent that Felix Trinidad once embraced has latched onto Miguel Cotto, giving him a home crowd advantage. Mosley's last trip to The Garden saw him climbing off the canvas en route to a pounding loss to Vernon Forrest. Mosley has already conceeded that Cotto will be the aggressor, coming forward ala Julio Cesar Chavez-style behind left hooks body shots. "That's pretty much all he can really do is try to get in and fight me there," said Mosley in a media conference call. Cotto however stresses that brains, not brawn, will decide the outcome. "I don?t have to be stronger, quicker than Shane. I have to be more intelligent." Odds are that Mosley's best chances rest in how well his legs work. Staying in close with the more frequently flat-footed Cotto would be playing into his game plan. Either Mosley will sharpshoot and wear down Cotto or Cotto's relentless body assault will wear down the older pug. It will be Cotto's ability to absorb Mosley's thunder that seems most paramount. In Mosley fourteen-year professional career, seldom has "Sugar" been buzzed. Cotto's vulnerability to the artillery upstairs has endeared him to action fans, but has left a window open for the hard-hitting Mosley, who starched a much larger Fernando Vargas with one left hook in his last fight. Demarcus Corley and Ricardo Torres have given Cotto much to wobble about, but aren't half the finisher Mosley is. "A lot of those guys like 'Chop Chop' Corley were basically too small," said Mosley to BoxingScene's Mark Vester. "Torres was not in the best of shape to finish him off and I think Zab Judah was not in the best of shape to finish him off as well. These guys tire from three or four rounds and then can't finish him off because they don't have the energy to jump on him and do what they need to do to finish the job." Pound for Pound champ Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has been mentioned as the next potential opponent for the winner, has endorsed Mosley as victor. "I think Mosley knocks Cotto out cold in a very exciting fight," said Mayweather in an interview with Yahoo Sports. "His promoter has protected him very well. That's why he doesn't speak for himself." Mosley is not as spry as he once was, but even an old snake's venom can kill a horse. Just ask Joe Calzaghe, the Welsh Phenomenon who last week at the age of 35 was too energetic for the 28 year old Mikkel Kessler. Age is nothing to lose your hair about for some. For "Sugar Shane", a last chance to look down at a boxing world that he once rested atop without peer awaits him with a win. Miguel Cotto hopes youth will be served, awarding him entry to the highest echelon of the sport. The stakes couldn't be any realer, and neither could the glory. Any questions or comments? Send them to mc_rson@yahoo.com . Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ryan Songalia.  |
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