By Yero Moody: On January 24, 2009 we will see a fight between Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito that if had taken place 3-4 years ago, Mosley would be the clear favorite and Margarito the underdog. My, how the tide has changed. Clearly, Mosley is on the decline and Margarito is on the rise. It took Mosley 12 Rd’s. to dispatch of Ricardo Mayorga in a fight that Mayorga won way too many rounds against a fighter of Mosley’s pedigree. A prime “Sugar” Shane would have made mince meat of the wild swinging, amateurish style of Mayorga. Although Mosley lost to Miguel Cotto in a very tough fight in which Mosley seemed to be coming on strong in the end, he gave his fans and Cotto a very clear image of why he is one of the greatest fighters of his generation. In a rematch, I give Mosley the edge against Cotto any day of the week.
While Margarito on the other hand, easily manhandled Cotto through 12 hard fought rd’s. I thought Cotto would be able to outbox the stiffer, wilder punching Margarito but his grit, stamina and iron chin proved many wrong. For years, like many other fighters including the likes of Winky Wright and now Paul Williams, Margarito struggled to find top tier opponents who would give him a shot. He reached a pothole when he was outboxed by Joshua Clottey for the first 4-5 rd’s.. of their fight up until Clottey clearly injured his hand. Many people questioned the skills of Margarito and the validity of him claiming to be the most “feared fighter on the planet.” Then he finally fought Paul Williams who been clamoring for his WBO belt for over a year and was outboxed in a hard fought title fight. Many wondered if this would prevent him from finally getting a shot at the level of opponents he had been calling out.
Margarito was able to get back in the limelight so to speak, with his stirring victory over Miguel Cotto. In fact, with the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. many consider him the best welterweight in the division. Mosley on the other hand, probably makes the top 5 in the division. Against such odds, does Mosley have a chance to pull off the upset and catapult himself back to the top of the division?
I’m a firm believer that styles make fights. One can look at how Cotto looked against Margarito versus how he looked against Mosley and attempt to predict this fight but it may not give you an accurate analysis. Cotto is a boxer/puncher, Mosley is pure boxer with power being generated from his speed and Margarito is a classic brawler with an iron chin. He will take several shots just to land one. Cotto had the boxing ability and the style to beat Margarito. However, grit, stamina and will cannot be measured and Margarito has plenty of all three. Cotto fought a close fight against Mosley that could have easily been a draw. Mosley was not able to land combinations as easily as he once was and his footwork seemed sluggish. If Mosley fights the same way he fought against Cotto he may be knocked out by Margarito. The question remains, can he fight at a higher level at this point in his career? Certainly his last two fights against Cotto and Mayorga give no indication that he can.
Mosley knows that this fight can bring him right back to the top. Margarito knows that a win against Mosley gives his critics further proof that he is number one. If Margarito can beat Mosley more handily than did Cotto that makes their rematch even more attractive and gives Margarito another major psychological advantage over Cotto. The other being he already beat Cotto.
Mosley has decided to get a new trainer for this fight, Nazim Richardson. Richardson is best known as the the current trainer of Bernard Hopkins. If Richardson is able to ignite the old flame in Mosley he could inspire Mosley to fight at a level he hasn’t fought at in the last few years. Mosley already has the advantage over Margarito in experience, speed and overall boxing skills. As Margarito has proven against Cotto, that may not be enough. However, Mosley does have grit, stamina and an iron chin as well. If Margarito can wear Mosley down as he did Cotto he can negate Mosley’s speed and boxing skills.
In the opinion of this writer I don’t believe Mosley will be worn down or have his will taken.
Mosley knows what to expect because he’s been through his fair share of ring wars to say the least. I think Mosley has a few more great fights left in the tank and on January 24 we will witness just that. If Margarito can’t wear Mosley down or hurt him his boxing skills are not good enough to beat Mosley. My prediction: Mosley by UD and possibly TKO!
Thanks for reading. Questions or comments: email yero_m@yahoo.com