Sugar Ray Robinson once famously said that part of being a great champion is believing in yourself when nobody else does. That?s the position that Shane Mosley finds himself in as he stares down Manny Pacquiao next Saturday night at the MGM Grand (Showtime PPV, 9 PM ET/6 PM PT) in Las Vegas. While the ?Pac-Man? is considered the best fighter in the world, Mosley is thought of as a spent bullet who struggled mightily in his last two outings versus Floyd Mayweather and Sergio Mora. That?s why he?s listed as a prohibitive underdog.
Yeah, Mosley is that guy Robinson is referring to.
“That?s definitely me right now,” said Mosley, during his media day at his Big Bear training compound a few weeks ago. “There are a lot of fans that don?t believe that I can do it. Maybe because of the last couple of fights but things have changed and I feel great; I feel good. I?m just ready to go.”
Of his broken union, which was acrimonious at the end, Mosley adds, “There was a lot of negativity; I mean, you have the company and then you have the divorce playing with you over the kids and it?s all kinds of different things come at you and then you try to come in here and fight and try to make a living, try to work, try to make money. It?s very hard but now everything is good. My life is great; I?m doing what I want to do. I?m having a good time and, man, I?m looking good; I feel good.”
Those who are the closest to him see the difference.
“There?s less stress,” said his son, Shane Jr., who is himself an aspiring pugilist. “So I guess that makes somebody a happier person.” When Mosley?s father, Jack, was asked if his son was no longer weighed down by that past relationship, he answered definitively, “Oh, I think so, absolutely. He?s done with that.” Jack, who was never an advocate of that marriage, added, “It affected me too. That was a bad relationship but Shane is a good person so he tried to stick it out but Jin left him. So he?s happy. She thought he?d be sad, I guess, but he?s not. He?s happy.”
This is exactly why the elder Mosley believes a monumental upset will take place this upcoming weekend.
“I think Shane has a great jab, great right hand. He can go to the body; he can go to the head. I just think he needs to be on his toes, use his jab a lot because I think he can hit Pacquiao with that jab. He?s quick enough to hit him with that jab, quick enough to hit him with the right hand. I think he can win using his boxing skills and experience,” said the father, who trained Shane throughout much of his prime.
For much of the 21st century, ?Sugar? was as sweet as could be in the sport. For years, he was a fixture among the sports elite and for awhile (if you believed in such things), considered the best prizefighter in the world, pound-for-pound. He makes a strong argument for being the best boxer to ever come out of Southern California. But it?s impossible to not see the recent decline. Take away 90 seconds against Floyd Mayweather in the second round when Mosley had him buzzed; he was dominated for much of that contest. Then his bout with the ?Latin Snake? was an utterly forgettable bore where one guy did little and the other guy did less, depending on your vantage point. The fight was truly a draw, as neither man did nearly enough to call himself the winner on that night.
Seeing Mosley unable to get off his trademark rapid-fire combinations or react as reflexively as he once did, it was reminiscent of another stalwart that made his own share of history at the Staples Center the past decade- Shaquille O?Neal. Once he could claim to be the MDE (Most Dominant Ever) but nowadays O?Neal?s just another big man who changes teams about as often as Jimmy Jackson, looking to hold onto a roster spot in Boston and trying to add another championship ring. Mosley, to many observers, is now just that big name used as cannon fodder for the sport?s premiere performers.
He isn?t naive. Mosley- who had to buy his way out of his deal with Golden Boy Promotions to get this bout- understands that his struggles in the last two outings landed him this assignment from Top Rank. “Well, I think they might have seen some slippage and this was the time to come in,” conceded Mosley, “but God works in mysterious ways. It?s like when I was getting ready to fight [Antonio] Margarito- which was Bob Arum- I fought Ricardo Mayorga and they said I didn?t look so good and whatever. Then I got a chance to fight Margarito. When I fought against Oscar De La Hoya, he was two weight classes above me- he was with Top Rank at the time. Now, again, here we go; here we go again, the third time. The third strike.”
Back when he fought Margarito in January of 2009, Mosley was thought to be finished and facing the ?Tijuana Tornado,? who had just rampaged through Miguel Cotto, was something that was supposed to be a life-threatening endeavor. Instead, he thrashed Margarito in nine one-sided rounds in front of a record-setting crowd at the Staples Center. To him, it feels like d?j? vu all over again.
“Yeah, it does,” said Mosley, smiling at the mere thought. “It?s even better than that. I think it?s going to top that as far as the way I look and how I feel. Like I said, times are changing and times are good for me right now. I?m feeling great.”
Of course, Mosley said the same types of things before his bout with Mayweather, only to be easily neutralized over 12 rounds. Then again, Mayweather and Pacquiao are as different as can be inside the ring. While Pacquiao is a ball of frenetic energy who will take offensive risks, trying to hit ?Money? cleanly is about as easy as deciphering a Rubik?s Cube while blindfolded. Mosley and his camp believe that Pacquiao?s style is much more conducive to their success than Mayweather?s was.
“They?re going to try to box me first and when they find out that doesn?t work because he?s too little, too short to box with me, then they?re going to come at me and try to outwork me. That?s when we start fighting,” said Mosley, who says he got particular enjoyment out of Erik Morales? mastery of Marcos Maidana last month. In that match-up, Morales was thought to have about the same chance as Mosley does versus Pacquiao. Seeing a wily, old veteran tame his younger foe through knowledge and experience gave him solace. “I mean, all these old fighters right now are coming out of the woodwork. They call them ?old fighters? but they?re experienced fighters and they?re coming out of the woodwork and giving 100 percent. It lets you see what type of era we had when we were coming up, all the great fighters. We still have great fighters right now fighting, Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield; all these guys are still fighting right now and still doing fairly well, still able to fight. So our era was very tough.”
Problem is that many believe it?s long past due that Jones and Holyfield call it a day. Some think that time has come for Mosley but he has a word for all those that doubt him.
“I just want them to be posted right there, May 7th, watching the fight and just be in total awe of what?s going to happen,” he says, “because it?s going to be a great fight because Manny?s going to bring it and is going to make sure it?s a great fight and that?s why I love this fight so much because I know that I have a fighter in front of me. I have a warrior in front of me that?s going to come out and fight. He?s going to box; he?s going to try to outbox me and use Freddie Roach?s tactics a little bit, try to use some of his things.
“But in the end result, Manny Pacquiao?s going to show up and I?ll be ready for him when he does.”
NO BRADLEY-KHAN DO?
As of now, it looks like you can scratch off ?Well, at least it led to a Tim Bradley-Amir Khan fight? as a reason why the ill-fated bust that was the Bradley-Devon Alexander fight this past January 29th in Pontiac was still a great thing to happen for the sport of boxing (which some still desperately hold on to, despite this event being a disappointment in every facet).
It seems like Bradley and his side can?t come to an agreement with their television packager, Gary Shaw, over what they will get paid to face Khan. The issue is that in making the aforementioned bout, both Bradley and Alexander were essentially promised return bouts on the network by June 30th. So while Alexander comes back on June 25th (where he?ll make over a million bucks against Lucas Matthysse), Bradley?s situation is in limbo. While there was an understanding that he would return to the network by the end of June for around $1.2-1.3 million, it was never specified that it had to be against Khan.
Now, just think about it; the guy who lost the fight gets an easier fight and is receiving not all that much less than what Bradley might receive to face a much more accomplished fighter. From a managerial perspective, if there is a certain amount that is guaranteed, why would you face perhaps the most difficult opponent available? (And before any of you start saying stuff like ?legacy? and ?taking on the toughest challenges,? just stop that and start living in the real world)
I?ve said it before and I?ll say it again; you might be better off losing on HBO sometimes than actually coming out victorious. Charlie Sheen thinks he had it bad at CBS; he?d be tortured with all his ?winning? at Home Box Office.
This matter is complicated. Bradley?s deal with Shaw runs out soon (early May is what I?m hearing) and they only extended the contract with him for a Khan fight, which was to have taken place on July 23rd. Who knows where this will all end up? I do think a few lessons were learned here: just because HBO tells everyone it?s a ?big fight? doesn?t make it so. Bradley-Alexander (and Bradley-Khan, for that matter) was a match-up that HBO and the hardcore wanted everyone to believe was this big, superstar-making event. The general public disagreed- and they are the ones who are the true determining factor – and they had no clue who either guy was. That event was never built properly into being one that would remotely transcend. Just because you put two fighters on HBO in the same weight class on a few telecasts and then put them into together doesn?t suddenly make it into anything more than two guys who HBO happened to gamble on getting in the same ring.
By the way, for those who will state that Bradley-Khan is a huge fight, ask yourself this: if this gets staged in Las Vegas (where it most likely would?ve landed), does that fight legitimately sell 5,000 tickets? Also, beyond that- and this is just as important- do you think the styles of Bradley and Khan make for a good fight? Boxing just might be the only form of entertainment where a certain segment of fans care more about the esoteric than entertainment value.
Lastly, what HBO has to understand is that they have all the leverage here. In making whatever fight they want, unless you are a legitimate pay-per-view attraction like a Pacquiao or Mayweather, there is absolutely no need to make promises of return engagements to their airwaves, win, lose or draw, like they have done all too often in recent times. They have allowed for these trapdoors to exist (where fighters like Alexander may choose to take the easiest way out of fights, knowing that they will not be exiled or where fighters like Bradley- who don?t have much of a fan base to fall back on- are given leverage, they may not otherwise have) and what we have are a series of rather uninteresting or non-competitive fights that lead to, well, more uninteresting or non-competitive fights.
Many will blame the boxers. I blame the enablers who created this climate.
NEUTRALITY
OK, it looks like Arthur Abraham is on his way to face Andre Ward on May 14th of the ?Super Six?s? semis despite the comments of his promoter Wilfred Sauerland, who claimed that the CSAC and Goossen Tutor were not living up to their promises of having neutral officials for this fight at the Home Depot Center in Carson. However, Dan Goossen, who represents Ward, wanted to make this clear on Friday afternoon as this was resolved, “There [were] no ifs, ands or buts about it. We never, EVER, expected a California referee; we never, EVER discussed any referee for that matter, OK? And it upsets me to no end that Wilfred Sauerland, knowing that it was going to be neutral officials across the board that we agreed to, would come out and charge the California commission with insisting on a California referee when that was never, EVER the case.
“Where we are today is where we?ve been the past two months and [Sauerland?s] tizzy-fit is unexplainable to me. But if he?s happy to go out there and make false accusations for whatever reasons, although unclear to me, I?m happy if this is all resolved and acceptable to move on with the fight.”
Yes, Goossen just said ?tizzy-fit.?
ROCKY
There was a ?Rocky? marathon aired by AMC on Saturday night(which was perfect since I was feeling under the weather) and I watched most of it. A few random thoughts…
– The first two installments of this franchise were masterpieces. There was a certain grittiness to it that I really liked. And the second one is really good because it shows that even after boxers fight on high-profile shows, the reality is that many of them still have to go out into the real world and make ends meet. That is the case more times than you think with fighters you see on television that have to go back to punching a clock that next Monday.
– Mickey is the best. He, Mr. Miyagi of ?The Karate Kid? and Morris Buttermaker of ?The Bad News Bears? are my three favorite sports movie coaches of all-time. They were not only teachers but leaders of men.
– Is it just me but is (Yo!) Adrian quite the nag? Geez, yeah, I get it; you?re looking out for the safety of Rocky but c?mon, he?s a fighter. You knew what you were getting into when you went on that blind date with him back in ?76 at the ice-skating rink. This is what he does; this is who he is, a fighter. Let him fight. Besides, what was he going to do? Enroll in medical school?
– Yeah, I know it?s just acting and choreographed but doesn?t Carl Weathers(Apollo Creed) have better technique than most of today?s heavyweights? His jab was like a piston, wasn?t it?
– The opening montage of ?Rocky III? with ?Eye of the Tiger? by Survivor is GOAT. I can watch that a million times and never get bored because not only is it great production but it?s the truth. Boxers will tell you that in their careers, they have been the guy who made it on top like Rocky, who got a bit domesticated and civilized, as Mickey would say, and they?ve been that hungry, angry S.O.B. like Clubber Lang (who I believe was a great foil in that movie) who stalks the complacent champion like a predator.
– ?Rocky IV? has grown on me. I know it?s when this series may have jumped the shark but it is the quintessential ?80s sports movie. It?s not so much a movie but ?Cold War? propaganda dressed up as one long MTV music video (By the way, this soundtrack is great, if you love that cheesy stuff- which of course, I do). Some examples:
– Did you notice that USA Network covered the Balboa-Drago fight in Russia? So are we to assume that took place on a Tuesday night? And while I?m a fan of Barry Tompkins, where were Al Albert and Sean O?Grady?
– As for the fifth installment of Rocky with Tommy Morrison. Uh, yeah, this is where it didn?t just jump the shark but Jaws I and II, Moby Dick and the Love Boat. At this point, it became ?Police Academy? with boxing gloves. Regardless, I still love this series. Hey, just like most real-life boxers, ?Rocky? hung on too long.
FINAL FLURRIES
Anyone else think that Cuauhtemoc Vargas got the short end of the stick of a very dubious decision on Telemundo versus Jose Nieves on Friday night?…Speaking of which, I thought Aaron Garcia did more than enough to beat Abraham Lopez on Friday night at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario. Instead, Lopez got a disputed eight-round verdict. That show put on by Thompson Boxing Promotions was as good a club show as you can see nowadays- till the main event, which was lackluster as Mauricio Herrera just went through the motions in defeating Cristian Favela…I wanted to see more of Frankie Gomez on Thursday night at the ?Fight Night Club.? He blew out the hopelessly overmatched Jason Davis in 30 seconds. His co-manager, Hector Ibarra, says that they may face Walter Estrada next…Just my opinion but I think the Miami Heathave the Celtics figured out…The Memphis Grizz are absolutely for real and ?Z-Bo? Randolph is a legitimate star…Clipper fans, quick question: while Blake Griffin is great, wouldn?t you rather have a combo of Randolph (who was moved to make room for ?Canelo? Griffin) and John Wall?…NFL Network?s ?Top 100 Players? started this week. ?The U? has ten players on it (by far the leader of any program). I?m guessing they will be Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, Frank Gore, Antrel Rolle, Jon Vilma, Jon Beason and Kellen Winslow II.
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