Floyd Mayweather JR & Manny Pacquiao Vs Antonio Margarito: The Shane Mosley Factor -- Ringside Report

By Geno McGahee, Ringside Report

I had mentioned that should Shane Mosley come up short against Sergio Mora, that the show would be over, but he ended up with a draw in a horrible fight, but in the promotion’s defense, it was basically as advertised. Anyone that knows the careers of either man, knew that this was an ugly show from the announcement, but the consensus was that Mosley would win.

Sergio Mora is a good fighter. He is not a great fighter and would be obliterated by a prime Mosley, and even a slightly over the hill Mosley would have gotten things done, but struggling to get a draw now sheds even more light on what we’re dealing with as we look at the big picture.

Mosley was shot well before this fight and well before the Antonio Margarito fight. He has been steadily declining since his back to back defeats to Vernon Forrest. His name has kept him in the spotlight and to his credit, his pure talent and grit have kept him on top.

The signs that he was a spent force came around 2006 when he squared off with an equally shot Fernando Vargas. Vargas fought evenly until he was stopped in round 10. They would rematch and a left hook by Mosley would end it in round 6. The word was out that Mosley was no longer what he once was. His unspectacular performances mixed with admitted steroid use was pulling him away from the big payday showdowns.

As Miguel Cotto became one of the hottest tickets in boxing, his management elected to hand pick Mosley as the opponent for a 2007 showdown. It was a measured risk. Cotto looked terrific, Mosley looked mediocre, but style-wise, an older veteran with grit does well with an aggressor like Cotto or Margarito. Their reflexes aren’t nearly as important as they would be when they face off against a guy like Floyd Mayweather, JR., or even Sergio Mora.

Cotto walked away with a win and Mosley moved on with a career rejuvenated. More indications of his status in the sport came with a 12 round struggle against the limited power-puncher, Ricardo Mayorga. Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya had zero problems sending Mayorga into dreamland, but Mosley nearly lost, even on the cards going into the final round. A final second left hook gave him the victory and the chance to face Antonio Margarito, fresh off his TKO win over Miguel Cotto.

The Illusion …

Antonio Margarito built his career as the working man’s sort of fighter. A tough guy with a great work ethic, beating his opponents with his will as well as his aggression, but it was all a great big lie. He had been loading his gloves for years and when he was caught and wasn’t able to pack his hand wraps with plaster of Paris, he became the mediocrity that he is, and Mosley, even when shot, is not a mediocrity. He had no problem beating up Margarito because without the plaster, he was a mediocre puncher with limited defense that just kept running into punches.

The perception saved Mosley’s career and perception is everything. Margarito beat Cotto, so Mosley must be on top of his game, especially to dominate and destroy a man that could out-heart a fighter like Cotto. The truth is that Cotto has all the heart in the world and was taking punch after loaded punch, getting hit with bricks essentially before submitting.

The victory by Mosley wasn’t as impressive as first thought. Margarito was exposed, period. Mosley’s victory was that his camp found out the secret weapon that made his opponent so successful and took it away, proving that he isn’t much without it.

Floyd Mayweather, JR., has been called a lot of names by the fans, but nobody can argue his intelligence. He knows how to pick the right fight at the right time. Mosley would not have been on his radar when he was in his prime and tearing up boxing. Floyd waited for the storm to pass and take on Sugar Shane when he didn’t have anything left, and now we have some more perception: Floyd dominated Mosley, that dominated Margarito, that dominated Cotto. Mayweather must be the best in the game when you look at it like that.

As Sergio Mora pulled a draw with Shane, there is no question that Mosley has been losing his fight with father time and the safe opponent became a very tough one. Mosley went into the Mayweather, JR., fight with nothing and came out with the same. Where does that put Floyd in the game?

Floyd’s two victories in the comeback trail over Juan Manuel Marquez and Shane Mosley were smart fights from a business standpoint but tell us little about what “Money” truly has left. He obviously has his reflexes, but he had two opponents that were of very little risk. Marquez, a counter puncher, was forced to be the aggressor because of the size differential, while Mosley was a dead man walking. Manny Pacquiao is a monster inside the ring and would not go so easily as the other two have done.

If the wins over Marquez and Mosley are far superior on paper then in actuality, and they are, then what does the Mosely win over Margarito tell us about the upcoming shot at Manny Pacquiao?

The Mismatch…

I have seen the pictures of Margarito in training, getting hit in the stomach with poles and all that junk, but if the playing field is level, and I’m hoping that it is, he’s got no chance to upset Pacquiao. Peter McNeeley trained incredibly hard for Mike Tyson…

The Mosley that Mora and Mayweather faced is the same one that Margarito faced and you see what happened to him. If Shane has somebody in front of him and they cannot punch him hard enough to concern him, he can still perform and win. Margarito walked into a tank with a flyswatter, and was knocked senseless. Now he’s going after something far more devastating in Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is going to have a field day with Margarito, perhaps stopping him in the very first round. Without the plaster of Paris, he isn’t as confident, obviously, and he doesn’t have the punching power to concern Pacquiao. Manny stood in front of a real puncher in Miguel Cotto and came back to destroy him without wobbling or folding. Why would a slower and less powerful guy with questionable defense pose a threat? Trust me on this one, Margarito loses badly by TKO and then laughs all the way to the bank from all the suckers that paid for this atrocity on pay per view.

What does Mosley’s draw with Mora tell us about Mayweather – Pacquiao?

The 20 or 30 or 50 million dollar question…whatever the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight would generate if it were signed and went through. The fact that it hasn’t gone through and some strange things have happened in the life of Mayweather, have led to more and more speculation and people jumping from one side of the fence to the other as to who they think will win.

The question that it raises is this: Is Floyd Mayweather properly prepared for Manny Pacquiao?

Pacquiao has been taking on the better opposition lately and has been more active, cementing his place at the top of the sport. While Floyd picks and chooses his spots, Manny fights and is as good as he’s ever been. Did Mosley or Marquez really prepare him for a guy like Pacquiao? The answer is no. Neither man is an explosive puncher and neither is an aggressor. We honestly have to say that Mayweather, in his comeback, has beaten up a much smaller counter-puncher in Marquez and a one time great turned zombie with gloves in Mosley. Pacquiao will be his truth machine.

There is a lot of doubt that the fight will ever take place and it is really up to Mayweather. You can’t lose if you don’t fight him and that may be the safest route, but can the big ego of Floyd handle the growing belief that he is afraid to fight Manny? Mike Tyson once said that he wanted to fight the all time greats in boxing just to see if he could beat them…not caring if he lost…he just wanted to know. Does Floyd have this curiosity? Is it all business or does he have the competitive need to know.

I am getting the impression that Floyd wants Manny to lose to somebody else and that will give him victory via default. Muhammad Ali begged George Foreman to return to the ring and take out Ken Norton again so he wouldn’t have to face him because Norton gave him all sorts of trouble. He would then give Foreman a rematch. Foreman declined, but it’s the same thought here. Margarito beats Pacquiao somehow…maybe lightning strikes him during the fight. Then Floyd quickly pounces, takes on Margarito and wins and the people lean towards him as the best in the game and he did it all without facing Pacquiao.

We now play the waiting game. We wait for Floyd Mayweather, JR., to get his act cleaned up and get out of his legal troubles and I’m certain he will. He may have to write a big check to his ex, but the charges will be dropped in the near future. Manny will demolish Margarito and then we will see if the third time will be the charm and that the two best in the game will finally meet up. It’s a long shot, but boxing is about long shots.

Source: ringsidereport.com