Mayweather vs Mosley:

Who R U Picking?

The last time I saw Mosley fight was against Antonion Margarito. In that fight Mosley destroyed Margarito. However, Mayweather is known for being mobile. So can Mosley hit Mayweather? Also, can and will Mayweather run from Mosley? If not can Mayweather take the fight to Mosley? So who are you picking?

Either guy could win, of course. It's a pretty even match. Shane is naturally bigger, has speed and power, and is a very intelligent boxer. Plus, he has an outstanding trainer. But I think Floyd will likely win by decision.

One of the biggest factors will be body-punching. Shane is known for his ability to wear opponents down by going to the belly. And, although it is generally overlooked, Floyd has the ability to hurt opponents with a single body punch. In fact, he scored numerous knockdowns and knockouts earlier in his career this way.

I'll have not only a very good turn-out at my house Saturday night, but that people will be evenly divided. At least from what people have said to me thus far. I expect a hell of a fight.

Anything else is just boring.

want to see that fight. Either Mosley or Floyd versus Pac Man would be outstanding. However, considering that Manny will not agree to serious drug testing for a fight with Floyd, and his trainer Freddie Roach has decided he would never fight Shane, this fight is a natural. It should be an outstanding contest between two great warriors.

Pacquiao-Mayweather still possibility

Now that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has dispatched Shane Mosley, talk immediately turned to the potential showdown with Manny Pacquiao, who has apparently softened his stance on the drug testing procedures that derailed their negotiations in January.

Pacquiao and Mayweather, universally regarded as the top two fighters in boxing, tried to make the mega fight in December and January.

The camps had agreed on all terms except for the way to handle drug testing for what many believe would be the biggest money fight in boxing history. The all-time pay-per-view record of 2.45 million was set in Mayweather's victory against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.

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Mayweather, who accused Pacquiao of using performance enhancing drugs despite having no evidence, had insisted on strict blood and urine testing, which was employed during the lead up and immediate aftermath of his fight with Mosley.

Pacquiao, who has a defamation lawsuit pending against Mayweather and his team over the accusations, agreed to unlimited urine testing -- but with limits on how many blood tests he would take and how close to the fight he would agree to be tested.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5159812

I know I'm really going out on a limb with that pick.

But I'm siding with Mosley.

Saturday, May 1: Las Vegas – Shane Mosley vs Floyd Mayweather, Jr.; 12 rounds. (HBO PPV)

On paper, the Mosley vs Mayweather bout is about as even as any truly significant “Super Fight” since Tommy Hearns and Ray Leonard met for the first time. Both men have outstanding records, including numerous wins over fighters who have held titles in various divisions, and both have been the real champion of several weight classes during their careers. What separates these two from any of the current fighters in their class today – with the obvious exception of Manny Pacquiao – is that they are not just “great” champions, but belong to that elite club of “All-Time Great Champions.”

Any match-up between Mosley, Mayweather, or Pacquiao creates excitement not only in the boxing community, but among all sports fans. And while the failure of Pac Man and Floyd caused serious disappointment, Saturday's bout will not only heal those wounds, but will create a huge demand for a bout between the winner and Pacquiao. These will be the bouts that define this era in boxing history.

Mosley, soon to be 39, is an inch taller, and has a two-inch reach advantage over his 33 year old foe. Since turning pro in 1993, Shane has won 46 of 51 fights, including 39 KO victories (75%). Floyd made his pro debut in 1996, and has a perfect 40-0 record, with 25 KO victories (62.5%). Between the two, they have defeated most of the top fighters of their generation. On Saturday, they each will be going into the ring against the most talented and dangerous opponent either has faced.

A great case can be made for each of these champions winning the fight. Shane Mosley possesses speed of both hands and feet. He attacks and retreats at angles, and thus is rarely standing in front of his opponent long enough to allow his foe to get set. Mosley mixes his punches up extraordinarily well, in almost every sense: from light flurries to heavy combinations; going body-to-head or head-to-body with accuracy and ease; and with the sense of timing and space – or “ring generalship” – that separates the all-time great boxers from the rest.

Floyd Mayweather has an uncanny combination of physical gifts and ring intelligence, which allows him to “hit and not get hit” in the Willie Pep/ Sweet Pea Whitaker tradition. In the Marquez bout, he showcased his jab, a weapon he knew he would need in his next bout (be it with Pacquiao or Mosley). He uses the ring very well, by either circling around to create opportunities, or by using the ropes as a spider uses its web. Floyd is, by definition, a counter-puncher. But, like all great counter-punchers, he is adept at using feints to his advantage: when the opponent reacts, Floyd can “counter” before his target throws a punch. The result is that his opponent becomes hesitant to engage, as Oscar de la Hoya found out when he stopped using his jab after five rounds against Floyd.

Shane has an advantage in punching power. However, neither man has scored devastating, early knockouts in recent years. Thus, in this fight, “power” will probably translate into accumulated punches. And that favors body-punching in this contest of skills. Shane's ability in this area is well known; Floyd, however, is a far better body-puncher than most people realize. Watch his fight films: he can lift his right hand from under his opponents' ribs inside, and he can hook his left around the opponent's right elbow. And, on HBO's 24/7, one sees Floyd practicing that very left hook to the liver while hitting the heavy bag.

Both men have trainers/ corners that work for them. In a general sense, Mosley has the superior trainer. While Shane's range of sparring partners is limited, a 38 year old's approach in training is going to be different than a younger man's. The Mayweather camp appears hectic, if not frenzied, on 24/7; however, what appears on television is not always what is really taking place. What is most important is that both men will be at their peak when they enter the ring, and both have talented, capable handlers in their corners between rounds.

Mosley has five loses, and Mayweather none. The concept that “styles make fights” is important here. Vernon Forrest beat Shane in the amateurs and twice in the pros. He did so not only by using his advantage in size, but by counter-punching effectively. More, he hurt Shane with body punches. Winky Wright beat Mosley twice; certainly, Wright entered the ring a much heavier man (despite “weigh-ins” a day before), but also used counter-punching to frustrate Shane. Also, Cotto was able to outbox Shane in several rounds of their bout, by way of counter-punching.

Thus, in a fight that is too close to call on paper, it may well come down to those qualities known as the intangibles inside of that ring on Saturday night, to decide the outcome. The choices for referee and judges can, of course, be a factor. Let's hope that they are not. Rather, may the best man win.

Floyd Mayweather, like Muhammad Ali, has proven that he can capitalize on getting inside his opponent's head. The little scene inside the ring after Marquez was actually scripted (watch the rerun on HBO, and note the comment about Floyd winking at Shane before the fight). The promotional meetings are also largely theater. What is much more important is the media coverage from each camp. Both camps – and both fighters – are reading the press reports, and definitely tuning in for 24/7. Thus, when Floyd spouts off about Shane's nose and hair, and comments on his lack of jab and tendency to close his eyes when he punches, he knows Shane is listening.

Mosley isn't going to change his nose or hair for this fight. Those are Ali-style insults: they are in poor taste, and they tend to sting for just that reason. However, he might, on some level, attempt to change in terms of his jab, or keeping his eyes open. Hopefully, he will not, for while these are both negatives, it isn't possible to change them at this late date.

More important will be if Shane, like so many opponents Floyd has faced, becomes entirely focused on attempting to knock that supremely confident grin off Mayweather's face in the ring. When we think of Ali in the second phase of his career, the only two fighters to did not allow him to get into their heads – Joe Frazier and Ken Norton – were the only two to beat him. That was not a coincidence.

The fight on Saturday is not only important in the context of the current boxing scene – especially in terms of who Pacquiao should (and perhaps will) fight next – but also in the top level of boxing's history. Enjoy this fight, and may the best man win!

..... This should be an outstanding fight.

After the 2nd round, which was great, the rest of the fight was exactly as everybody thought it would be - PBF beating Mosley to the punch over and over.


That Alvarez kid has a potential to be great - only 19 and he's already that polished of a fighter. The only thing I worry about him is accumulated damage, because he's packed in so many fights at such a young age.

He used outstanding boxing skills in the ring, in a fight that had the extreme pressure that goes with being the co-feature to a PPV Super Fight. My only concern was his use of an inside uppercut in the early rounds, when Cotto still had good hand-speed. There is a risk to that, as he found out. But he came through in impressive fashion.

It was good to see Ali at the fight. I had a feeling that he has been watching Floyd closely in the past couple of weeks. No one appreciates more how a fighter has to be convinced that they are indeed "the greatest" in order to compete at that level.

I had told my son on Friday (after the weigh-in), and everyone here last night before the fight, that I thought that Floyd would seek to punish Shane in a manner similar to what Ali did against Ernie Terrell. My son predicted Floyd by decision -- the obvious, safe choice -- and so I said that Richardson would stop the fight between the 11th and 12th. After 10, it appeared that I might be right. But Mosley ended the fight on his feet, and showed the class that I think everyone in the boxing community has so much respect for him for, after the fight. His career has been outstanding, and I'm hoping that he will decide to concentrate on training the next generation.