Everything seemed to be working against him. Shane Mosley was in the middle of a divorce with his wife and manager Jin Mosley. Everyone was talking about him and the BALCO situation where he either knowingly or not took steroids before a big fight with Oscar. When you add the fact that Mosley did not look his best taking every second of twelve rounds to drop Ricardo Mayorga last September and Antonio Margarito was coming off the performance of his career against Miguel Cotto and it all added up to one likely ending.
Mosley was a 4-1 underdog going into the fight and while many people thought the fight would be competitive not many pundits picked Mosley to win.
Well someone forgot to tell Shane Mosley that he didn’t have a chance to win because he showed up looking like vintage Sugar Shane circa 2000. He had one of the best performances of his career and also threw himself in the mix for some of the biggest fights in boxing.
Mosley, now 46-5, 39 KO’s, came in with a great game plan for Antonio Margarito, 37-6, 27 KO’s, and left with another great win. He came into the fight determined not to let his opponent relentlessly come forward.
The early rounds started well for Mosley as most people expected as Margarito is a notoriously slow starter. What was not expected, however, was the smaller man standing his ground with laser right hands that seemed to stop Margarito in his tracks each time.
After a few rounds I think most people expected Margarito to start to come on and impose his will on Mosley but it was in fact Sugar Shane who was throwing the hard punches to both the body and that mythical chin of Margarito.
By the half point of the fight it was clear Margarito was far behind on the scorecards and was going to have to hurt Shane and score a KO to win. But at this point Margarito’s punches didn’t seem to have that thudding impact they did on previous fighters. At one point in the fight when Shane was clearly feeling in control we actually saw him backing up Margarito.
By the time Margarito went down in the eighth round it was clear that Mosley was the better fighter that night and it was only a matter of if Margarito was going to make it back up and through the fight.
Of course we know the outcome and that he did not make it to the end.
Mosley’s performance shot him right back to the top of the welterweight division and towards a huge next fight.
Mosley, and his new trainer Nazim Richardson, put together a great game plan and Mosley showed he still has the skills to execute.
With a variety of big fights out there now for Mosley what will be his next step?
Well the opportunities are seemingly endless. Mosley has had his share of highs and lows: from his wins against Oscar to his losses against Vernon Forrest.
He has said he wants a big money fight and why wouldn’t he? At the age of 37, Mosley has gotten to a point in his career that he wants to fight in only the biggest fights.
Well the first name that Mosley has mentioned after his victory over Margarito was Floyd Mayweather, JR.
A welterweight fight between Mosley and Mayweather would be huge. It?s a fight Mosley has been after for a while and now he is in a great position to get that fight.
Both men are great box office draws and would do great PPV numbers. The fight itself could prove to be a very good match up as both guys are very fast. Mosley has some good crack in his punches and is a good body puncher which could give Mayweather trouble. On the other hand there hasn’t been anyone who could crack Mayweather’s brilliant defense. Either way it would be a fight that many would love to see.
?Money? Mayweather is definitely the top choice for Mosley right now but there are still many other options out there.
There is Andre Berto almost secured a fight with Mosley before he ended up signing to fight Margarito. I am willing to bet after Mosley’s performance that Berto’s handlers are happy they didn’t put their man in the ring with him. I also doubt that they are going to push for a fight with Mosley considering how he faired against Collazo. Now I’m not saying Collazo is a bad fighter, he is very solid, just not in the same league as Mosley.
The other big option is against the winner of Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton. The biggest fight would be against Pacquiao as he is the number one pound for pound fighter right now. If Pacquiao were to win than a fight with Mosley would be another big event. If the same Mosley who dismantled Margarito were to show up than it would be a very tough fight for Pacquiao. I’m sure this fight would be very entertaining as well.
There are a few reasons however that this fight might not happen. First off, Pacquiao vs. Hatton is scheduled for early May, so Mosley if he were to simply wait, would be on the shelf until as late as possible September or later depending on if Pacquiao suffered any injuries in the fight. Also it is likely if Pacquiao wins against Hatton he will want to fight Mayweather himself. I’m sure the fight could be made but there are many factors that could prevent it as well.
Now if it were Hatton who were to win that would be another big fight. Hatton of course brings half of the UK with him and makes every fight he’s in a big event. Of course some of the same hurdles would be there as if Pacquiao would win. Hatton has said he wants a rematch with Mayweather, so that sounds like it is his first choice. Also Mosley would have to wait for that fight then a few more months after for Hatton to recover.
Another great option for Mosley would be a rematch with Miguel Cotto whom he lost a very close decision to in November of 2007. It was a great fight which Mosley was very much in all the way to the end. Their styles are such that every fight between the two would be entertaining and Mosley has always been a guy who wants to avenge his loss. The problem for this fight is that Bob Arum, who promotes both Cotto and Margarito, has repeatedly said he planned on putting on a rematch between Cotto and Margarito regardless of if Margarito won or not. Well Margarito not only lost but got blown out. It doesn’t make as much sense for that rematch now and the Mosley vs. Cotto rematch makes a lot more sense. Unfortunately Bob Arum is a pretty stubborn guy and probably would rather have an all in house matchup than spread the wealth with a Golden Boy fighter.
Anyone of the fights I mentioned could be a great fight and would do big business. Mosley has gotten back to the top and well there are many different options for him he is in a wait and see mode. Of those options I would probably like to see him and Mayweather in a fight which would set up another great fight between the winner of both that fight and the Manny vs. Hatton fight somewhere near the end of the year.
Whatever happens and whomever Mosley ends up fighting it should be another entertaining fight as Mosley always delivers that.
