Showtime boxing analyst Al Bernstein has submitted his keys to victory for tomorrow night's fight between Manny Pacquiao and "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Enjoy.
Bernstein's breakdown is right on, by my estimation. He's looking at Mosley's side, in particular, exactly right. Bernstein has previously noted that he thinks Mosley's left hook could be a major weapon if he can get it off, but the right hand has been Mosley's money punch in recent years, and chances are that's what he'll look to. He says that Mosley needs to land the right hand home runs, and that Pacquiao, obviously, needs to stay the hell away from them. As we know, the straight right hand is known as "the southpaw killer." Mosley's right isn't always the straightest, but Manny's habit of leaving himself open and willingly trading is, in my view, the one true chance that Shane Mosley has to win this fight, and it's a legitimate chance.
Usually when we talk about a fighter having "a puncher's chance," we mean he has almost no chance. The saying has been reduced to effectively mean something like, "Well, I suppose if Edison Miranda lands a bomb on Andre Ward, he could win." But Pacquiao gets hit, and despite everything else in Mosley's repertoire being less than what it used to be, his power is still there. He shook the hell out of Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May, and if he can do that again, Pacquiao isn't Mayweather. He doesn't look to kill time. He looks to fight. A firefight with Shane Mosley is the last thing Pacquiao wants.
I'd like to apologize to Al Bernstein for hijacking his views on the fight here, but, well, I got on a roll.
For another take from an expert analyst, check out Teddy Atlas breaking down the fight with Brian Kenny for ESPN. Atlas gives Mosley "a huge shot" to pull the upset early, but is picking Pacquiao. Danger, danger, Pacquiao supporters!