By John Martinez, Eastside Boxing
On May 7, SHOWTIME PPV will feature two future Hall of Fame combatants that boast a combined KO ratio average of 70 percent over their opponents as they collide for the WBO welterweight title.
Many people believe the conclusion is forgone as to whom the victor will be when "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-6-1 with 39KO's) climbs through the ropes to face one of the most daunting fighters of this, if not ever, era when he trades fisticuffs with the eight time world champion and current boss of the WBO welterweight belt, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (52-3-2 with 37KO's).
In fact, ESPN.com's Dan Rafael went on record saying that Shane Mosley has “little chance of winning" at all.
Mosley begs to differ.
"Dan Rafael is a puppet. That's all he is and all he'll ever be, is a puppet for GBP (Golden Boy Promotions) and HBO."
While I do agree that Mosley definitely has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas on May 7th, I give him a better chance than most; in dethroning the Filipino bomber come fight night.
The reason? Manny is a great fighter. He has power in every punch he throws; he possess hand and foot speed that most of his opponents dream of owning themselves, but the fact is simple, Manny has been hit by slower punchers (a lot) and has been crowded by those that are less than stellar in their footwork.
Say what you will about Shane, but Mosley is not like most of Pacquiao's previous foes.
"John, look at the facts. I am bigger than Manny, have more speed than anyone he has faced before, I hit harder than people give me credit for. I am a true boxer, but I am also a banger." The Pomona native continued, "I know that I will win on May 7th. I know that he will try (to) in box for the first couple of rounds, but then, he will get brave and go for me and that's when he will fall."
"I know how to box. I know how to move my head and set up shots. Look at my defense and compare it to his. He (Pacquiao) is too easy to hit and can't handle when someone throws a steady jab and fights off angles," he said, "he is a great fighter, but he is not a boxer."
I agree. Manny can break an opponent down with punches from angles few would anticipate punches to come from.
But it is true, in his battles with Erik Morales (the first one), Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and more importantly, the two fights with Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao seemed out of sync and off balance too often.
Repeatedly caught by stiff jabs and sneaky rights, "Pacman" was forced to alter the tempo by enticing an all-out brawl in the middle of the ring.
Once this was done, Manny would find himself in the driver's seat while his passenger was left holding on for a torturous ride on a highway to hell.
If one was to further examine what Mosley said about Manny being a human piñata you would have to say he is right. Margarito and Cotto landed a high volume of punches on Manny and furthermore, threw and landed more jabs than Manny was able to score on them.
That being said, Shane should be able to capitalize on the swiftness and delivery of his jab.
To Shane, it is not a matter of IF a fight will break out, it is a matter of WHEN the boxing match turns into an old fashion scrap in the schoolyard.
Something Mosley is eagerly anticipating.
"I want him (Pacquiao) to come and get me. I dare him to come in and try and knock me out like Freddie says they are going to do."
"Margarito tried this too. You saw what happened to him. Cotto tried to push into me too, he found himself in a fight that many people thought I won."
"I will tell you now, John, I'm not looking for a victory by decision. That is not a win for me. I do not want to chance a decision being left in the hands of the judges. They won't see it fairly. The only thing a decision does is guarantee a rematch and I'm looking at taking care of business now."
"I can honestly tell you that he and I are going to explode and things are going to happen in that ring and in the end, I will take Pacquiao down."
If Mosley's synopsis of the clash is true, then fight fans around the world are in for a rebirth of a "once great fighter" (as Dan Rafael has dubbed Mosley) and a new king of the welterweight division.
Listen. There is a reason why Shane Mosley was picked by the Pacquiao camp over Juan Manuel Marquez and it’s not because of promotion company rivalry either.
There is a reason why people are labeling this fight a tune up for something greater down the road for the 'Mexican Assassin' in Manny Pacquiao.
Whatever the reasons are, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that two men will enter the squared circle at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Hotel on May 7th to see who will reign supreme as the WBO welter weight king.
Only one man will have his hand raised at the end of the contest.
On this, Mosley has something to say, "Sugar Ray Leonard said it best. He said all I have to do to win is be 'Sugar' Shane Mosley. That's it. All Shane has to do is be Shane."
"Manny Pacquiao and I are fighters. We are warriors born to fight. He will come at me and I will make him fall. I will knock him out."
So the only question left is this....
Is the current "Sugar" Shane Mosley still sweet as the former "Sugar"?
We will know in a matter of weeks.
Source: eastsideboxing.com
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