20.01.09 – By Vivek Wallace: Disclosure: Throughout the history of the sport, Mexico has produced what could be argued as perhaps the most durable fighters in the sport. The rugged disposition of the countries champions and challengers alike have been well chronicled and collectively enjoyed. This article is in no ways a slight to the nation, but should serve as challenge to a man who has somehow alluded the risk involved against such brave warriors.
The sports pound for pound king, Manny Pacquiao, has made a name for himself by defeating the best that the Mexican culture has had to offer in his era, as it relates to his respective weight divisions. This great resume which boast the likes of Morales, Barrera, Diaz, and more, paved the road to supremacy for Pacquiao, while earning him a reputation as the aptly dubbed ‘Mexi-cutioner’ of the sport. Despite Pacquiaoʼs success against the rugged warriors, earlier in his career he did fall to one of them when Erik Morales was able to get the nod over him back in 2005..
As January 24th approaches, another iconic figure in the sport who has had great success against the brave warriors of Mexico prepares for a showdown against a man who most would argue is the current ‘posterboy’ for the country, Antonio Margarito. That iconic figure scheduled to wage war with Margarito is none other than Californian Shane Mosley.
In his near 16 years in the sport, Mosley has never lost to a Mexican fighter, and his resume contains the likes of Oscar De la Hoya, Fernando Vargas, and many others. Despite his great success against the best Mexican fighters of his particular era, most would argue that none of those individuals possess the fear factor that Antonio Margarito does. De la Hoya was a great boxer with good power and skills but lacked the late round stamina to close him out. Vargas and the others Mosley faced carried a certain level of attributes as well, but lacked other key ingredients. Margarito on the other hand brings a plethora of attributes to deal with, and none will be easy for ‘Sugar’ Shane to overcome.
With youth, stamina, power, and a workrate that remains unparalleled, few in recent times have been able to get beyond the aggresive welterweight king. But then again, few of his opponents have been as seasoned as the durable Shane Mosley, who despite his loss to Miguel Cotto, still appears to have enough motivation and enough will power in the tank.
As it stands, the odds currently favor Margarito, with some fight fans even going as far as stating that they think a stoppage could be in order. That possiblity would be a pretty tall order considering the fact that Mosley has rarely been down, and never been knocked out in his career. As Mosley enters the ring against Margarito, in his corner will be famed trainer of Bernard Hopkins, Nasim Richardson. Richardson is the strategical mind that helped engineer the gameplan that allowed his very elder pupil to completely dissect a fighter who was also far more youthful, with a knack for knocking out opponents – Kelly Pavlik. Mosley’s ring intelligence is perhaps the only attribute that he has over Margarito, and in a very similar fashion, in the end it could be the X-factor.
For now, no one really knows how the fight will pan out, but if Mosley is able to do what his nemesis (Miguel Cotto) wasn’t able to, there will be little doubt that his undefeated record against perhaps the most durable fighters on the planet will catapult him to the center of the argument which ponders “who is the real Mexi-cutioner of the sport?
On the night of January 24, we’ll all be a step closer to finding out.
(Got questions or feedback?: Contact ESB’s Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com and 954-292-7346, follow more of his work at 8CountNews and The Examiner, or show some love at Myspace).