Manny Pacquiao Will Face Shane Mosley on May 7th, 2011:
After a few weeks of rumors about who Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent would be for his planned May 7th, 2011 fight date, it has been confirmed that he will be facing Shane Mosley. While the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight is no longer surprising, it is certainly a disappointing move considering the recent history of each man.
A look at the top 5 opponents for Manny Pacquiao shows that Shane Mosley simply isn’t on the list. While Pacquiao can’t be blamed for the legal troubles of Floyd Mayweather and the reluctance of Mayweather to get into the ring at all, he and Top Rank can be blamed for making a match with the 39 year old Mosley.
Mosley, of course, is a legend in the sport. He’s also 0-1-1 in his last two fights, including a hugely one-sided loss to Mayweather in May of this year, and an ugly draw to Sergio Mora in September, in which it seemed as if he was unable or unwilling to mount an effective offensive attack. Overall, Mosley is 2-2-1 in his last five fights, the only notable win being the surprise TKO victory over Antonio Margarito in the beginning of 2009, which now seems very, very long ago.
While the overall record of the pound for pound king of the sport is largely unimpeachable, the recent history is becoming more and more suspect. Mosley marks the third opponent in six fights that is coming directly or almost directly off a loss to Mayweather, with Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya being the first two.
His win against Miguel Cotto for a welterweight title then came at a catch-weight two pounds below the welterweight limit. Next, he fought a decent contender in Joshua Clottey, followed of course by another catch-weight bout, against Margarito, at 150 lbs for a vacant 154 lbs title. Margarito had largely been inactive and banned from the sport since he had been knocked out by Mosley.
Mosley negotiated the fight with Pacquiao and Top Rank directly, moving away from Golden Boy Promotions, who was pushing instead for Juan Manuel Marquez to get a third fight with Pacquiao. The move likely ends Mosley’s longtime relationship with Golden Boy.
Pacquiao vs. Mosley will be held on May 7th, 2011, from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, and will be fought at the welterweight limit of 147 lbs.
