Two of the Best Boxers on the Planet Meet when Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Collide in May
On May 1, 2010 the highly anticipated Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley fight will be upon us. It’s the biggest fight in the first half of the boxing calendar, and it should serve to answer many questions about both man’s status in the welterweight division as well as their positioning amongst the all-timers from this generation and others previously.
Mayweather vs. Mosley Preview – Fighter Stats
| Floyd Mayweather Record: 40 (25) – 0 Height: 5’8″ Reach: 72″ Last 5 fights: 5 (1) -0 with wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez 5-division titleholder | Shane Mosley Record: 46 (39) – 5 Height: 5’9″ Reach: 74″ Last 5 fights: 4 (3) – 1 with wins over Antonio Margarito and Luis Collazo; lost to Miguel Cotto by UD 3-division titleholder |
Mayweather vs. Mosley Preview
The meeting of Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley pits two of the top three fighters in the welterweight division and two of the top 10 pound for pound boxers on the planet against one another. It’s a fight that many feel should have happened years ago. In truth, both camps turned down or looked beyond possible match-ups with one another over the years, but the fight is a case of better late than never.
It certainly does not have the luster of a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout, however, that’s a fight that could still be lurking in the upcoming months if Mayweather scores a win. Mosley of course was the odd man out of the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather talks, and would still love to land a big payday against the Filipino sensation if he scores the upset and removes the 0 from Mayweather’s record.
Shane Mosley has nothing to lose from this bout. He’s enjoying a second or perhaps third wind to his career after most thought he was finished being a top-level fighter. If he loses to Mayweather, he joins a long list of other big name fighters to have done the same and he does so at a time when he was expected to.
For Mayweather on the other hand, everything is on the line. A win and he remains in the discussion as being the best fighter of his generation, and that fight with Manny Pacquiao just may come off. A loss does nothing but confirm the mutters of bewildered fans who say Mayweather has avoided top competition and tough challenges throughout the duration of his career.
Mayweather vs. Mosley Fight Analysis
In taking an early look at the mega bout between Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather, there are many ways that you could break down the event. Let’s start by asking some key questions that should in large part determine the outcome of the affair.
Will Shane Mosley be rusty after a 15 month layoff?
This is by far the longest layoff of Mosley’s career and at 39 years old you must seriously wonder if it will be too long, and if perhaps Mosley will finally show his age. The other possible outcome is that at this stage of his career, a long layoff actually allows Mosley’s body to be in the best possible condition. The former is more likely, and ring rust is not an issue you want to be dealing with when you’re in the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
Mosley will certainly be in top condition and will be coming out of a sensational training camp. Will it be enough to overcome his age and his inactivity? Of course, Mayweather has not exactly been keeping a torrid fighting pace either. By the time of their bout, Mayweather will have fought just once in the preceding 29 months, although ring rust did not appear to be an issue against Juan Manuel Marquez.
How will Floyd Mayweather cope with Shane Mosley’s speed?
Floyd Mayweather has only been in the ring once with a man with comparable hand speed as his own, and that was his 2006 fight against Zab Judah. Mayweather ended up breaking down Judah and winning the bout without problem – save an in-ring riot caused by a Judah meltdown. However, the first third of the bout saw Judah beating Mayweather to the punch and scoring what could have been called a knockdown.
Shane Mosley is certainly not as fast as he was when he was burning through the competition as a lightweight champion, however he still possesses very fast hands and very good timing. Mayweather is a notoriously slow starter as he waits to gauge his opponent’s tactics, and this will be the best time for Mosley to make his mark. It’s entirely possible that his speed, pressure and power prove to be big trouble for Mayweather in the early going of the fight.
Who has the better Plan B?
The winner of the Mayweather vs. Mosley bout just may be the man that has the better plan B in the bout. If Mayweather’s defense, counterpunching and pace-control leave Mosley’s offense impotent, how will he react? Will he get rough with Mayweather on the inside, try to overwhelm him with work rate or swing for the fences trying to land a Sugary sweet left hook?
If Mayweather cannot get into his groove as a result of Mosley’s aggression and speed, will he retreat further into a defensive shell? Will he lie on the ropes, risking the effects of a big shot landing? Will he begin opening up more in an attempt to turn the tide? Whichever fighter makes the best in-ring adjustments to the other will have a fantastic shot of winning the fight just like winning the jackpot in your favorite online casino games.
Can Mosley land a flush power shot? If he does, what happens then?
Mayweather’s chin has been largely untested in his career. There have been few hiccups and scares along the way, such as the brief moment against Judah as mentioned above and a lapse in the DeMarcus Corley bout. Otherwise, he has avoided the wrath of the big punchers he has faced such as the late Diego Corrales and De La Hoya by not allowing them to land a flush shot. The punches that do land have been deflected by Mayweather’s cushiony Grant gloves or by his patented shoulder roll defense.
Mosley of course will be tying to land a big power shot, and land it cleanly. If he is able to do that the big question on everyone’s mind has to be how Mayweather will cope. Nobody would have imagined Roy Jones laid out in the second round against Antonio Tarver, but you never know how those moments unfold until you witness them happening.
Mayweather vs. Mosley Prediction
Clearly there are a lot of factors at work in this match-up pairing two of boxing’s best. So how will it all play out? As most could imagine, Shane Mosley will gain the upper hand as the fight begins. It will be a combination of Mayweather’s usual tortoise-like opening stanzas, Mosley’s eagerness to shake off the rust and Mosley’s likely game plan to get into Mayweather’s space, be the aggressor and throw lots of punches.
With Mosley winning three of the first four rounds, the crowd will be eagerly cheering for Sugar, awaiting yet another glorious moment in his long career. From there, Mayweather will begin adjusting his tactics and opening up his offensive arsenal. He won’t be able to hurt Mosley, and everyone in the arena knows it… so he won’t try to do that.
This is a fighter that kept things safe against lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez instead of opening up and ending the fight when it seemed as if it would have been exceedingly simple to do so. One of his main offensive weapons will actually be his ring generalship and his slowing of the pace. By always keeping Mosley at the wrong range, taking half steps back and forward, creating angles and striking at unexpected times, Mayweather will limit Mosley’s output, begin landing counter shots and straight rights and start putting some rounds in the bank and getting himself a slot bonus.
By round eight with perhaps an even fight on our hands, Mosley will turn up the heat and the aggression. This is where the fight could swing in either direction. Either Mosley’s aggression paves the way for him to land a crushing blow or surge enough to win the final rounds, or the increased activity for Mosley will allow more ample opportunities for Mayweather to do what he does best, pick his shots, make the other guy miss on the inside and leave the ring relatively unscathed.
My money’s on the latter and I see Mayweather stifling Mosley’s offense enough to win a 115-113 or 116-112 unanimous decision.
The usual cries of the anti-Mayweather crowd- he ran, he didn’t hurt his guy, he didn’t try to win he just tried not to be knocked out, etc – will be renewed. But at the end of the day they will be invalid and Mayweather will have a 41 – 0 record with another big name on his resume. Will it be Manny Pacquiao that’s next?
Keep checking back in with ProBoxing-Fans.com for all of the coverage you need on the big Mayweather vs. Mosley bout including more previews, predictions, analysis and of course post-fight coverage after the fight finally takes places.
