117 replies to this topic

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

According to Yahho Sports it is on!

As a "hardcore" boxing fan, I'm actually MORE excited about this one than about Mayweather-Pacquiao. Though of course it won't have quite the appeal to the "casual" fan. Still, I expect between 1 and 1.5 million PPV buys. Maybe more owing to the controversy around Mayweather-Pacquiao that has only increased Floyd's notoriety.

Shane is a legit welter with speed, power and heart. I think Floyd outboxes him, but I don't think Mosley lets it become a boring fight. Good for Floyd for not going the Paulie Malignaggi or Nate Campbell route.

Obviously, felt this deserved its own thread.

[Naehring11]

As a "hardcore" boxing fan, I'm actually MORE excited about this one than about Mayweather-Pacquiao. Though of course it won't have quite the appeal to the "casual" fan.

I completely agree. This is a hell of a matchup and I'm glad to see Floyd fight a full sized welterweight. This could be a great fight.

[Sille Skrub]

Obviously, felt this deserved its own thread.

The more threads the better!

[mclusky]

I completely agree. This is a hell of a matchup and I'm glad to see Floyd fight a full sized welterweight. This could be a great fight.

It could be a great fight, but if we could bet on what the fight would look like I would take the opposite line. Mosley fights in bursts, and likes to hit and hold. He is not, at this point in his career, a dynamic offensive fighter like Pacquiao. Shane's last few opponents -- Margarito and Mayorga -- basically stood still and traded punches with him. In the Cotto fight, he held his own as long as Cotto was willing to do the same. He lost that fight when Cotto decided to move and box him.

Floyd is not going to willingly stand still and trade. He will be backing up and throwing jabs to the body for 7-8 rounds until he wears Shane out. I don't doubt that Mosley will do everything he can to make a fight out of it, but I doubt his legs will let him.

[ElUno20]

Something tells me Shane is going to force Mayweather to knock him out. I don't think being potshotted to death will suffice for Mr. Mosley. Which is why I'm excited about this fight because I dont think Floyd can knock him out.

Shane's last few opponents -- Margarito and Mayorga -- basically stood still and traded punches with him. In the Cotto fight, he held his own as long as Cotto was willing to do the same. He lost that fight when Cotto decided to move and box him.

Excellent point and a serious threat to the excitement of the fight.

Edited by ElUno20, 02 February 2010 - 12:29 AM.

[BGrif21125]

Given past events, I won't 100% believe that this thing is a done deal until I see these two guys standing at a podium for an official press conference.

That being said, if it comes together, it's certainly a huge matchup and a big PPV seller. There's no excuse for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fiasco, but all things considered, Mayweather-Mosley and Pacquiao-Clottey is about as good of a Plan B as we could've hoped for. I mean, if the #1 and #2 guys aren't going to fight each other, then the next best thing is for them to fight the #3 and #4 guys. A few weeks ago, we were the discussing the possibility of pathetic matchups like Mayweather-Malignaggi and Pacquiao-Foreman.

Mayweather-Mosley doesn't interest me as much as Mayweather-Pacquiao, but it's still a huge fight and worthy of $50 out of my pocket for a PPV fee. I think Floyd will be and should be the clear favorite. He's younger, faster, more versatile, much better defensively, etc. Mosley may be the harder puncher, but it's not like he's a KO artist either. Mosley also has a great chin, but Floyd doesn't need to hurt his opponent to win. And finally, by fight night Mosley will be 38 years old and coming off a 16 month layoff.

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Given past events, I won't 100% believe that this thing is a done deal until I see these two guys standing at a podium for an official press conference.

That being said, if it comes together, it's certainly a huge matchup and a big PPV seller. There's no excuse for the Mayweather-Pacquiao fiasco, but all things considered, Mayweather-Mosley and Pacquiao-Clottey is about as good of a Plan B as we could've hoped for. I mean, if the #1 and #2 guys aren't going to fight each other, then the next best thing is for them to fight the #3 and #4 guys. A few weeks ago, we were the discussing the possibility of pathetic matchups like Mayweather-Malignaggi and Pacquiao-Foreman.

Mayweather-Mosley doesn't interest me as much as Mayweather-Pacquiao, but it's still a huge fight and worthy of $50 out of my pocket for a PPV fee. I think Floyd will be and should be the clear favorite. He's younger, faster, more versatile, much better defensively, etc. Mosley may be the harder puncher, but it's not like he's a KO artist either. Mosley also has a great chin, but Floyd doesn't need to hurt his opponent to win. And finally, by fight night Mosley will be 38 years old and coming off a 16 month layoff.

Of course, this being boxing and Mayweather being Mayweather, you're right to be skeptical. But at least from everything I'm reading this looks like a done deal with a press conference supposedly coming next week.

The long layoff for Mosly will be somewhat of a factor, and of course his age. But remember also that Floyd will come into this fight with only one fight -- an extremely easy one -- since December of 2007. In fact, Floyd has fought just three times since be beat Carlos Baldomir in late 2006. Seems an eternity ago. Both of these guys are true athletes who have never shown any tendency to let themselves go between fights. And Mosley was in training for a fight that was supposed to have taken place this past weekend. So I'm not too concerned about ring rust in this case. It will be critical to see whether Mosley has lost a step due to age, however. Even the slightest downgrade in his speed or reflexs could mean the difference between a competitive fight and a blowout (in Floyd's favor).

The PPV numbers will be very interesting. Unless I'm forgetting something, this is the biggest boxing event between two black fighters since Lewis-Tyson, and the biggest between two African-American fighters since, what, the Bowe-Holyfield trilogy. And both of those had the added attraction of being heavyweights. Actually, now that I think of it, the biggest event between two American fighters of any ethnicity since then was Mayweather-De La Hoya, and DLH brings at least a portion of the Mexican audience.

With boxing's fandom having become much more international and heavily Latino in recent years, the PPV performance of this fight will be an interesting test to see if boxing's American, and African-American audience, wil still show up.


UPDATE 2/3/10 -- From the "you're right to be skeptical" category, for reasons unspecified, Floyd has yet to sign his contract.. Mosely is signed and sealed.

If Floyd backs out of this one, that lends a lot of credence to the argument that it was he, not Pacquiao, looking for a way out of that fight. Larry Merchant speculated at the time that Floyd's "0" in the loss column meant everything to him, more even than money, and that he simply refuses to risk it. If he worms out of the Mosley fight, theory confirmed!

That said, hopefully this is just a snafu of some kind and he'll sign today or tomorrow.

Edited by Gene Conleys Plane Ticket, 03 February 2010 - 12:17 PM.

[BGrif21125]

It's official. Floyd has signed the contract.
Link

The PPV numbers will be very interesting. Unless I'm forgetting something, this is the biggest boxing event between two black fighters since Lewis-Tyson, and the biggest between two African-American fighters since, what, the Bowe-Holyfield trilogy. And both of those had the added attraction of being heavyweights. Actually, now that I think of it, the biggest event between two American fighters of any ethnicity since then was Mayweather-De La Hoya, and DLH brings at least a portion of the Mexican audience.

With boxing's fandom having become much more international and heavily Latino in recent years, the PPV performance of this fight will be an interesting test to see if boxing's American, and African-American audience, wil still show up.

That's an interesting point. I expect that we'll see a heavily-Latino undercard in an attempt to maximize the PPV numbers.

[ElUno20]

Floyd signed today. They're both heading to Miami to promote the fight during Super Bowl week.

[NY_Sox_Fan]

So what was the drug testing that was agreed to for this fight? Did Mosely agree to what Pacquiao would not or were the conditions different? Just curious....

[shawnrbu]

Olympic style:

Mayweather and Mosley also agreed to participate in Olympic-style drug testing for their fight, saying they hope to set a new standard for safety in boxing.

[BGrif21125]

So what was the drug testing that was agreed to for this fight? Did Mosely agree to what Pacquiao would not or were the conditions different? Just curious....

Per the LA Times:

Mosley, who has admitted to using steroids and EPO before his 2003 victory over Oscar De La Hoya, has consented to allow pre-fight blood and urine tests all the way through fight night, as long as Mayweather undergoes the same test on the same day, Mosley's attorney Judd Burstein said.

Link

So it appears Mosley has agreed to random blood/urine testing with no pre-fight cutoff date. Pacquiao wouldn't submit to blood testing within 24 days of the fight.

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Freddie Roach says that Pacquiao will fight the Mosley-Mayweather winner. But he also says he expects that to be Mayweather and that Pacquiao will not agree to Mayweather's drug testing guidelines. So we're back to square one!

After Mosley, who HAS admitteded to using steroids (albeit "unwittingly") agreeing to full testing, frankly, Manny would look pretty stupid to continue his refusal, especially after Mayweather (presumably) beats a much tougher preliminary opponent than Manny is fighting. Mayweather's fighting the top true welterweight in the world. Manny is fighting Joshua Clottey. If they bothe win, Flod I'm afraid is in the driver's seat.

[Sille Skrub]

After Mosley, who HAS admitteded to using steroids (albeit "unwittingly") agreeing to full testing, frankly, Manny would look pretty stupid to continue his refusal, especially after Mayweather (presumably) beats a much tougher preliminary opponent than Manny is fighting. Mayweather's fighting the top true welterweight in the world. Manny is fighting Joshua Clottey. If they bothe win, Flod I'm afraid is in the driver's seat.

Really?

I know I am biased as a Pacquiao fan, but I just don't see it.

My reasoning?

by fight night Mosley will be 38 years old and coming off a 16 month layoff.

I really respect your boxing posts, GCPT. Please enlighten me.

[BGrif21125]

I don't want to speak for Gene, but I assume what he meant was:

Now that Mosley (an elite high-profile fighter) has agreed to undergo full Olympic style testing, it stands to reason that it will increase the pressure on Pacquiao to do so in the future. During the prior Floyd-Manny negotiations, the Pacquiao camp was able to say something like "Why does Floyd get to rewrite the rules for this fight?", but once the Mayweather-Mosley fight happens, then this drug testing procedure won't be unprecedented anymore. If Pacquiao continues to refuse, it'll be easy for fans/media to say "If Mosley had no problem undergoing the testing, why can't you do it as well?"

[Joe D Reid]

Now that Mosley (an elite high-profile fighter) has agreed to undergo full Olympic style testing, it stands to reason that it will increase the pressure on Pacquiao to do so in the future. During the prior Floyd-Manny negotiations, the Pacquiao camp was able to say something like "Why does Floyd get to rewrite the rules for this fight?", but once the Mayweather-Mosley fight happens, then this drug testing procedure won't be unprecedented anymore. If Pacquiao continues to refuse, it'll be easy for fans/media to say "If Mosley had no problem undergoing the testing, why can't you do it as well?"

While we're all speaking for Gene, I'll add that Mayweather's choice of opponent, while a step down from the likes of Pac, also lessens the charge that he's ducking all quality opponents, and that the testing demand to Pac was more of an excuse to ditch the fight than a real proposal. Yes, Mosely is older and probably past his prime, but there were a ton of tomato cans out there Floyd could have chosen to fight instead.

[Sille Skrub]

also lessens the charge that he's ducking all quality opponents, and that the testing demand to Pac was more of an excuse to ditch the fight than a real proposal. Yes, Mosely is older and probably past his prime, but there were a ton of tomato cans out there Floyd could have chosen to fight instead.

Isn't taking a fight against someone (albeit a great fighter) who is 38 and who will be coming off a really long layoff kind of ducking quality opponents?

PBF could announce that he is fighting Ali in December and while it looks great on the resume, it really isn't fighting a quality opponent (right now).

I'm not trying to be Pac-snarky here, I'm really not. But to a casual boxing fan like myself, this just seems like business as usual for Mayweather.

[BGrif21125]

Isn't taking a fight against someone (albeit a great fighter) who is 38 and who will be coming off a really long layoff kind of ducking quality opponents?

PBF could announce that he is fighting Ali in December and while it looks great on the resume, it really isn't fighting a quality opponent (right now).

I'm not trying to be Pac-snarky here, I'm really not. But to a casual boxing fan like myself, this just seems like business as usual for Mayweather.

No, that's unfair to Mosley. He's the most dangerous opponent out there for Floyd not named Pacquiao. Keep in mind, Mosley is the guy Pacquiao avoided fighting in order to take on Cotto instead. He's also better than Clottey.

[Sille Skrub]

Fair enough. Looking forward to the fight in May to see how it turns out.

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

No, that's unfair to Mosley. He's the most dangerous opponent out there for Floyd not named Pacquiao. Keep in mind, Mosley is the guy Pacquiao avoided fighting in order to take on Cotto instead. He's also better than Clottey.

Yeah, pretty much what everyone has said.

That said, boxing fans are the best in all of sports at retroactive predictions and 20-20 hindsight. If Floyd wins this fight, especially if he wins it easily, I'm sure the talk WILL be, "It doesn't matter -- so what if he beat a 38-year-old guy coming off a long layoff."

But I do think that talk will be stupid. There is no question in my mind that Mosley is the best true welterweight in the world right now, other than Floyd. And of course, Floyd has not fought a true welterweight opponent since De La Hoya in May of 1997. Since then, Mosley has fought Cotto, Mayorga and Margarito, all real welterweights, even oversize welterweights (and he fought Luis Collazo, another quality welter just a month or two before Mayweather fought De La Hoya).

The point is, this is more than a legitimate fight for Floyd, it's the best fight out there for him -- by far. From a competitive standpoint the only other candidate would be Paul Williams -- but I don't really consider him a welterweight. I think of Williams as a junior middleweight or even middleweight who has a freakish ability to make 147 when he has to. I kinda don't blame Floyd for "ducking" him.

Edited by Gene Conleys Plane Ticket, 05 February 2010 - 11:10 AM.

[allaboutthesox]

No, that's unfair to Mosley. He's the most dangerous opponent out there for Floyd not named Pacquiao. Keep in mind, Mosley is the guy Pacquiao avoided fighting in order to take on Cotto instead. He's also better than Clottey.

[bolded information]

Both of whom Cotto beat. Sorry, couldn't help myself BGrif. This should be an excellent fight, but as some have mentioned Mosley will be coming off of a long layoff and will be 38 years old.

[ElUno20]

The age card is overplayed. It's not like these guys are fighting every other night. I'd argue that the old foggies like Shane and Bhop prefer the long layoffs because it lets them load up for one great performance. Although there is something to be said about just getting old and slower. So who knows. I'm just saying I don't think age will be the factor if Floyd beats Shane, it'll be because of a great performance on Floyd's part.

[ElUno20]

Props to Mayweather. He has been everywhere promoting the F out of this fight.

[Sille Skrub]

The staged fight was kind of weak, IMO.

[ElUno20]

[BGrif21125]

bump

First 24/7 episode airs tonight.

[ElUno20]

You can tell Floyd feels Shane has a real chance. While he did usual trashing talking last night, you could tell there was some serious angst there. You could sense the alertness behind the contrived one liners. Speaking of those one liners, he saved the best for the end of the show with his "prize fighter" comment.

I think people should be really excited about this fight. Even if Shane is a few years too old to win the fight, he's still good enough to force Floyd to work to win the fight. There will be no coasting on May 1.

[BGrif21125]

Just saw the listings for the PPV undercard:

Saul Alvarez vs. Jose Miguel Cotto
Daniel Ponce De Leon vs. Cornelius Lock
Hector David Saldivia vs. Said Ouali

Seriously?

I've never even heard of half these guys.

[ElUno20]

itll be one of those ppvs where jim and crew spend three talking about the fight, what floyd had for dinner, how long it took shane to take a shit before the weigh in

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

The fight is now a non-title affair because Floyd refused to pay the sanctioning fee.

I actually see this as a good thing. No one would argue that this fight is for the true welterweight title, with only Pacquiao as a legit challenger to that throne currently. So who needs the WBA (whose belt Shane Holds) or any other alphabet body. Between the steroid testing and this, Floyd in his own A-hole-ish way, is single-handedly cleaning up the sport!

[allaboutthesox]

The fight is now a non-title affair because Floyd refused to pay the sanctioning fee.

I actually see this as a good thing. No one would argue that this fight is for the true welterweight title, with only Pacquiao as a legit challenger to that throne currently. So who needs the WBA (whose belt Shane Holds) or any other alphabet body. Between the steroid testing and this, Floyd in his own A-hole-ish way, is single-handedly cleaning up the sport!

Not sure what you mean here by cleaning up. [Sarcasm is not intended] I would rather of this been a title fight that way if Mayweather should win, it might bring another chance to help unify all the belts. Although in the end it would all be short lived as each boxing association has its' own agenda.

[ElUno20]

Shane was on ESPN radio here in LA today, he implied Floyd is a possible roider ands a homosexual. All the while claiming he doesn't engage in the trash talking. Good stuff.

[mclusky]

Not sure what you mean here by cleaning up. [Sarcasm is not intended] I would rather of this been a title fight that way if Mayweather should win, it might bring another chance to help unify all the belts. Although in the end it would all be short lived as each boxing association has its' own agenda.

You seem to be making Gene's point. If the individual belts are meaningless (which they are), then what the heck is the point of "unifying" them? Should Floyd win, he is not going to call out Dejan Zavec.

[BGrif21125]

Floyd is obviously doing this for selfish reasons (not wanting to pay the sanctioning fee), but the more top fighters who blow off sanctioning body belts, the better.

The belt system is IMO the single worst thing about boxing in the 21st cenutry. It confuses the casual fan from knowing who the real champs are and makes it almost impossible for the top fighters to face each other. Mayweather-Mosley doesn't need a belt attached to it to be a huge fight.

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

Floyd is obviously doing this for selfish reasons (not wanting to pay the sanctioning fee), but the more top fighters who blow off sanctioning body belts, the better.

The belt system is IMO the single worst thing about boxing in the 21st cenutry. It confuses the casual fan from knowing who the real champs are and makes it almost impossible for the top fighters to face each other. Mayweather-Mosley doesn't need a belt attached to it to be a huge fight.

'Zactly! The fact is, this is a welterweight championship fight. Whether it's recognized as such by a Panamanian business concern whose entire business consists of collecting fees in exchange for recognizing title fights, really makes no difference.

Besides, Floyd is still the linear champion. he beat Carlos Baldomir who beat Zab Judah who held the "undisputed" title. Shane is a belt-holder, having beaten another belt-holder. We know that Shane is the second best -- at worst the third-best -- welterweight in the world right now. So why do we need the WBA to tell us what we already know -- for a price.

Yes, Floyd's doing this for Floyd. But as you say, the more the sanctioning bodies are de-legitimized, the better.

[LondonSox]

I am in Vegas this weekend, I'm thinking about going to the fight assuming I can find some tickets (which seem to be available online for around 300 bucks for average tickets).
What say the big boxing fans, I like pretty boy but his fights I've seen are up and down, some great some not so much and the undercard seems... average.

What say you more regular fans, given I'm there anyway I am thinking I'd be stupid not to go for the right price, but what would you pay?

[BGrif21125]

This fight seems to have creeped up all of a sudden for some reason. Maybe it's just because there's been a lot of quality fights on in recent weeks to distract me.

Bottom line: Mosley has a better chance than perhaps any other previous Mayweather opponent, but I just can't see him pulling off the upset.

Mosley's supporters will point to his great performance against Margarito. But Margarito is the polar opposite of Mayweather from a style standpoint. None of the things that made Margarito a perfect opponent for Mosley are going to be in play against Floyd. Yes, Shane has fast hands, but he doesn't have great side-to-side movement, he's never been a great defensive fighter, and he's had problems with slick boxers in the past. Cotto beat Mosley by outboxing him, and I think we'd all agree that Cotto is nowhere near as slick of a boxer as Floyd is.

Floyd's just a more well-rounded and well-schooled fighter. I would've picked him to beat Shane at any moment over the last 6-7 years, and I'm not about to change my stance now that Shane is 38 years old.

I think Shane will have his moments and will be competitive all the way thru, but I see Floyd winning a ~117-111 type of fight.

[ElUno20]

I don't want to jinx it but I think this has the chance for fireworks because they match up size wise (Shane is actually a bigger guy) and Shane is high on confidence from his giant killing performance vs. Tony/old-man swagger. Basically, I think Shane will force Mayweather to win by knockout. He doesn't respect's Mayweather's power and with his chin he probably feels he can take some shots to close the gap.

[mclusky]

I don't want to jinx it but I think this has the chance for fireworks because they match up size wise (Shane is actually a bigger guy) and Shane is high on confidence from his giant killing performance vs. Tony/old-man swagger. Basically, I think Shane will force Mayweather to win by knockout. He doesn't respect's Mayweather's power and with his chin he probably feels he can take some shots to close the gap.

I think Mosley has been down once in his career, so the odds of him getting knocked out are basically nil.

Mayweather will win a decision. Like the Floyd-Oscar fight, it'll probably be a whitewash with the judges giving a few rounds to Shane out of professional courtesy. Watching Mosley's fight against Margarito again recently, it's simply stunning how easy Margarito is to hit. He stood in the pocket, leaning forward, with no head movement or feints whatsoever. Basically the tailor-made opponent for an old fighter.

Fighting Floyd Mayweather will be like a different sport. When Shane fought Cotto, it was mostly even as long as they were brawling. When Cotto decided to box, Shane couldn't keep up any more. Floyd won't wait 8 rounds to start boxing.

[PrestonBroadus Lives]

I think Mosley has been down once in his career, so the odds of him getting knocked out are basically nil.

Mayweather will win a decision. Like the Floyd-Oscar fight, it'll probably be a whitewash with the judges giving a few rounds to Shane out of professional courtesy. Watching Mosley's fight against Margarito again recently, it's simply stunning how easy Margarito is to hit. He stood in the pocket, leaning forward, with no head movement or feints whatsoever. Basically the tailor-made opponent for an old fighter.

Fighting Floyd Mayweather will be like a different sport. When Shane fought Cotto, it was mostly even as long as they were brawling. When Cotto decided to box, Shane couldn't keep up any more. Floyd won't wait 8 rounds to start boxing.

I don't see how Floyd-Oscar is a point in Floyd's favor. Mosley is better at this point in his career than Oscar was on that night, and Oscar gave Floyd hell in the early going. I had Floyd winning by more than the split decision he was given, but it wasn't even close to being the whitewash you remember it.

I really wish people would start giving Mosley credit for the brilliant performance in the Margarito fight. It was more than just one fighter being taylor made for another. Mosley and Naz worked out a great gameplan for that fight (work the body early, stay off the ropes, and clinch after combinations so Margarito can't get off) and shane executed to perfection. Shane being Shane isn't what prevented Margarito from throwing about 30 less punches per round than normal, that was all strategy. I still believe that Cotto would've beaten Margarito had he employed the same gameplan as Mosley, regardless of whether or not Margs was using illegal handwraps (probable) during their fight.

Cotto-Mosley has absolutely nothing to do with Mayweather-Mosley. I actually just re-watched that fight yesterday and there's nothing you can learn about Mosley from watching it. It was clear from early on that he never took Cotto seriously and thought one or two big shots would put Cotto in trouble quick (there were big questions heading into this fight about Cotto's chin). He didn't train in that fight for speed or stamina and it led to him being beat to the punch most of the night and visibly tired by the 6th round (I've honestly never seen him as slow and fatigued before or since that fight). I really don't think Mosley is underestimating Mayweather leading into this fight and it won't lead to the same problems.

All of this isn't to say that I think Mosley will win easily, or even win at all. I'm really up in the air right now and don't see either fighter with a huge advantage. If 130 lb Floyd comes out from whatever rock he's been hiding under to play for a few rounds and maybe throw some actual combinations, Mayweather will be too much speed and accuracy for Mosley to handle. But, if Floyd is content to try to pot shot Mosley all night, I think he'll be disappointed with the outcome.

[mclusky]

I don't see how Floyd-Oscar is a point in Floyd's favor. Mosley is better at this point in his career than Oscar was on that night, and Oscar gave Floyd hell in the early going. I had Floyd winning by more than the split decision he was given, but it wasn't even close to being the whitewash you remember it.

I'm not sure that "hell" would be my description of Oscar landing a couple of decent jabs and throwing a bunch of unlanded body punches, but we can agree to disagree, I guess. And until I see him on Saturday, I'm not convinced that 2010 Mosley is a tougher opponent than the 2007 De La Hoya. Measuring them by their performance against a common opponent, Señor Ricardo Mayorga, you'd conclude the opposite. Mosley two years back went 11 rounds and 170 seconds with Mayorga in a fight that was dead even to that point. Oscar completely dominated Mayorga.

I don't hesitate to give credit to Shane Mosley for an inspiring beatdown of Antonio Margarito -- Shane is one of the gamest, most exciting and most talented fighters around, and I'll always watch him. But he's 38 years old and taking on the best-conditioned, most highly-skilled fighter in the world. That's a lot different than taking on a guy who stands right in front of you and willingly lets you hit him.

I fully expect Shane to catch Floyd with a few reaching right-hands and get Jim Lampley excited. His best chance is that Floyd gives away a couple early rounds, and then gets caught off balance and knocked down by one of these shots. That would (possibly) get Floyd to force more action and turn it into a fight. Otherwise, once Floyd starts measuring him, Mosley is going to get pot-shotted and there will be very little he can do about it.

Edited by mclusky, 28 April 2010 - 02:04 PM.

[Gene Conleys Plane Ticket]

I'm not sure that "hell" would be my description of Oscar landing a couple of decent jabs and throwing a bunch of unlanded body punches, but we can agree to disagree, I guess. And until I see him on Saturday, I'm not convinced that 2010 Mosley is a tougher opponent than the 2007 De La Hoya. Measuring them by their performance against a common opponent, Señor Ricardo Mayorga, you'd conclude the opposite. Mosley two years back went 11 rounds and 170 seconds with Mayorga in a fight that was dead even to that point. Oscar completely dominated Mayorga.

I don't hesitate to give credit to Shane Mosley for an inspiring beatdown of Antonio Margarito -- Shane is one of the gamest, most exciting and most talented fighters around, and I'll always watch him. But he's 38 years old and taking on the best-conditioned, most highly-skilled fighter in the world. That's a lot different than taking on a guy who stands right in front of you and willingly lets you hit him.

I fully expect Shane to catch Floyd with a few reaching right-hands and get Jim Lampley excited. His best chance is that Floyd gives away a couple early rounds, and then gets caught off balance and knocked down by one of these shots. That would (possibly) get Floyd to force more action and turn it into a fight. Otherwise, once Floyd starts measuring him, Mosley is going to get pot-shotted and there will be very little he can do about it.

I haven't watched the Oscar fight in a long time, manly because I don't recall it as being a very interesting fight, but I seem to remember Oscar doing pretty well for about the first half of the fight before letting it slip away. Of course, that may have been just a case of Floyd waiting out the early rounds before making his adjustments, which is his usual pattern. Thing is, the whole key to that fight was De La Hoya's jab -- he had a great one in his day. But Shane has never really had much of a jab. He uses it mostly as a rangefinder. I don't think that's going to be effective against Mayweather, who never lets an opponent establish his range.

I think this will be am entertaining fight, maybe Floyd's most entertaining fight, mainly because Mosely is almost never in a bad fight. He's just a tremendous fighter who, as they say, "comes to fight," but with a high level of skill. In the final analysis, though, as hard as I will be rooting for him, I don't see how Shane can win this fight. he is going to have ti draw Mayweather into a shootout, and I just don't see that happening. Why would it? Shane's best chance is to come on extremely strong in the first four or five rounds, the way Zab Judah did. Those were the best few rounds I've seen anyone have against Floyd, at least since the first Jose Luis Castillo fight. Shane is much smarter and tougher than Judah, and a better boxer with more power. So maybe he can jump on Floyd before Floyd adjusts and make him pay.

I doubt it, but if he doesn't do that, Mayweather's defense is too solid, his hands and feet too quick -- he just has more refined skill even than Shane and that's saying a lot because right now, I think Shane is second only to Floyd in the world. I think he's actually a better fighter than Pacquiao.

I'll be happy to be wrong on this one, but, Mayweather by clear decision, 116-112 (8-4).

[ElUno20]

Anyone watching¿

This Ginger-Blake griffen-Mexican prospect just knocked out the Older Cotto. He looks legit.

Brotha Nas spent too much time bullshitting and was late to wrap Shane's hands. This might take a while to start.

[bsj]

anyone needing a link PM me...dont want to blast it out there but willing to give it to 1 or 2 of ya

[BoredViewer]

Mayweather should dominate.

[BoredViewer]

Larry Merchant is no fan of Mayweather

[Stuart Scott's Lazy Eye]

Nothing says America like a dude who beats the shit out of his girlfriend.

[BoredViewer]

Chris Brown singing the national anthem.... at a boxing match... can't make this stuff up.

[Stuart Scott's Lazy Eye]

A fucking circus...

[ElcaballitoMVP]

Anyone with a good link?