By Josh Slagter, The Grand Rapids Press
LAS VEGAS -- To anyone who wondered how Floyd Mayweather would respond if anyone ever could hit him and hurt him, he provided dual answers Saturday night: Yes, he has a far more diverse arsenal and better athleticism than Shane Mosley; and yes, he can take a shot that many others might not.
The Grand Rapids boxing maestro turned in another virtuoso performance with 12-round unanimous decision victory in a historic welterweight showdown Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
But it was not without a noteworthy trouble spot, the kind everyone needs to see before gauging any prizefighter’s overall worth: A pair of knee-buckling right hands in the second round which had Mayweather grabbing and clutching, and in undoubtedly the worst trouble of his brilliant 41-0 career.
His response was a cranked-up offense and a finely honed defense, neither of which Mosley ever proved able to solve, and an impressive near-whitewash which will force a reconsideration of the pound-for-pound ratings which have him second -- and Mosley third -- behind Manny Pacquiao.
By mid-fight, Mosley (46-6), of Pomona, Calif., was huffing like a dirt-covered horse at the back of the Kentucky Derby field, and Mayweather couldn’t miss him with head-snapping rights.
Mayweather wore red leather trunks with mink trim but the two most luxurious things he carried into the ring were covered in boxing gloves.
Judges Adelaide Byrd and Dave Moretti scored it 119-109, and Robert Hoyle had it 118-110.
The Press had it 119-109.
It was a long-anticipated fight between Mayweather, who has won world championships in five divisions, and Mosley, who won them in three, both topping out at 154 pounds, where their reigns lasted just long enough for a single win over Oscar De La Hoya. Mayweather abdicated his title at that weight to move back down to welterweight, while Mosley lost his to Winky Wright.
Because the fight took so many years to materialize, the operative question entering the fight was whether the 38-year-old Mosley could rediscover his youth against the 33-year-old Mayweather, or rather the Mosley of old would yield to simply an old Mosley.
Those questions persisted despite the pound-for-pound reckonings which had Mosley trailing only two men for the mythical title both he and Mayweather held earlier in their careers.
Mosley’s inactivity after a layoff of 15-plus months was the basis for it.
The answer came quickly.
After a relatively tedious first round, when Mosley had trouble finding openings and once lunged off-balance so badly his gloves touched the canvas, he landed two rights, the first of which made Mayweather stumble, and the second of which buckled his knees. It was easily the worst Mayweather had been hurt in his career.
Mayweather criticized Mosley as a fighter who seeks one big shot -- then felt what it’s like when he finds it.
After that brief trouble point, Mayweather picked up his offense considerably and Mosley found it that much more difficult to penetrate the 4-1 favorite’s defense.
Mayweather was simply too fast and athletic, and left the pro-Mosley crowd with the impression their favored fighter never was good enough, regardless what year this fight occurred.
Naazim Richardson made a quick name for himself in his first fight as Mosley's trainer when he discovered Antonio Margarito's loaded handwraps last year. This time, Richardson's pre-fight contribution was an admonition to referee Kenny Bayless to watch Mayweather's left elbow, which he said is used as a defensive weapon, during the pre-fight instructions in the locker room. Bayless promised to watch for it.
It never came into play and Bayless never addressed it.
Mayweather made a base purse of $22.5 million -- 9,000 times the $2,500 he made for his professional debut -- plus pay-per-view percentages which kick in if the fight reaches a threshold of 1.2 million domestic buys. Mosley’s base was $7 million, and he also stood to make a percentage of TV sales beyond 1.2 million domestically, although there was an unspecified cap after which he no longer receives a split.
By fight’s end, it was clear Mayweather deserved every penny, as well as a revote on pound-for-pound rankings.
Pacquiao, where are you?
E-mail David Mayo: dmayo@grpress.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/David_Mayo
Source: mlive.com
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