Mosley came in as a 4-1 underdog, but it was similar to the odds against him when he stepped into the ring with the “Hands of Plaster” Antonio Margarito. In that fight, he beat and battered Margarito, leaving him in a mangled heap in January of 2009. At 38 years of age, it seemed that the deck was stacked against him, but those that followed the career of Mosley knew that he still had fight left and made up for his diminished skills with determination and strategy. Most believed that Mosley would lose a decision, unable to penetrate the defense of Mayweather, and out-punched. The fight fans were treated to a surprise.
For twelve rounds, Mayweather stood in front of Mosley, didn’t place his back against the ropes which has been his custom in the past, and hunted down Shane. Right hands and left hooks bounced off of his head with regularity and he eventually beat Mosley into a shell, looking for the final bell to ring. Never before had Mosley been put into this position. Even in his defeats, he showed the fighting spirit. He did everything in his power to overcome Vernon Forest and fought equally as hard to defeat Winky Wright, but came up short against both fighters twice. Mayweather turned Mosley into a frightened fighter, unwilling to risk knockout to attack, despite landing an incredible shot in round two, buckling the knees of Mayweather, JR.
With Mosley now knocked out of the welterweight picture, we now refocus on a bout that everyone in the world wants to see. At one time, the bout was nearly cemented in place, but it would get dirty. Allegations of steroid use were thrown at Pacquiao by Team Mayweather. A lawsuit against Team Mayweather was filed for defamation of character and the fight quickly fell apart.
Pacquiao went on to face Joshua Clottey, a capable and strong welterweight with an iron chin and a history of giving top fighters a run for their money. Against Manny, he was in his shell the entire time, afraid to throw in fear that the quick counters would send him crashing to the floor. Manny beat a quality fighter with ease, cruising to a decision. Clottey may have played it correctly, considering that he would have most likely been stopped had he shown any aggression. He was in a similar position to Mosley.
In the Philippines, Pacquiao has reached a near God-like status. He represents them and will say that he fights for them in the ring. When he wins, they find some vicarious victory through it, and when he defeated Oscar De La Hoya, it was as big for the country as it was for Manny’s career.
Pacquiao has been feasting on the bigger names in boxing over the last seven years. When you look at his career record since 2003, you cannot help but to see why he is so highly regarded.
2003
Manny burst onto the big time boxing scene with an eleventh round destruction of Mexican superstar, Marco Antonio Barrera, on HBO. Pacquiao, the underdog, got off the canvas to beat and batter Barrera into submission.
2004
Pacquiao would be involved in the fight of the year with Juan Manuel Marquez, battling to a draw and exchanging punches from start to finish. He would knock Marquez down three times in the opening round.
2005
The most recent loss of the career of Manny Pacquiao would happen this year, when Erik Morales, used his ring smarts to subdue Pacquiao and hold him off until the final bell, winning seven of the twelve rounds on all three cards.
Manny would rebound with a TKO over Hector Velazquez, setting up a 2006 rematch with Morales.
2006
Pacquiao would get revenge, pummeling Morales for ten rounds, stopping the Mexican legend for the first time in his career. A new and improved Pacquiao demonstrated a better right hand, which he used effectively to hurt Morales en route to the victory.
Pacquiao would follow up with a decision win over Oscar Larios, before facing Morales again at the end of the year, a bout he would win easily in three rounds.
2007
Pacquiao would stop Jorge Solis before facing Marco Antonio Barrera for the second time. In the rematch, Barrera made it clear that he wanted no part of the Filipino superstar, as he played defense for the entire fight, losing a wide decision.
2008
Pacquiao would fight three times. His first outing would be at super featherweight (130), a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez. Once again, Marquez proved to be a puzzle for Manny, eking by with a split decision win. Although there was demand for a third encounter, Manny moved up to the lightweight division (135) and won the title via ninth round stoppage of David Diaz.
The biggest win of Manny’s career came when he signed to fight the much bigger, Oscar De La Hoya at a catch weight. Manny weighed in at 142 pounds, while De La Hoya came in at 145. The older and physically drained “Golden Boy” could not cope with the speed and timing and was beaten into submission in eight rounds, launching Pacquiao into a much larger PPV attraction.
2009
Two of the biggest names in boxing would be destroyed this year. Manny would begin the year by knocking out British superstar, Ricky Hatton in two rounds, and end the year, battering Puerto Rican superstar, Miguel Cotto, stopping him in the final round. He would move up to welterweight to face Cotto.
2010
The year began with a welterweight bout with Joshua Clottey, an easy decision victory. Now, the future looks bright and hopefully it will have a showdown with Mayweather included.
Floyd Mayweather hasn’t had the star studded cast of opponents that Manny has had, but he has certainly faced and defeated his fair share of top notch opponents. From 2005 to now, he has beaten with ease some of boxing’s best.
2005
Mayweather’s plan to become a big PPV attraction was at the expense of Arturo Gatti. He battered the brawler into submission in six rounds. He would stop former champion, Sharmba Mitchell in six in his next fight.
2006
In a grudge match, Mayweather, JR., would square off against a motivated and well trained Zab Judah. Mayweather survived an early storm to outlast and outpoint Judah en route to a unanimous decision. He would end the year with a decision over the unremarkable Carlos Baldomir.
2007
Mayweather would take on two of the biggest names in boxing. He would outpoint Oscar De La Hoya and then go on to stop the then undefeated Ricky Hatton in ten rounds. After the Hatton fight, a rematch with De La Hoya was the plan, but fell through and “Money” announced his retirement.
2009
After nearly two years away, Mayweather, JR., returned and dominated Juan Manuel Marquez, sending a message to Manny Pacquiao. He dominated the man that gave him so much trouble.
2010
Sugar Shane Mosley proved to be little challenge for Floyd as he battered him for the entire fight, winning a wide decision, hopefully setting up this showdown.
There is no other option at welterweight for either man. The public has had enough and they must come to an agreement to fight for the good of boxing. This is the equivalent of Thomas Hearns-Sugar Ray Leonard…this is the most important fight possibly since that bout, and with the money involved, it’s hard to believe that they would not fight. No other welterweight is seen as competitive for either man. They need each other and perhaps, we will see them clash this year. It looks rather likely at this point.
Source: ringsidereport.com
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