Bad Left Hook Fight Preview: Floyd Mayweather Jr. v. Shane Mosley
by Scott Christ on Apr 30, 2010 10:22 AM EDT
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"Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible."
--George Orwell (1903-1950)
There are a lot of reasons why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the heavy favorite against Shane Mosley tomorrow night. Mayweather's fan club, which has grown increasingly vocal as the alleged "haters" have done the same over time, will likely say that these are "excuses," because that's what Floyd calls them. Floyd says it's an "excuse" if someone says that Juan Manuel Marquez was too small and not fit for the welterweight division. It's not an excuse. It's a reason. It's a fact plain enough for anyone to see.
Here are some reasons why Mayweather is the good bet:
Shane Mosley is 38 years old. The response here will be, "Oh, now he's too old!" I didn't say he's too old. I said he is 38 years old. The man is closing in on 40, and outside of rare cases, boxers at Mosley's current age do not continue to perform at extremely high levels, and an extremely high level of performance is what it will take for someone to beat Floyd. It's not an excuse -- it's a fact. Shane Mosley is 38 years old.
Then there's another one: Mosley has never, ever, ever faced a fighter like Mayweather. Almost everyone can say that. Mayweather is a special boxer with talent to spare. You look up and down Mosley's record all you want, but you will not find a slick, fast guy like Mayweather. The truly top fighters Mosley has faced were Oscar de la Hoya, Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, Miguel Cotto, and Antonio Margarito. There are plenty of other very good fighters (Wilfredo Rivera, Fernando Vargas, Luis Collazo, etc.), but they weren't top of the line, at least when Mosley fought them.
Against Oscar, Winky, Forrest, Cotto and Margarito, Mosley's record is 3-5, and plenty debate the fights with Oscar. Nobody debates his losses to Winky or Forrest. Some thought he eked it out over Cotto, but not many. Margarito was a decisive win with plenty of baggage around it, too. It was incredibly shocking and impressive in the moment, but the moment doesn't always tell the whole story, and once we got the whole story, it became a lot more complicated than, "What a performance by Shane Mosley!"
Mosley is a tremendous fighter. He's strong, he's fast, he's got a lot of determination, and though he's past his true prime, I dare say this third wind he's on right now has him in nearly as good a spot mentally as he was when he was really peaking. He's got a phenomenal trainer in Naazim Richardson, with whom he seems to click wonderfully, and he appears to be in sort of a new love affair with boxing.
But Mayweather is a whole new ball of wax, and at 38, Mosley is going to have a hellacious time coping with Floyd's speed and ring genius. Margarito was able to hit Mosley, whose leaky defense has never been a strong suit. Some point to Oscar de la Hoya's half-fight successful jab, but Mosley's never been a great jabber.
Shane Mosley is best when he can fight with aggressive passion, when he can let his hands fly and do some damage. He's one of the best combination punchers of his era, and he's a terrific finisher. He's strong, he's smart when he's picking his spots, and he can be effectively reckless.
But Mayweather feeds off of the aggression of other fighters. He's done it his entire career. I'm not saying Shane Mosley is Arturo Gatti or Diego Corrales. He's a lot better even now than either of them ever were, which I also don't mean as a shot Gatti or Corrales. They were among the most courageous fighters ever, let alone their era. But we've seen what Floyd can do to aggressive fighters, guys who people thought had a chance. He demolished them. He beat them silly. He eventually did it with Ricky Hatton, too, once he timed him. He didn't even seem to fully have his foot on the gas pedal against Juan Manuel Marquez, instead toying with him and dragging the fight out to a near-interminable 12 rounds.
Mosley is best aggressive. Mayweather is the best at using an opponent's aggression against them.
"A hero has faced it all: he need not be undefeated, but he must be undaunted."
--Andrew Bernstein
Someone brought up an interesting idea. If Shane Mosley had fought the same 40 guys Floyd Mayweather Jr. has, would Shane be 40-0, too?
The idea was that yes, he would be. You'd have to adjust for equivalent 135-pounders for Floyd's 130-pounders, but they both weren't going to lose to any of those guys (and didn't), so it's really about the fights once they were top guys. Mayweather has fought plenty of good fighters. Oscar, Hatton, Castillo, Corrales, Gatti, Judah, Mitchell, Corley, Manfredy, Genaro Hernandez, etc.
But would I favor any of them against Mosley, adjusting for time period to match it up right? No. Not one of them. Oscar is kind of a wash, they both beat him. I think a Mosley-Castillo 135-pound fight would've been terrific, but I'd favor Mosley for sure. Judah at 147 does not beat Mosley, though he probably gives him some trouble here and there. The rest are all guys we'd be almost absolutely sure that Shane would beat, and I think we can agree on that no matter what "side" we're on here.
Mayweather never fought a Winky Wright equivalent, or a Vernon Forrest equivalent. Mayweather would've beaten Cotto, and I'm absolutely sure of that. Forrest had his struggles after Mosley, but when he knocked Shane off, he became one of the absolute best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet for a period. Winky Wright was tremendous at what he did. Would Floyd be unbeaten with an equivalent schedule?
My answer might surprise you, but I'd say probably.
And that's where it gets to break down. I have tried, for the sake of my excitement, to see a way that Shane Mosley can win this fight. I am not saying he has no chance. He's got about as good a shot as anyone does at beating Mayweather at welterweight.
What I am saying is that Mayweather is too good for Mosley. Shane Mosley is one of my absolute favorite fighters, and he's world class to the bone. He's outstanding. He's great. But Mayweather is greater. Mayweather is just better than he is. I don't feel compelled to break down the matchup, really. Shane's pretty fast, Floyd's faster, and I think some people are going to be really surprised at how much faster Floyd looks on Saturday night. Shane's really strong, yes, but is he going to hit Mayweather consistently? Nobody else does.
If Mosley's jab is better than usual, if his defense is better than usual, if he focuses on the body a bit more than usual, and if Mayweather isn't as sharp as usual, Shane Mosley can definitely win this fight. But that's a lot of "ifs." Too many for my liking if I'm on Team Mosley.
This is a great fight to have on the schedule. I am thrilled that these two are finally getting together to mix it up. I'm happy that Mayweather took the absolute best challenge that was available once the Pacquiao negotiations predictably fell apart, and I'm happy that Shane Mosley will get another crack at real greatness. I am very excited to watch this fight unfold.
I just think Mayweather's going to rout him, that's all. I don't think it'll be a pure blowout like the Baldomir or Marquez fights, but I don't think the final scores will read much differently. This kind of reminds me of December's fight between Timothy Bradley and Lamont Peterson, but at a higher level and on a bigger stage. It wasn't so much that Tim Bradley was unbelievably better than Peterson, it's just he kept winning every three minutes. They were fairly lively, never got dull, and Peterson kept having his moments, but in the end, Timothy Bradley was just too good for him, and the scores reflected a blowout even though it wasn't a proper and more routine "one-sided affair."
I'll be more surprised if Shane Mosley wins this fight than I will be if Floyd sweeps cards 120-108 three times. Mayweather is going to keep winning for three minutes at a time. It adds up. Mayweather UD-12
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Nice preview
I agree on the outcome (Floyd UD), but I’d honestly be pretty shocked if he winds up with a really wide score in the cards. I really think it the fight will play out somewhat like the Floyd-DLH fight, where Floyd will take some rounds off, and Mosley will steal some rounds on workrate and aggression, even if it isn’t terribly effective. If I had to guess, I’d say the cards will come in around 116-112 or so.
by The Boxer Rebellion on Apr 30, 2010 10:56 AM EDT reply actions
Did anyone else get the feeling
That Floyd was almost TRYING to keep that fight close. IMHO, the only rounds he lost were the ones he pretty much took off. There’s the one round you could argue that Hoya went out and won when he pinned Mayweather up against the ropes and kept hitting him with left hooks to the body. But that’s about it. In the rounds where Floyd threw punches, Floyd won.
There’s a possibility that Floyd just took some rounds off because he was trying to pace himself there, and if he does the same here, I could see Mosley winning a few rounds. But I’ve seen quite a few Mayweather fights now, and he’s never really taken rounds off in fights other than that one.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
it really depends on if Floyd gives away early rounds like he did against DLHoya (i still think that fight was scripted ala the pitty pat affair that was DLHoya vs B-Hop)…..
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Apr 30, 2010 11:40 AM EDT reply actions
50/50
Great write up. Not good but great. The only thing I differ on is I think Winky would have killed Mayweather, that is what you call a style nightmare for PBF, south paw who is bigger and has a dominate jab and doesn’t get hit a lot (didn’t get hit at all really in the late 90’s). But I still think this would have been a similar prediction for Margarito, I dont think anyone had Mosley as the favorite for that fight. What I think makes this fight 50/50 is which Shane shows up, and if he still has 90% left in the tank or does he have 75-85%. If they were both in their prime I think Shane would be the favorite beause he is the bigger fighter and I don’t think the speed advantage would have been seen as a wide margin. But at 38 that is normally when you lose a step and outside of Hopkins, and Foreman who weren’t speed guys to begin with, its just hard to keep pace as the tooth grows long.
50/50 fight for me still think there are multiple ways that both men can win or lose the fight. PBF could just get out worked and cover up the whole night (ie Hokins v Taylor) The speed difference may be closer than expected, Floyd could get “hit”. Or PBF could just be too fast for him and hits him when he wants and never takes to many chances. Hell you never know maybe PBF gets hit and we see an all out war like Gatti v Ward ( yeah right I wish…lol)
The one thing the write-up is missing
is a mention of the first Castillo fight. I know it was a long, long time ago, but that’s the fight Mayweather came closest to losing. I do think focused Mosley can do everything that Castillo did in that fight, but on the other hand, Mayweather isn’t weight drained now, and he’s a better fighter than he was back then.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
im intrigued by Naazim’s strategy he has come up for shane to win. if its a winning strategy and shane ends up winning i think he should be handed the trainer of the decade award already
"Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining."
-Sonny Liston
.
by sonofapsycho on Apr 30, 2010 11:55 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
A good article
Mayweather is going to to the Erk and Jerk to Mosley. He’s going to speed it up and then slow it down. This is where Mosley will discover that he isn’t as fast as he thinks. If you listen to all the interviews all Mosley says is that he’s going for the knockout and this will be his problem making him victim #41. If you don’t expect to go 12 rounds with Mayweather and respect his skill level you won’t win and this is the problem, you have to out box him …. PERIOD. I don’t know why people assume that Mayweather is a chump in the ring and at the end of the fight the opponents look like the have been fighting two people, you have to respect his GANGSTA!!
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
comedy. nice.
"Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining."
-Sonny Liston
.
by sonofapsycho on Apr 30, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
Want Shane to win. Don’t see how he can.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 30, 2010 12:10 PM EDT reply actions
I'm singing off this hymn sheet.
I’d love to see Shane win. I even had a dream the other night that he did.
Think Floyd wins handily on points.
I’ve had a fairly big bet on the double of Herbie Hide winning Prizefighter tonight, and Floyd beating Shane on points. 4/5 and 4/7. Both fairly likely, the double pays about 6/4.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Unlucky on your first bet!
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 30, 2010 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions
that fucked my predictions up
on the Boxing Bulletin that cut
by Sweet science on May 1, 2010 4:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Fucking Herbie fucking Hide..........
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Timothy Bradley!!
I’m glad you mentioned this guy because this is the guy I was thinking that would be a good match up for Mayweather in a little while. I even give this guy the edge over PACMAN in my own opinion. Again, In My own opinion. His style would definitely present a problem for PacMan, he’s tailor made for him.
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
Ditto. Bradley is one guy that just drips with speed. He doesn’t seem to be a big power puncher though and for some reason he always turns into an evangelist at the end of his fights. Never has dull fights though from the ones I’ve seen but I wish the guy had some more punching power because then he would be a beast. Either matchup would be great, but probably not on Floyd’s itinerary. I think he would be a good challenge for Pacquiao since he (Bradley) may be faster at that size, but not sure if he could deal with Manny’s power. Would be a great fight though and I could see it being a welterweight war.
A promise is comfort to a fool.
too bad
he’s going to get flattened by Marcos Maidana first!
by The Boxer Rebellion on Apr 30, 2010 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Not a chance
Whole different level, all Marcos has is his power.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 30, 2010 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s a lot of power, and Bradley does get hit.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 30, 2010 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe anyone is picking Maidana
Maybe I’m thinking about it in the wrong way, I need to spend some more time mulling it over.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 1, 2010 7:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I love Timothy Bradley but I don’t think he’s invulnerable or anything. He reminds me a lot of Mosley in fact, but probably without the same beard. Maidana is maybe the best pure puncher in boxing today, and combined with that is a fearlessness in him. Ortiz hurt him, too, but he kept fighting back. I mean when I think about that knockdown Ortiz scored, and then Maidana storms RIGHT BACK and flattens him with a right hand, that’s the sort of attitude you can’t help but love. Bradley should definitely be the big favorite, but I think Maidana has a terrific shot if he can coax the smaller Bradley into a firefight, and with Bradley’s demeanor (he likes to fight and has huge balls), I don’t think that’ll be all that hard.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
About Bradley
Bradley has an untested chin.It’s stood up so far but that said he hasn’t faced a really legt puncher yet.Manny would dent it for one.Of course you have to catch him flush first and given his reflexes it’s not an easy task.
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on May 1, 2010 8:12 AM EDT up reply actions
He went down twice against Kendall Holt. He pretty handily won the rest of the fight, but he can get tagged.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
And with all due respect to Kendall Holt....
Kendall Holt is certainly no Marcos Maidana.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
All things being equal, Floyd should win. I don’t see a blowout happening but if I was an oracle I’d probably be in Vegas right now robbing the Casinos blind.
So since predicting thing myself is more annoying to me than anything, I like to focus on the ifs, on both sides. For 38, Mosley can still throw a hell of a punch, and just because Floyd is faster doesn’t mean Mosley won’t hit him. How much mustard is on the shots he hits Floyd with, where they land, and how cleanly they land is going to be the thing. I wouldn’t put it past Shane to change the fight with a tremendous shot or going to the body.
We also can assume Floyd is much faster, but sometimes you get deceived with how fast opponents are matched speed wise until they are swinging at each other. Before every Pacquiao fight you hear Lampley screaming about how his speed will be the deciding factor, and I’ve noticed on more than one occasion that it wasn’t a big difference at all and he was more evenly matched in speed and was able to dominate by throwing punches at bizarre angles while moving on a slant.
I think that what SC’s post, and articles in general about this fight, is that many people still see the chance that Mosely has, or at least imply it, because he may be able to muster that extra few % at 38 that many fighters could not. I haven’t seen one objective article that just says that Floyd will completely embarrass Shane. In fights like this where there’s so much talent in one young guy, and so much experience and fury in another, one punch can go a long way on either side. I personally doubt that Floyd could hurt Shane, but sometimes a guy throws the most perfect punch of his career and knocks out the guy who’s never been stopped which would be equally amazing to me.
All in all, I just want to guzzle beer and watch ALL the fights. Whoever wins, wins. But I love to root for the underdog, even if I think he might have one paw in the grave.
A promise is comfort to a fool.
Exactly!!
I’m not saying that Shane can’t win, it wouldn’t surprise me, but I don’t see it. The first 2 rounds will say it all. If Shane presses to hard it could be his ass and if he sits back that’s his ass, a double edge sword. Mayweather will keep the fight in the middle of the ring and see where his hand speed is and take it from there. This is where he talks about being able to adjust to fighters. After a couple of shots Mosley will abandon the game plan and start with the wild, " close my eyes hooks". All in All, I look forward to a good fight with plenty of cold beers available.
If you always thought what you thought, then you wouldn't think what you knew.
Yup
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Great Preview.
You brought up some very good points that i hadn’t thought of.I agree that the best way to look at this fight is that Mosley is an aggressive fighter and Floyd feasts on aggressive fighters.Add Mosley’s age and Floyd’s all round better talent means that i just can’t see it any other result than Mayweather UD as you have stated.
I hope i’m wrong though.I would love to see ‘Money’ get KO’d.
I just watched his interview on www.espn.com/boxing today and had to smile……His arrogance and overrating of himself is getting tired.
I thought Boxing News pretty much nailed it this week with their headline to the preview for this fight : ‘Undefeated Yet Undefined’.
my boy shane
is gonna mess up mayweather and here’s why:
1) Ppl “can’t see” may losing only because he hasn’t lost yet.
2) Shane is too aggressive, strong, and tough for may, he’ll be in his face all night, not allowing may to take a break.
3) Mosley fights for legacy and to be the best. He’s focused on doing what he has to do to win. All may talks about is fighting for money, and shit talkin shane. He’s underestimating shane, and he’s gonna regret it.
2) Shane is too aggressive, strong, and tough for may, he’ll be in his face all night, not allowing may to take a break.
I said the same when Hatton fought Mayweather. As Scott said, Floyd is best when he has someones aggression to use against them.
by Sweet science on May 1, 2010 4:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I see Floyd winning by UD but I do see Mosley going down late in the fight
I agree with most of your points. I respect Mosley as a fighter. I think he would be 40-0 if he did fight the same opponents Floyd has. I don’t think it would have been done with such ease but I do see him winning everyone one of those fights.
See, I can compromise
Baldomir would have destroyed Mosley. Only Floyd could handle the slick skills of Baldomir.
by taco pal on Apr 30, 2010 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Now you know how we feel about you!
Had to be done…
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 30, 2010 8:08 PM EDT up reply actions
lol
to be fair, thats the most balanced I’ve ever heard Option27….but taco pal’s comment was Comedy :)
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
He thinks Floyd will kock Mosley down
I’ll bet my farm that isn’t going to happen!
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 1, 2010 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions
True That !!!
I’ll back you on that !!!
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on May 1, 2010 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
YOU HAVE WON A FARM!!
What do you plan to do with it?
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
if im being honest
I agree with his prediciton, I think a knockdown of Mosley late on is pretty, not likely, but theres a legitimate chance shall we say
by Sweet science on May 1, 2010 4:11 AM EDT up reply actions
You and Me have the same prediction
Mayweather by wide UD-12
Another grear write up. That is what my brain is telling me for this fight. As you said, Mayweather is going to keep winning for three minutes at a time.
But my gut is saying Mosley upset. I’ve been calling it since the fight was signed. With Naazim Richardson laying the game plan and Shane able to mix up his style he can keep Mayweather thinking.
Mosley UD
Mosley - UD on 1st May
agreed...or by late stoppage
all the informed opinion goes the other way, but its just a feeling I have also.
I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)
Great Preveiw
I think theres a couple of differences that will determine this fight.
Most people are judging Mosley by his last fight. Granted, it was a fantastic performence and going out for the stoppage was pretty sensational. Lets face it, everyone gave Mosley no chance, and everyone thought that there was no chance in Mosley stopping Margo. So to go out and take him out was pretty special. he could have just out boxed him and taken a shutout.
But Margo and Mayweather have probably the most oppostie styles you can. One has/had a granite chin, doesn’t mind taking the shots to wear you down. Is slow and plodding and lets face it not a great boxer (hindsight is a wonderful thing)
The other is the slickest and purest boxer for a generation. He ain’t gunna stand there in front of Mosley, he’s not going to get caught clean time and time again. He’s a defensive genius and can turn a boxer’s aggresion against them BIG TIME.
Mosley to win a few rounds, (More than 10 on the 3 judges scorcard combined ;)) but to be found out down the stretch, maybe a knockdown as well late on
One Thing That Noone has mentioned yet...
Is that when Mosely went up in weight and lost those fights he put on a ton of muscle.That takes away speed and reflexes.Now Shane looks fit and in great shape but not overmuscled.His reflexes will be back and he’l be quicker as well as allot more fluid.Also it is signifigant to note that Mayweathers camp demanded a rematch clause to make this fight happen.That in itself should tell fans that maybe the line on this fight is allot closer than critics are letting on.IMO Mosely has nothing to lose as this is a legacy fight.Like Hopkins before him Shane can and will rise to the occasion.
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on May 1, 2010 8:17 AM EDT reply actions
YES
That is why I’m saying his chin is untested at a high level.IMO Bradley is a good hard punch away from losing his title.If he signs to fight Manny then it’s over.I’m not so sure if Maidan can catch him though.
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on May 1, 2010 8:19 AM EDT reply actions
That post
should have appeared above as a reply ? Not sure how it got down here ?
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on May 1, 2010 8:20 AM EDT reply actions
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