It was like “Open Mike Night” at The Comedy Store when Sugar Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora got done with their 12 round waltz at the Staples Center Saturday night.
The two fighters who produced a listless fight which would’ve been one of the worst ever if the 39 year old Mosley did not constantly take the initiative as “Latin Fake” Mora clutched and grabbed throughout.
HBO PPV TV announcers Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant verbally scorched the non-action bout, saving most of their searing contempt for the usually moribund Mora.
Somehow, the scoring genuises called it a draw, thus robbing Mosley of a victory and giving Mora an undeserved gift. Yet Mosley was not outraged by the injustice.
“We both fought hard. It was a good fight, so it was a good decision,” said Mosley, who tried to make points with the heavily Mexican crowd by wearing the green, red and white of Mexico’s flag and having “Azucar” — Spanish for his nickname “Sugar” — stitched into his waistband. “He’s not a big puncher, so he had to box more.”
Sure, Shane, “box” is that what you call the octopus impression Mora through most of nearly every round?
And Mora was not to be outdone for idiotic comments.
He claimed he took his foot off the gas pedal because of respect for Mosley’s stature and because he knew he was winning.
It was plain to hear his corner inform him he was behind by six points late in the bout.
“I came to win. I wanted to win but my respect for Shane got in my way,” said Mora, 29, who split two title fights with Vernon Forrest, who beat Mosley twice. “I should have listened to my corner. They were telling me it was a close fight, but I thought I was winning the fight. So because of my respect for him, I loosened up and didn’t want to hurt him.”
Maybe Mora should become a nurse.
Wait, it get worse.
Sagacious Johnny Bos watched an overseas telecast which included the voice of Dave Bontempo, former Atlantic City fight scribe.
“I couldn’t believe what I heard,” Bos said by phone from Florida. “I think it was Bontempo who said he had Mora ahead 9-0 after nine rounds. It was ridiculous, the only guy fighting was Mosley. I listened, and I thought, ‘Am I going nuts here?’
“They had Mora getting robbed at the finish, not Mosley.”
Actually the real robbery victims were the 13,000 in the arena and the PPV TV audience.
And that is no joke.
