Is Shane Mosley At His Best?
Shane Mosley is as good as any 38 year-old has a right to be in the ring, but is that enough to beat one of the best fighters in the world? Only five years separate Mayweather, 33, and Mosley, but in fighting years, Mosley appears to be much older, having taken punishment from Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright, and Miguel Cotto in his career. In addition, Mosley has been erratic for nearly a decade at this point. He stopped a shot Fernando Vargas in 2006 and looked good against Luis Collazo a few months later, but Mosley has not exactly been setting the world on fire over the last eight years. Since starting his career at 38-0, Mosley has gone 8-5 with one no-contest. Among his wins over that span is a ludicrous decision over Oscar De La Hoya in 2003. Mosley admitted taking PEDs prior to that fight, but still looked like a sure loser before the preposterous scorecards were announced. Some will argue that he fared well in losing a decision against Miguel Cotto, and it is hard to dispute that, although a loss is still a loss. So we have an aging fighter whose recent record is fairly spotty with the exception of one spectacular upset, against Margarito, a win that could be skewing his run of ordinary performances. At this point, it might be safe to assume that Mosley is slightly past his peak.
Will Inactivity Affect His Performance?
Mosley watched as the momentum he kickstarted with a vicious KO over Margarito in front of thousands at the Staples Center sputtered to a halt. There is no logical reason for Mosley sitting out for a year after a dramatic showing against one of the biggest names in boxing, although Golden Boy Promotions, along with its defenders in the press, is always at the ready to offer excuses. Dull Joan Guzman gets on HBO twice in roughly four months, but somehow Mosley is forced to take an exaggerated siesta and becomes the boxing equivalent of Rip Van Winkle. When Mosley finally steps into the ring on May 1, he will be breaking nearly 16 months of inactivity. This is a difficult situation under any circumstances, but to return to the ring needing Rustoleum against a fighter as good as Mayweather might prove to be decisive.
Will Shane Mosley Be Stale?
Not only can inactivity be a factor for Shane Mosley going into this bout, but add staleness?cruel second cousin to inactivity?to the list, and you have the makings, perhaps, of a fighter who might not be all there when the opening bell sounds. Mosley was deep into preparation to face Andre Berto when Berto withdrew from the bout. Soon after the Berto fight collapsed, however, it was announced that Mosley would be facing Mayweather. What this means is that Mosley has basically been training for nearly six consecutive months. Will he leave some of himself in the gym and come out flat in the fight?
Is Mosley the Fastest Fighter Mayweather Has Ever Faced?
Many have recently made the case that Mosley is nearly as fast as Mayweather is. Even into his mid-30s, Shane Mosley retained his quickness, but his speed did not give much trouble to two fighters light years slower than Mayweather: Miguel Cotto and, until the last thirty seconds of their bout, woeful Ricardo Mayorga. Comparing Mayorga to Mayweather is like comparing a rickshaw to a Ferrari Enzo. Still, Mosley is the fastest opponent Mayweather has faced since he scored a decision over quick-fisted Zab Judah in 2006. Mayweather was troubled by Judah during the early rounds, but Judah has an asterisk next to his ?Speed? attribute: He is, after all, a southpaw. Although Mosley has switched stances often throughout his career, it looks like switch-hitting is a thing of the past for him. Mayweather will only have to worry about his orthodox quickness then, so to speak. Head-to-head, Mayweather has the edge in hand speed over Mosley, and it looks like Mosley might be throwing fewer combinations these days, which may make it easier for Mayweather to adjust to his quickness.
Will Nazim Richardson Be A Significant X-factor?
Nazim Richardson has become a celebrity of sorts due to his memorable appearances on the HBO countdown series ?24/7.? But he has also been tabbed a virtual ?secret weapon? by several prominent writers. Best known for training Bernard Hopkins (after taking over for Bouie Fisher) over the last few years, Richardson is now recognized for pithy aphorisms and a sense of righteousness not often found in boxing. But will he really make that much of a difference for Shane Mosley? After all, Mosley has been a pro for nearly two decades, and unless his opponent is loading his gloves with foreign objects, Richardson will most likely have the same effect as any other presence in the corner. Richardson is not the only trainer Mosley has used over the last few years. Respected trainers like Joe Goosen and John David Jackson have also worked with Mosley without proving themselves to be secret weapons.
