By George Willis, New York Post
Floyd Mayweather Jr. will defeat “Sugar” Shane Mosley tonight in Las Vegas, and I don’t expect the fight to be that close. I see Money Mayweather winning eight of 12 rounds, if not more, en route to earning a unanimous decision.
I say this after initially thinking Mosley would win perhaps the most anticipated welterweight showdown since Leonard-Hearns in 1981. Mosley, a six-time world champion in three weight divisions, has some important intangibles on his side. He’s bigger, having fought at 154 pounds as recently as September 2008 when he stopped Ricardo Mayorga in the 12th round. He presumably has the power to hurt Mayweather, and there’s no place he would rather be tonight than in the center of the ring at the MGM Grand.
This is the super fight Mosley has long sought, a pay-per-view mega-bout that could attract about a million buys. He had exposure on HBO’s “24/7” series and can achieve life-long notoriety by handing Mayweather his first loss.
Mosley also has one of the sport’s best trainers. Naazim Richardson of North Philadelphia is a wise sage, who likely has devised a gameplan built around pressure, power and patience.
But Mayweather will prevail by utilizing the impeccable skills that have kept him unbeaten in 40 fights with 25 knockouts. Though Mosley has good hand speed, even at age 38, it can’t match Mayweather, 33, who will use quick, stinging jabs to score points and keep Mosley off balance.
“I can adjust and I can adapt to any opponent,” Mayweather said. “I can read an opponent once I get in that squared circle and do what I do best, and that’s win.”
Mosley has to hurt Mayweather to have any kind of a chance. He won’t be able to outbox the boxer. And though Mosley owns 39 knockouts in a 46-5 record, he likes to load up when throwing his power shots. That worked against Antonio Margarito, who melted into a human punching bag. But Mayweather isn’t going to be as stationary.
Mosley’s layoff also can’t be ignored. He last fought in January 2009, when he stopped Margarito in the ninth round to win the WBA welterweight title at the Staples Center. A 16-month layoff for a 38-year-old boxer is not exactly ideal, though Mosley had a full training camp to face Andre Berto in January 2010 before Berto pulled out to focus on the relief effort following the earthquake in Haiti.
“It was almost a year off before I stepped into the ring to fight Margarito and a look what happened,” Mosley said. “It’s because of the way I keep myself, the way I keep my body. I stay in the gym and train regardless if there’s a fight or not a fight.”
Still, even the slightest ring rust is a detriment when dealing with Mayweather, who trounced a respected Juan Manuel Marquez last September in his first fight back after a 22-month retirement.
“If Shane Mosley can be at his best, he can defeat Floyd Mayweather,” Richardson said. “Because when Shane Mosley is at his best, he not only defeats guys, he knocks their heads off.”
Floyd Mayweather Sr. predicted on “24/7” his son would win because he’s “too fast, too smart, too quick and too clever.”
It’s hard to argue with him. Money Mayweather may irritate some with his flashy persona and reluctance to brawl in the ring. But when it comes to making boxing an art, he is its Picasso.
george.willis@nypost.com
Source: nypost.com
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