Los Angeles — Eleven years into his professional career, the fighting pride of Lynwood, California, “Sugar” Shane Mosley is still a fan and betting favorite.
On January 30, 2010, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, the thirty-eight year old Mosley will be facing off with a welterweight contender twelve years younger and with an undefeated record. Andre Berto has youth on his side and a swagger only fighters with undefeated records can carry inside and outside of the ring.
Yet in many aspects of life, including boxing, experience and trickery can go a long way in knocking a young upstart off his pedestal and into reality with the rest of the masses. Berto holds a sterling record of twenty-five wins and no losses, with 76 percent of his bouts ending by knockout, but Mosley has competed in 52 professional fights with a mere five losses and knockout percentage to rival Berto’s.
Mosley had twice the experience and twice as many tricks in his boxing bag, tools that can only be developed by putting in rounds within the ring against the world’s best.
Coming off one of the most impressive victories of his career, a knockout spanking of then rising Mexican star Antonio Margarito, Mosley has been on the shelf for nearly a year and is prime for the picking, but Internet odds makers are making the Golden Boy Promotions’ fighter nearly a two to one favorite over Berto.
It is incredible to think that Mosley has been a regular fixture on HBO Championship Boxing and pay per view for over a decade. His big smile and willingness to give the fans a few minutes of his time or a simple autograph have helped make him a fan favorite and thus on television and making millions of dollars fight after fight.
A pair of back to back setbacks against Vernon Forrest and Ronald “Winky” Wright, along with a razor thin decision defeat at the hands of Miguel Cotto, could not keep Mosley out of boxing’s largest stages. Allegations of steroid use and connections to BALCO, no worries, Mosley kept on fighting.
And with Mosley a betting favorite against Berto, some speculate that next bout could be against arguably the world’s greatest technical boxer Floyd Mayweather
Eleven years later, Mosley is still going strong.
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