BETTING NEWS (FOR AMUSEMENT POIRPOSES ONLY):
John Chavez, bon vivant and San Francisco based “Boxing Bookie” puts his money where his mouth is and has wagered “10 dimes” that Mora, the $2.50 plus underdog, will lick the minus $3.20 favorite.
Chavez, who agrees with Dave Chappelle that “there is nothing tender about the Tenderloin neighborhood” (Chavez used to lurk at the corner of Eddy and Leavenworth in his JD days), plans on feasting in The City Monday night with his winnings.
“Looks like myself and my lady friend will wine and dine at Gary Danko, perhaps with Channel 4 and radio motormouth Gary Radnich and his lady and we’ll be eating for free thanks to the Latin Snake. Mosley has faded, Mora is coming on like a cable car shooting up one of our big hills.”)
Sure, Shane Mosley’s skills are on the slide.
But the question is have they eroded so much that the nearing 40 fighter will lose Saturday night in LA to a middling journeyman (no insult intended) named Sergio Mora?
Methinks, no way, Don Jose.
These are two guys with different pedigrees, two disparate resumes.
I won’t use the hoary “Latin Fake” nickname for Mora as he’s an honest, lunch bucket battler who gets an “E” for effort.
But, unless Mosley’s legs and hand speed completely abandon him, unless he has a Cinderella experience in which his coach turns into a pumpkin, he won’t lose here, not to this guy.
Mora and his backers reach for two slender reeds in forecasting upset victory.
One, they cite the fact that Mora won a decision over the late Vernon Forrest and mention that Forrest whipped Shane twice.
They don’t mention that the decision win was of the majority variety, with judges having Mora ahead by two and four points along with a draw score.
They don’t mention that the decision loss was a landslide, with Forrest winning by seven, nine and 11 points.
Break that barometer, please.
The second Mora straw is how Mosley cracked Floyd Mayweather in the second round of their May 1 bout but could not apply the coup de grace.
I can flip that script also. Do you believe Mora could ever tag Mayweather and stun him like Mosley did?
Of course not.
Except for his BALCO period, Mosley has been an outstanding citizen in boxing.
I admit it, I’d love to see he and Manny Pacquiao tee it up before Shane packs it in.
He deserves such a mega payday as a reward for ring effort and good beahvior.
Mosley by UD 12.
Mora beats the Manfredos, the Brinkleys, the Ishe Smiths, but now his reach exceeds his grasp. Other “guaranteed” picks from the same card:
SAUL ALVAREZ UD 12 OVER CARLOS BALDOMIR.
VICIOUS VICTOR ORTIZ UD 10 OVER VICIOUS VIVIAN HARRIS.
ANTONIO ESCALANTE BEATS DANIEL PONCE DE LEON.
