But, the end result is the same, and Mayweather is, without question, the biggest draw in boxing today.
And yet, he is often accused of ducking opponents that have a decent chance at beating him, ala Manny Pacquiao. However, in fairness, Mayweather’s beaten some tough guys, such as Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ricky Hatton.
But some people feel that he may have bitten off more than he can chew with “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
There were those in the boxing world who felt that Mosley was done, but as we witnessed in his fight with a now-disgraced Antonio Margarito- who was forced to fight without his Plaster of Paris wraps- nothing was further from the truth.
Many people had thought that Mosley’s divorce proceedings from his ex- wife Jin, who many refer to in disdain as “Yoko Mosley,” would distract him, but Shane actually looked more relaxed and focused than he had in a long time.
Shane Mosley destroyed Margarito, and he did not look like a 38-year-old fighter while doing it. He was in great shape, fast on his feet, and his hands were as quick as they ever were.
One look at Margarito’s face at the end of the fight left no doubt that Mosley still had the power that took out 39 of the 46 opponents he’s defeated.
And, like Mayweather, Mosley’s beaten some tough guys also, like Fernando Vargas, who he knocked out twice. He also beat Oscar De La Hoya twice, and slapped around the wild and extremely unorthodox Ricardo Mayorga.
Floyd Mayweather’s claim to fame is that he is a defensive genius, and he is very rarely the aggressor. Floyd can use every square inch of the ring to distance himself from his opponents, drawing them in and countering, while keeping himself out of harm’s way.
Mosley, on the other hand, can be extremely aggressive and is very adept at cutting off the ring from a defensive fighter like Mayweather.
Shane Mosley will do to Mayweather what no other fighter has done; he’s going to rough him up.
When Mayweather takes off, Mosley will pursue, and as Mosley uses his skill in cutting off the ring, that ring is going to get very small to Mayweather in a hurry.
When Mayweather takes to the ropes and leans back with his hands up high, Mosley will rip shots to the body. That will eventually slow Mayweather down, and when that happens, Floyd will have no choice but to stand and fight.
And that’s when Mayweather loses.
Make no mistake, “Sugar” Shane Mosley can bang, and when Mayweather is forced to stand and fight, it is extremely doubtful that he’s going to be able to take the kind of pounding that Mosley delivered to Margarito.
This will be eerily reminiscent of Antonio Tarver vs. Roy Jones Jr.
Antonio Tarver figured out that Roy Jones cannot fight in tight quarters, and when you rough him up, he gets rattled. After Tarver exposed Jones, his loss percentage spiked because every fighter who fought Jones after Tarver knew exactly what to do. Yes, age caught up to Roy, but Tarver had proven that Jones was never really that good to start with.
Floyd Mayweather will suffer the same fate.
When Mosley presses him and starts to hurt him, Mayweather will begin to unravel, and when that happens, Mosley will crank up the pressure, and Mayweather will suffer his first defeat, probably by knockout.
Allan Scotto can be reached at boxingriter@aol.com
