By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
LAS VEGAS -- Oscar de la Hoya couldn't help but be impressed by the total total domination by Floyd Mayweather of his business partner and two-time conqueror, Shane Mosley, before a raucous crowd of 15,117 Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Not only did Mayweather win all but a combined, four rounds on the three judges' cards, but the smaller man survived a rough moment in the second round where he was staggered by a right hand, only to turn the tables and come as close to knocking out Mosley as anyone has during the WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion's career.
"Tonight convinced me. I have to say the truth. It convinced me that he is the best. Possibly, and there's obviously a lot of people who can argue this, but he's possibly the best of all time. Mayweather has the skills to beat anybody," said de la Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions employs Mosley and also promoted the event.
"Floyd Mayweather has the talent, and he has the work ethic. And all over the world, people are becoming fans of the talent that he possesses," said de la Hoya. "You really have to commend him for that. He fought a fighter in Shane Mosley that was supposed to be the most dangerous fight of his career. And Mayweather showed us why he's the best."
The 33-year-old Mayweather won, going away, against the 38-year-old Mosley (46-6, 39 knockouts), who earned a guaranteed $7 million to Mayweather's non-heavyweight record, $22.5 million guaranteed purse.
Mayweather was facing the largest, and, most athletic opponent of his career, even as he maintained prior to the fight that Mosley would simply end up like every one of his previous rivals: Befuddled by his defense, and, fighting for his own survival against Mayweather's under rated punching power.
Mayweather won on the cards of Adalaide Byrd and Dave Moretti by the score of 119-109, and on that of Robert Hoyle 118-110.
FanHouse had it for Mayweather, 119-109 for total punches, 85-to-46 in jabs and 123-to-46 in power punches.
De la Hoya was twice a loser to Mosley, who dethroned him as WBC welterweight champion by split-decision in June of 200, and then, dethroned de la Hoya as WBC and WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) titlist by unanimous decision in September of 2003.
De la Hoya out-weighed Mayweather, 154-to-150, in May of 2007, when Mayweather defeated him by split-decision.
Prior to Saturday night's bout, de la Hoya and Mosley had gone over a scouting report on how Mosley could come up with the means with which to defeat Mayweather, but to no avail.
"We went over combinations, we went over jabs. I don't know if people saw my fight with Mayweather, but when I was landing jabs -- Whew! It's not the key to beating Mayweather, but it was working. You know? Until my left shoulder went out on me and until my back went out on me and I grew old overnight after that sixth round, you know?" said de la Hoya.
"I think that the jab is like a lost art. I could probably say that I had a pretty good jab. I went over it with Mosley, like, 'Jab, you have to jab.' And you don't get lazy on him, because he feints you," said de la Hoya. "But we didn't see that Mosley tonight. Not the Mosley that we're used to seeing. And it has a lot to do with Floyd Mayweather's abilities. We can't come up with excuses and this and that. Mosley had a rival in front of him, and, hey, he lost against a better man."
Mosley fanned the flames for the match up in September when he interrupted Mayweather's post-fight, in-the-ring interview to call him out on the microphone following Mayweather's lopsided, unanimous decision over Juan Manuel Marquez that ended a 21-month ring absence for the unbeaten fighter.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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