Mosley’s last stand

When Sugar Shane Mosley climbs into the ring on Sunday (Manila time) to battle pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao, it could very well be his last fight. At 39 and coming off two very unimpressive performances, Mosley is a lopsided loss away from retirement. I can't imagine any boxing promoter wanting to include him on any major boxing card if he loses big to Pacquiao, as most experts expect him to do. A loss to Pacquiao would give Mosley a 0-2-1 win-loss-draw record over his last three fights. He dropped a lopsided unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in May last year, then looked uninspired in a draw against Sergio Mora four months later. If he's looking for redemption, then beating Pacquiao would certainly do it. If only it were that simple though. Pacquiao's blinding hand speed will make it difficult for Sugar Shane to win a round, let alone the fight itself.
Regardless of what happens in the ring on Sunday, it's safe to say Mosley has had a colorful — and sometimes controversial - career. On the plus side, he's won titles in three weight divisions, he never ducked anyone, and he fought and defeated an in-his-prime Oscar De La Hoya not once but twice. In perhaps one of the biggest upsets this decade, he knocked out a heavily-favored Antonio Margarito in 2009. That was the bout where Margarito was caught with an illegal substance in his hand wraps.
But losses to the late Vernon Forrest (twice), Miguel Cotto and Ronald "Winky" Wright (twice) have kept Mosley from being in the discussion of this era's greatest fighters, even though he was once briefly considered the best pound-for-pound fighter. He did win his first 38 fights, but has gone 8-6-1 since. Plus, he has publicly admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs in the past, although he claims he did so unknowingly. (No one believes him, of course.)
Which is what makes this fight against Pacquiao his most important yet. He pulls off a big shocker, and everyone forgets about his losses and steroid use. He'll be known as the man who beat The Man. Which would make him The New Man, if that makes sense.
But does he really have a chance? I'd say his attacking style makes him tailor-fit for Pacquiao, who prefers opponents who slug it out with him because it makes them easier targets. Mosley's punches still have some sting in them, though, as he showed when he wobbled Mayweather in the second round of their fight. Pretty Boy was in serious trouble but Mosley just couldn't finish him off.
Pacquiao was also in trouble in the sixth round against Margarito, when the big Mexican caught him with a huge blow to the body that nearly sent Manny to the canvas. Later, Pacquiao admitted he was really hurt and could've easily gone down if Margarito had connected one more time. Now, Mosley has a higher knockout percentage than Margarito and is generally regarded as a pretty strong puncher, so you could say he literally has a puncher's chance against Pacquiao. And while Pacquiao loves slugfests, so does Mosley. When Pacquiao goes on attack mode, it will leave him open to Mosley's punches. With Pacquiao, he won't be facing a fighter who will go on defensive mode the way Mayweather and Mora did, which would be to his liking. Plus, Mosley has never lost by knockout, although he has been floored, which speaks to his ring savvy and ability to go the distance against tough opponents.
Expect both fighters to go toe to toe right away, until Pacquiao's relentless attacks either forces Mosley to backpedal the rest of the way, or knocks him out within five rounds. Mosley has a reputation for having a strong chin, which would help explain why he's never been knocked out, but he's also never fought anyone with the rapid-fire punches of Pacquiao. It should be a fun fight to watch for the first three or four rounds. After that, if the fight isn't over yet, it will be all Pacquiao.

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