14.03.04 – By Frank Lotierzo – GlovedFist@Juno.com – After watching Winky Wright handle Shane Mosley last night, a few thoughts crossed my mind. Yes, one was that I totally underestimated Wright and gave Mosley too much credit for being able to adapt. I really thought Mosley would realize that he couldn’t fight Wright like he last fought De La Hoya, that’s why I picked him. Maybe Mosley getting the decision over De La Hoya was the worst thing for him, it made him think he was at his best fighting a “catch an kill” style, and didn’t have to change.
But that’s not the main thing I was thinking. What I was thinking was that if Mosley is going to keep fighting the best of the best that the world has to offer, he must make some changes. One thing he should consider is going back to welterweight. If he does that, he may not even have to change his style that much. He’s probably strong enough to overpower and go through all the top welterweight’s. Maybe that’s something he should seriously consider, if he can get back down that low.
The other thing that was going through my head while watching the fight was that Mosley needs to get rid of his father and replace him with a new trainer. I’m not crazy about saying that either. I know everybody likes Jack Mosley and thinks he is effective. I know he’s calm and cool in the corner, and never panics, but I think Mosley needs a change.
The fact is his father is just not honest with him in between rounds. He constantly tells him you’re doing real good son, and keep doing what your doing. Jack says this even if it’s not close to being true. I get the impression that he is afraid to tell Shane the truth so he doesn’t rattle him? I could be wrong, but that is how I interpret it.
Another problem I had with Jack last night was, why didn’t he instruct Shane to abandon the one punch knockout strategy? Mosley was throwing nothing but lead hooks and right hands. Which made it easy for Winky to keep his hands up, and walk him down behind his jab. When Mosley threw multiple jabs, he was the most effective he was in the fight. By Mosley throwing the jabs in succession, he accomplished two things. One of them was he was impeding Wright’s offense and reducing his effectiveness, and the other was he setting up his own offense. When Mosley came in jabbing, he stopped Winky from completely dictating the tempo and flow. And on top of that, when Mosley was shooting out a good jab, Wright didn’t know what was coming next? So he just kept his hands up in a defensive posture and didn’t really mix it up allowing Mosley to score.
From what I saw last night, Jack Mosley wasn’t all that in the corner. Shane was frustrated and lost. He was having trouble executing his own attack, and was getting hit with punches he wasn’t sure of how to defend. Look, I’m not saying that if Mosley jabbed and didn’t just look for the big shot that he would’ve won. All I’m saying is if someone could have helped him incorporate a Plan-B, he would’ve given himself a better chance.
I like Mosley and want to see him regain a title. He is a class guy, something boxing needs more of. He and his father have had a great run, and have been one of the more successful father-son teams in boxing. I just think it’s time for them to make a change. Should Mosley continue fighting the top fighters that he has done throughout his career, the game plan must change. The new catch and kill style that Mosley has adopted, which is now the old Mosley, must change. And this is especially true if he remains in the Jr. Middleweight division. Shane is not Thomas Hearns, he can’t bomb fighters out at 154.
Congratulations to Winky Wright! You knew what you had to do and went out and did it. You were right when you told us you were the stronger fighter. Not only that, but you were the smarter fighter. Enjoy the undisputed Jr. Middleweight Championship. You’ve waited a long time. If any fighter deserves to bask in the glory of victory it’s Winky Wright. Good luck Champ.