By Geoffrey Ciani: As Raul Marquez became the first fighter to beat undefeated prospect Giovanni Lorenzo, I could not help being reminded of his bout with “Sugar” Shane Mosley over five years earlier. Not because the bout between Marquez and Mosley was anything memorable, in fact, the bout was rather disappointing, having lasted just three rounds before being halted..
It was ultimately declared a no contest due to a couple of accidental head butts which caused some pretty nasty cuts around Raul’s eyes. What made this one noteworthy is that it was Mosley’s 154 pound debut. As I watched Marquez giving his post-fight interview I could not help but wonder, What if Mosley had not made the jump to 154 pounds?
There were two prevailing reasons why Mosley made the jump in weight class: (1) he had just lost back-to-back matches against Vernon Forrest, and (2) he apparently had his eyes set on a big money rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Of course, Mosley did get the rematch he desired immediately after the disappointing ending with Marquez, so in a way, this helped vindicate his jump in weight. However, when one considers how subsequent events unfolded in Mosley’s career combined with the fact his conqueror Vernon Forrest lost his next two fights against cigarette-smoking Nicaraguan, Ricardo Mayorga, a strong argument can be made that Mosley may have best suited his own interests had he simply remained at welterweight.
Mosley had mixed success in the super welterweight division. After the no contest against Marquez, he was awarded a controversial unanimous decision over De La Hoya. This was followed by back-to-back losses against Winky Wright. The fights with Wright proved to many that Mosley was simply too small to be fighting at 154 pounds. This, by no means takes anything away from Winky, who was an undeniably elite talent. Even still, despite making things more competitive in their return bout, Mosley was never able to consistently penetrate Wright’s defense.
Following the bouts with Wright, Mosley made a return trip to the 147 pound weight class, winning bouts against David Estrada and Jose Luis Cruz, before venturing back north to 154. There, he won back-to-back contests against Fernando Vergas before once again returning to the division he should never have left in the first place. Over all, Mosley posted a record of three wins, two losses, and one no contest during his stint at 154. His biggest win was obviously in the rematch with De La Hoya, and considering the controversy surrounding that bout (which was entirely unwarranted in my view, since I scored the bout 115-113 in favor of Mosley) a strong argument can be made questioning the wisdom of Mosley’s decision to test his skills against the bigger foes.
Meanwhile, the welterweight division unfolded in unpredictable ways after Mosley’s departure. Before Mosley even made his 154 pound debut, his long time nemesis Vernon Forrest was dealt the first loss of his professional career in a shocking KO loss at the hands of the aforementioned Mayorga. Mayorga was again victorious in their rematch, having fought very timidly, which left many wondering if Mosley may have fared better had he taken more chances in his matches with Forrest. The linear title would change hands an additionally four times hereafter.
This begs the question: How would Mosley have fared against the best fighters in the welterweight division during his absence?
Frankly, I think he would have done very well against them. I think he had the speed and skill to outclass Mayorga and the size and strength to overpower Cory Spinks. He was far too intelligent in my view to have been bested by the likes of Zab Judah (whom he was supposed to fight recently, were it not for Judah suffering a hand injury prior to their scheduled showdown), he would have been far too talented for Carlos Baldomir, and I have always maintained that Mosley is one of the few fighters who has the style and skill required to beat someone like Floyd Mayweather Junior. Imagine the type of victories Mosley may have racked up had he never ventured north of the 147 pound limit?
Of course, this is all speculation on my part. Given that Mosley did not remain at 147, we will never know for sure how he would have fared against any of the aforementioned, but I think one can reasonably conclude that there are strong arguments favoring Mosley against any of the fighters who reigned supreme during his welterweight absence. At the very least, few would deny that he would have been competitive against all of the above, if not outright victorious.
Mosley represents the type of fighter who is good for the sport. Rather than minimizing his risk to maximize his purse, he was always ready, if not eager, to take on any and all challenges to prove he was the best. Fighter like Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright were both stuck on the outside looking in before Mosley provided them with an opportunity to showcase their talents on the big stage, and it is a testament to his fighting heart that he demanded immediate rematches following losses with each. This type of fighter is a rarity in this day and age where so much emphasis is placed on keeping an unblemished record, which is a shame, for if this trend continues, Mosley might get short-changed by future historians much in the same way he is often short-changed by his contemporaries. If more fighters followed Mosley’s lead, the sport would be better for it!