LAS VEGAS – The promoters for mega fight between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane Mosley thought the match was so competitive that they decided to call it “Who R U Picking?”
On the eve of the 12-round welterweight match the polls are showing that most people are picking Mayweather to defeat Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday night.
Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) is the favorite because he is five years younger than the 38-year-old Mosley, possibly faster and more polished defensively. All of that has established Mayweather as a 4-to-1 betting favorite by Las Vegas oddsmakers.
It has also put Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) in prime position to pull off the upset, though it would be a mild one because Mosley brings considerable assets to the fight as well.
Mosley believes that his speed is equal to Mayweather’s, and he believes his power is superior.
“Well, I think I’m as fast as any fighter out there and especially Floyd. I’m one of the fastest,” he said. “I’ve always been quick. We’ll see when we get in there. I’ve never been in the ring with Floyd so I don’t know how to answer that, how I’m going to counter. I’m just going to do what I do best as Sugar Shane Mosley.”
So the fight will break down over intangibles – controlling the tempo of the fight, who is able to press their attack the best and whose defense is the most impenetrable.
“This fight (against Mayweather) is not a strength-type of fight where a guy is going to be throwing a thousand punches and trying to wear me down that way. This is a different fight,” Mosley said. “This guy is going to try to out-think me. So I’ll have to use that style of fighting to overcome what he has to offer. But I don’t think this guy has faced anybody with my skill, power and know-how about boxing.”
Mosley believes there is another factor that will come into play and that is the past competition in the welterweight division.
“As a welterweight, he hasn’t fought another top welterweight and I’m the first one that’s he fought that’s world champion so it makes the fight a big fight. All the other guys have not really been the best, if you will,” Mosley said. “There are a lot of great welterweights out there that he could have chosen to fight instead of fighting the ones that he fought.”
That is actually a fallacy, because Mayweather’s welterweight competition wasn’t that downgraded. All of his opponents since Henry Brussels on Jan. 22, 2005 were former champions. His last fight at 140 pounds was against Arturo Gatti. Since then he has beaten Sharmba Mitchell, Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir (both undisputed welterweight champions) and Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, who beat Luis Collazo for the WBA welterweight title before returning to the 140 pound division.
Mayweather beat Juan Manuel Marquez, a former junior lightweight and lightweight champion, at 146 pounds. Marquez and Manny Pacquiao both fought each other at lightweight before Pacquiao moved up to welterweight.
Naazim Richardson, Mosley’s trainer, said they can not sit back and wait for Mayweather to get off to a fast start.
“You can’t have a slow start against a fast rabbit,” Richardson said. “That tortoise and hare story is b.s. The tortoise and hare will have you sitting back in the corner waiting for your guy to knock the other guy out. It might not happen.”
Richardson said his greatest asset in the fight is Shane Mosley the boxer who has twice defeated De La Hoya and the one who dominated Antonio Margarito in his last fight.
“It’s going to be a fight where you have to make adjustments,” Richardson said. “The opportunities are going to come few and far between. You have to take advantage because the window will close quickly.”
THE PICK: Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather are comparable in speed and quickness. The difference is Mayweather is a defensive master. That will be the difference in the fight. Mayweather in 12 round decision.
