Boxing

Mosley-De La Hoya: Big Fight Breakdown

By Ed Ludwig

13.09 - We are only hours away from the much anticipated rematch between the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (36-2 29 KO’s) and “Sugar” Shane Mosley (38-2 35 KO’s). The event is being billed as “Redemption” and De La Hoya has his opportunity for redemption and achieve further greatness with a victory whereas Mosley could show that his career is going nowhere but up despite the setbacks against Vernon Forrest. Eastside Boxing asked some boxing insiders for their predictions and keys to victory. I would like to thank everyone for taking part in the inaugural “Big Fight Breakdown”.

“Iceman” John Scully – Trainer for Lawrence Clay-Bey:

I am still kind of up in the air about this match-up. They are definitely in different places mentally and physically then they were before the first time they fought. The intangibles before this fight favor Oscar as opposed to when they favored Shane before the first fight. I think that it is a 50-50 fight. Oscar seems to be a little more uncomfortable with the Mayweather style, a little tight. That obviously will work to Shane’s advantage. To me, it comes down to Shane and his mental state. If the losses to Vernon have not gotten him down to much then I think he can use his speed again and outmaneuver and kind of overwhelm Oscar. If Shane is tentative and unfocused and if he fights with less than his usual TENACITY, then I have Oscar picking his shots and looking a little too strong for Sugar.

Wayne McCullough – Former WBC Bantamweight Champion:

I pick De La Hoya either on a late stoppage or points. He has learned a lot from Floyd Mayweather Sr. over the last couple of years and has stayed on the winning track. Mosley on the other hand, has had two losses and one no contest over the last two years so he hasn’t tasted success. The bigger guy would be De La Hoya, fighting at a heavier weight class then their last meeting so the higher weight class should suit him. De La Hoya’s key to victory would be to use his jab and not get into a toe to toe war with Mosley. Mosley’s key to victory would be to use his hand speed like he did last time and get in and get out. But we’ll see if he is as quick as he used to be. All in all it is a toss up fight and I favor De La Hoya.

Ishe Smith – Welterweight Contender:

I believe that this is going to be a very interesting and competitive fight, however I for see Shane Mosley winning a decision over Oscar De La Hoya. The reason is because of my lack of confidence in Oscar De La Hoya’s new defensive strategy with new trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. This strategy never seems to fit well with a fighter like Shane Mosley. In the Fernando Vargas fight, Oscar took a lot of punches and the much quicker Shane will have more advantages than Vargas did. In closing, Shane Mosley beat Oscar De La Hoya once and I believe that he can beat him again with a decision.

Kevin Barry – Trainer for David Tua:

De La Hoya has proven himself at 154. He is a smart thinking fighter and after the close first fight will have the fight plan down for this one. The two Vernon Forrest battles I believe have chipped away at Mosley and have taken a toll on him physically and mentally. Oscar is the man for the big occasion and his mental toughness, confidence and boxing skills will get him through here.

Bronco McKart – Former WBO Jr. Middleweight Champion:

I am going with De La Hoya by unanimous decision. I feel that Oscar is too big and strong and more comfortable at this weight. I feel that Oscar will outbox and out think Mosley. Shane’s confidence has really been hurt from the two Forrest fights. Shane won’t get knocked out because if he gets hurt he will grab, hold and run like he did with Forrest. If Shane doesn’t win it will be over for him because you can’t go from pound for pound best and then have three losses and a no decision in four fights. But the way the rating organizations are, if he loses, he’ll probably go to number one across the board.

Steve Trellert – Eastside Boxing Feature Writer:

The truth is that both fighters have declined in ability since their first meeting. Since the first fight was relatively close, this would entail that he that has declined the most would likely be the loser. Presumably this would be “Sugar” Shane Mosley after two straight losses to Vernon Forrest and a no-contest against Raul Marquez. Ever since the second round against Vernon Forrest in their first fight, Mosley seems to have slowed just a slight step and has also developed a certain uncharacteristic amount of timidity. Add to this a complete lack of momentum of which Mosley possesses and Oscar would seem to be a shoe in.

But hold on a minute, Oscar’s momentum is really based on his recent victory over Fernando Vargas and that may not be quite as impressive as most assume. Not only did he struggle more than expected in that fight, but in that, and the few preceding it, De La Hoya clearly has lost some speed as well, relatively more so than “Sugar” Shane. Add to this a lower activity rate and things do not seem quite so certain.

Now some may claim that Oscar should win due to the motivation of revenge, but “Sugar” Shane is no less motivated by the very survival of his career. To go winless in four consecutive fights would be more devastating to Shane than a loss by Oscar. Additionally, Mosley would leave himself open to the claims that his first victory was an anomaly and that he was never very good to begin with. For Shane there is much more on the line especially considering the fact that we all know he would not get a shot at revenge against De La Hoya after a loss in this fight, while the contrary could easily occur due to Oscar’s huge market power and ability to make an offer that Mosley could never refuse.

What things come down to is the ever present fact of ‘styles make fights’. “Sugar” Shane may have a power disadvantage but his speed and mobility more than makes up for that deficiency. Add to this fact that De La Hoya is becoming an ever greater stationary target and one would have to tip his hat to Mosley. Considering these facts and the addition that he already owns a De La Hoya blueprint would seem to indicate that the betting underdog may still know exactly how to bite the ‘Golden Boy’. “Sugar” Shane Mosley by decision in a fight that starts out surprisingly tentative then finishes wildly in an action packed second half of the fight.

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