First off, he is not
going to retire.
Let's get that
ridiculous thought
out of the way at
the outset. There
are too many mega
purses out there for
him and he knows it
better than anyone
else except perhaps
his uncle. Pretty
Boy's problem seems
to be one of
maturity, attitude
and out-of-ring
demeanor. What he
need most is a good
Public Relations
spokesperson. God
knows he has few, if
any, problems in the
ring. Sure, if he
retired now, he
would end up being a
slam dunk in the
International Boxing
Hall of Fame....but
his legacy as a
premature retiree
would haunt him
forever.
There are too just
too may challenges
out there for him.
Ricky Hatton, Miguel
Cotto, Antonio
Margarito, Sugar
Shane Mosley and
Oscar De La Hoya
come to mind. And up
and coming Paul
Williams looms. Now
I am not saying he
should fight and
beat each of them,
but victories
against Margarito,
De La Hoya and
Mosley would cement
his greatness and
put an end to the
endless and
unfathomable
criticism .
I would more than settle for that.
Moreover, a fight with the Golden
Boy would not be that daunting, and
I think, style-wise, he has the
goods for Margarito. But Sugar Shane
may be another story. Let's examine
that thought in more detail.
1) Sugar Shane dominated Fernando
Vargas from the start and finished
him off with one big and deadly left
hook in the sixth preceded by a
dazzling display of jabs and hand
speed throughout the bout. This
outstanding piece of work was
reminiscent of a prime Mosley.
Arguably, some might pose the
question: was Mosley that good or
was Vargas that bad? My thinking is
that Mosley was that good.
2) Once again he is using feints,
crisp combos, dazzling speed,
quickness, and crafty head and body
movement that served him so well in
his two wins against Oscar De La
Hoya and Vargas twice.
3) He is just as creative as PBF and
can improvise in the ring and this
adds to his already potent arsenal
of weapons
4) He is very comfortable having his
father, Jack, back in his corner. If
the Vargas fight is any indication,
it appears he is back to stay. After
all, he is man who directed his son
to three world titles and the
biggest wins of his career. Unlike
the strained relationship between
Roy Jones Jr, and his dad, Roy Sr.,
Shane Mosley, 34, embraces having
Jack in his corner. He also is
visibly content being promoted by
Golden Boy.
5) Mosley, whose amateur record was
an eye popping 230-12. Mayweather
also had a successful amateur
career, with a record of 84-6. Both
know their craft inside and out. He
is a combination boxer-puncher but
trainer Jack believes in power
boxing, a method in which punches
are thrown at a high rate of speed,
most of them power shots with the
hand speed generating the superior
power. That style has worked well in
the past as his son became a
lightweight, welterweight, and
junior middleweight champion.
If Sugar Shane continues to fire
wicked combinations combined with
his trademark speed and reflexes, he
will be every bit the formidable
opponent for a favored Floyd
Mayweather Jr. who showed something
to be desired in his last outing
with Carlos Baldomir. And make no
mistake, Mosley is no Baldomir.
It’s clear the 34-year-old and well
rested Mosley is still on top of his
game, but time is a wasting and he
needs to get it on. For his part,
Floyd weeps and says he may retire.
Baloney! With memories of Benitez,
Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran
looming in the background, now is
the time for Floyd to cement his
legacy...... Hey, the ingredients
for the perfect storm are here.
