Having watched a recording of the Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito fight this past weekend out of boredom, to say the man deserves a shot at the best is an understatement. The performance was thought provoking. How can a man his age pull off such a stunning upset over one of the meanest welterweights in the division? Until that point, Margarito was like kryptonite to older fighters. Constant pressure, punches from all angles, 80+ punches a round, and a superfluity of body shots usually leave a young fighter withered, how much more worst can it be for a fighter in his 30’s?
Margarito had steam rolled his previous opponents up until this point. Most of his previous opponents, while trying to back out of the barrage of punches, gave Margarito too much room. While he is a great puncher from the inside, you don’t want to put yourself at the end of his punches, just ask Miguel Cotto. The question then becomes, if it is unsafe inside and it is dangerous moving outside, where is the safe ground with Margarito?
In comes Nazim Richardson. The successful trainer helped formulate the game plan behind Bernard Hopkins’ dismantling of Kelly Pavlik and, as time would tell, Shane Mosley’s dismantling of Antonio Margarito. Both of Nazim’s fighters were facing young, rangy and strong Champions who move forward with devastating results. Mosley’s use of distance was key to his victory. He was either so far outside that Margarito couldn’t hit him or he used his speedy jab to get inside, throw devastating over hand rights and hooks, and then tie up and step out. It was a masterful performance. Margarito was never able to get off. Every time he attempted to punch he was met by a snappy jab or overhand right, and it was on the inside, of all places, that Margarito met his match. Hand wraps aside, beating Margarito was no longer a secret, in the 9th round Sugar Shane Mosley proved he belongs in the upper echelons of the Welterweight division.
Shane’s speed and punching power, along with his ring movement could make for a long night with either of the top two Welterweights, Mayweather and Pacquiao. Arguing the outcome of those potential fights is futile but what it is worthwhile imagining the kind of fights that either pairing would produce. Both Floyd and Manny are fighting on the near horizon, with Mosley still finalizing a fight for the end of the year. Sugar Shane Mosley deserves a shot at one of these two. Can you imagine Jake Long, sitting on the Dolphins sideline, it’s the end of the fourth quarter and the game is tied up? The opponents have the ball, and he is sitting the bench. And as much as he wants to be out on the field, making a play, he is sidelined, watching the game pass by, and time is almost up. The game is almost over. This same sense of urgency must be pressing Shane. He has time left, but how much?
Shane wants to fight, and I am sure Manny or Floyd would take the fight, but it’s the powers that be that have influence in the end. Shane’s recent lobbying for a fight with Pacman and Mayweather fell on deaf ears. Neither man wanted to take the fight. Let’s hope that in the spring of 2010 Sugar Shane can get a crack at Pacquiao or Mayweather; any other way would be a shame.
