When I first heard the announcement that Manny Pacquiao was going to fight Antonio Margarito, my first reaction was: UGH! The reason for that response was that Margarito, coming off a suspension for the infamous attempted glove-loading incident before his fight with Shane Mosley, had done nothing to deserve a shot at pound-for-pound king Pacquiao. But then the hype over whether Margarito?s size and aggression might be too much for the Pacman took hold, and I became interested in the fight.
Pacquiao gave Margarito a one-sided beatdown over 12 rounds, and anticipation of a super-fight between Manny and Floyd Mayweather Jr. began yet again. But it looks as though Mayweather is going to be practicing the art of defense in a courtroom rather than a ring during the near future. So the hunt for another opponent for Pacquiao began.
As of this writing, Mosley appears to have the inside track on the quest for the money pot a Pacquiao bout is all-but-guaranteed to generate.
My initial reaction to a Pacquiao-Mosley bout is: EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
And that?s not likely to change, no matter how much pre-fight propaganda Pacquiao?s promoter, Bob Arum, cranks out.
Yes, Mosley stopped Margarito and Pacquiao went the distance with the blown-out ?Tijuana Tornado.? But the Margarito bout, nearly two years in the past, was the last one in which Shane looked good. Since then, Mosley was outclassed by Mayweather and held to a boring draw by the unheralded Sergio Mora.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, virtually had his way with Margarito and Joshua Clottey, a pair of known hardheads. If Pacquiao is a little bit past his peak now, Mosley has slid way down the slope of his own summit.
Arum knows that Mosley?s name still has enough value to guarantee attendance and pay-per-view buys, not to mention another fat purse for Pacquiao. Arum also knows that the only question going into a Pacquiao-Mosley fight is whether Pacman can become the first foe ever to knock Mosley out. Mosley has six losses, but he went the distance each time. Vernon Forrest came closest to stopping him, in their first fight.
The Mosley who stopped Margarito would have been a handful for Pacquiao, though still an underdog. The Mosley of today, however, will be little more than a human sacrifice in the squared circle.
I don?t believe that Shane Mosley is a bum. But he?s not close to Pacquiao?s level any more, and the prospect of seeing him get pulverized by the Pacman bums me out.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers.
