Anyone who had the saintly patience to watch the tepid affair that was the supposed ?fight? between ?Sugar? Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora would have come away with two set conclusions.
The first was that Mora turned up with no intention to fight. Despite coming in overweight for the weigh-in and possessing every physical advantage over Mosley with the exception of speed his sole goal was to nullify any potential the bout had for entertainment.
The second, was the speed advantage that Mosley possessed over Mora is quickly ceasing to be an advantage. ?Sugar? Shane, the speed merchant of the lighter divisions, is now the elder statesman. He is 39.
To discount Mosley from any future big pay-days would be unfair. He is a name ? one that will go into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on first ballot. But it is quickly becoming a name that pays for itself off past glories rather than the challenges and potential it represents when it matters most ? NOW.
The evidence?
Shane Mosley beat Antonio Margarito convincingly. But it was perhaps a distracted Antonio Margarito. A man that knew he was in trouble after an illegal plaster-like substance was found in his wraps, that many know think may have won him fights before he stepped into the ring with Mosley.
Next up was Floyd Mayweather ? A younger carbon copy of the Shane Mosley of old. But a flashier, and more defensively minded version that spent eleven rounds granulating the head of ?Sugar? Shane.
In the second round, when an opening presented itself Mosley failed to pull the trigger. After watching the Mora fight, perhaps even if he did pull the trigger, it would just be blank.
He is a fighter who relies on hand speed and quick foot movement. ?Speed kills? as Freddie Roach often says of his fighter Manny Pacquiao. But when you?re weapon is slowing what do you do? Fight to a draw? Shane can go on and fight but the legions of fans at the Staples Centre who have been so faithful to him over the years may start turning away. The crowd at a gladiatorial arena can be fickle, none more so than in boxing when the fighter in the ring is but a shadow of the one they so fondly remember. It does not make matters any better that some people paid for this on PPV.
Shane Mosley is a smart, articulate individual who has secured his future not merely by fighting the best and reaping the bullion available. He is also a minor stake holder in the promotional company he has fought under for so long ? Golden Boy Promotions. Unlike so many boxers who fight on for too long because of financial necessity, Mosley may continue because of financial potential.
It is yet to be seen what path Mosley will take and where it will lead, but one thing is for sure, that the longer the journey of a fighter lasts for ?Sugar? Shane, the sadder a spectacle it may become. The fortune amassed, does not depreciate and tarnish as the legacy of a fighter who went on for too long. Roy Jones Jr anyone?
