Heading into this Saturday’s showdown between WBA Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito and former Champion ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, there seems to be a consensus among fans and writers alike that Mosley is facing an uphill battle. At the age of 37 and coming off of a performance in his last fight against Ricardo Mayorga in which he looked less than stellar, Mosley is considered to be biting off more than he can chew in the formidable Margarito.
While it would make sense to assume Mosley would have difficulty at this advanced stage of his career with Margarito’s pressure and activity, I still believe there is some hope for the Pomona, California native. A look back at Mosley’s previous encounters can shed some light into this.
Two of the lowest moments in Mosley’s career were his initial two showdowns with Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright. In those bouts, Mosley’s speed was negated by the style and technique of his larger foes. Forrest was able to use his length and jab to keep Mosley at bay while Wright’s air tight defense made it hard for Shane to break through and find much success.
Both bouts were lopsided scorecard routs opposite of Mosley’s favor, and despite fairing much better in the rematch against both guys, it’s undeniable that stylistically they were not the right fit for ‘Sugar’. A fighter at heart, Mosley loves being able to dig into the trenches for a good scrap but that luxury wasn’t given to him against Forrest and Wright.
As he gets ready to face Margarito at the Staples Center this weekend, Mosley may encounter many problems, but finding an opponent willing to bring the fight to him won’t be one of them. For all of Margarito’s sheer tenacity and overwhelming pressure, he is still basic in many regards and he will leave many openings for Shane to work off of. Shane may have trouble with Margarito’s size, power, and aggression but he can take comfort in knowing that Margarito won’t present a puzzle like previous opponents because he will be right there in Mosley’s face from round one on.
At the end of the day it’s still hard for me to envision Mosley pulling this one out. Margarito is the type of fighter who doesn’t get deterred, just as Miguel Cotto, and he is still the younger man by roughly seven years. As his career is winding to a close, Shane Mosley has sought out perhaps the division’s most difficult opponent in Margarito. But a clash with Margarito, as dangerous as it is, still provides Mosley with the one thing he has always been looking for every time he sets foot into the ring…A good old fashioned fight
