For a moment in round two it appeared the incredible was going to happen — Floyd Mayweather was going to get knocked out — but somehow he hung on and kept his unbeaten record intact with a commanding points win over Shane Mosley.
Mosley’s crushing right hand in that second round hurt Mayweather and I couldn’t help but feel if it had been Manny Pacquiao in the ring with Mayweather the fight would have been stopped shortly afterwards. Mosley just didn’t press home his advantage.
Maybe it was because he hadn’t fought in 15 months or that he was in shock at what he had done, but Mosley genuinely had Mayweather on the ropes, his legs unsteady, and that does not happen very often and when it does you need to take advantage.
Mayweather prides himself on his defence, he may be the greatest defensive boxer ever, certainly of his generation, but Pacquiao will have seen enough chinks in the American’s armour to believe he can do what no man has ever done before and knock down Mayweather.
One result of Mosley’s right hand was that it brought about a more aggressive approach from Mayweather, something we haven’t seen all that often. The attack-minded philosophy worked well and he overcame the lapse to swarm all over Mosley and seal a unanimous points victory. Perhaps it is a tactic he should employ more often.
His two displays since coming back from retirement have been well above expectations. I gave him 9 out of 10 for his performance on Saturday, his hand speed was devastating but was it as quick as Pacquiao’s?
Mayweather remains, arguably, the sport’s pound-for-pound number one. His only problem is finding someone good enough to give him a challenge.
After the fight Mayweather talked about stepping up in weight to fight light-middleweight and middleweight champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina but it is the lingering possibility of a fight with Pacquiao that is really intriguing.
After the death of Venezuelan pounder Edwin Valero last month in such tragic circumstances boxing needed some good news and while Mayweather’s performance has left people talking about the good side of boxing, an announcement about a fight with Pacquiao is what we are all really waiting for.
PHOTO: Shane Mosley (L) of the U.S. takes a punch from Floyd Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. as referee Kenny Bayless looks on during their welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada May 1, 2010. REUTERS/Steve Marcus
Source: blogs.reuters.com
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