Mosley Outclasses Vargas

16.07.06 – By Geoffrey Ciani: In the aftermath of their first encounter five months ago, some questions remained concerning who was the better fighter: Sugar Shane Mosley or Fernando Vargas. Last night’s rematch put an end to such questions. Sugar Shane proved beyond any shadow of a doubt that he is a cut above Fernando Vargas. Indeed, the boxing world has been put on notice: Sugar Shane Mosley is back!

Historically speaking, Mosley always tends to perform better in rematches. The exception to this rule was the rematch with De La Hoya, which Mosley won less convincingly in than the first time around, but this probably had more to do with confidence issues Mosley was having at that time.

Following losses against Vernon Forrest and Ronald Winky Wright, however, Mosley insisted on taking immediate rematches, and in each instance, he performed considerably better the second time around. Despite losing both of the aforementioned rematches, Mosley was able to make adjustments that made him more competitive than in the first fight.

Last night, minor adjustments were the key to Mosley’s success. The main thing he did that made him more successful against Vargas was maintaining a proper distance. This minor alteration in his approach afforded him the opportunity to better utilize his speed advantage, causing Vargas to look like an awkward amateur in much of the fight. Mosley fought much smarter this time around.

In some ways, the rematch looked a lot like their first encounter. In both fights, Mosley jumped out to an early lead in the first three rounds before Vargas began to get things going. It’s true that Mosley is often a fast starter whereas Vargas is often a slower starter. When Vargas began upping his tempo in round four, however, he was unable to gain the same type of momentum that made the first bout so competitive.

By maintaining the proper distance, Mosley was able to better utilize his speed, plus it prevented him from standing toe-to-toe with the stronger Vargas as had been the case five months ago. Indeed, Vargas looked baffled in the ring as he often lunged forward unsuccessfully in an attempt to turn the fight into another brawl. Consequently, Mosley remained fresher because he didn’t have a naturally bigger man leaning on him after close exchanges on the inside.

The first time these two pugilists squared off, the fight was very competitive and the two seemed evenly matched. This time around, Mosley didn’t lose a single round. Mosley controlled the action with good foot work, an effective jab, and a variety of combinations to both head and body. At the end of round five, Mosley was clearly ahead 50-45, and it seemed as if Mosley would coast his way to an easy points victory.

But that all changed in round six when Mosley landed an absolutely sensational left hook that dropped Vargas like a rag doll. Not only did Mosley wind up for this punch as if he were a cartoon character, but poor Vargas leaned right into it, causing the impact of the blow to look incredibly painful. Vargas, to his credit, was able to rise to his feet, but Mosley immediately jumped on him and the bout was soon halted by referee, Kenny Bayless (who incidentally, did a very lackluster job working this fight).

It would seem that Mosley’s reunion with his father, Jack, as his trainer worked out well. The estranged father-son duo hadn’t worked together for Mosley’s last four fights, and many people assumed that Jack didn’t have what it takes to continue training Shane. However, Mosley looked about as good as he’s looked since before he fought Vernon Forrest in a fight that forever changed Mosley. Jack and Shane seemed fired-up to be working together again, and with the end result, it looks as if they rejuvenated their working relationship in an extremely positive fashion.

So, what’s next?

Clearly, there’s one fight left for Shane, and that’s a mega bout against pound-for-pound King, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. I’ve long maintained that Mosley represents a stylistic nightmare for Floyd, and after last night, I’m more convinced of this than ever. Boxing needs this fight, and I am confident that Golden Boy Promotions will bring this one to fruition. A Mosley versus Mayweather bout at 147 might well be the best potential match-up out there in all of boxing. Let’s make it happen!