18.03.04 – By Mike Samuels – Pulling the Plug on De la Hoya, Now It’s Time For Mosley to Get Serious, Or Forever Live Off Life Support. Since moving up two full weight divisions in the summer of 2000 Shane Mosley has been hyped up and thought of by as the next man fit enough to carry the “Sugar” moniker with him through out his career. Just as it happens when all forms of excitement – they die down, the truth sets in and leaves you shaking your head in disbelief.
The truth is that Shane Mosley isn’t anything compared to Sugar Ray Robinson or his counter part, Sugar Ray Leonard. What’s even more justifiable with such comparisons and early claims with that of Mosley being the next pound for pound giant is the truth that Mosley is and was the most over hyped boxer of the last half decade.
With that said, lets not let the too frequent barrage of ignorance and jealousy contaminate this piece. Anyone in the world – especially anyone on the Internet – can have an opinion on any subject in the sport of boxing. And while it’s easiest to follow suit and discredit and bash Shane Mosley for not living up to the hype that he produced, I’ll save that type of analysts and poor thought for the message boards.
With his loss to Winky Wright this past Saturday, one thing, if nothing else has to be evident to Mosely. And despite the popular choice to fire Jack Mosley from his son’s corner that is not the answer.
Just like in any other sport as soon as the performer fails or looks lackluster for some time the blame is automatically and unfairly placed on the coach, or in this case the trainer. Sure, Jack Mosley isn’t Eddie Futch or Freddie Roach, but he is the man that carried Shane to stardom four years ago by beating Oscar De la Hoya not once, but now twice.
Not only that, but the fact remains that Mosley was untouchable during his reign in the lightweight division, and that’s something Jack Mosely was apart of as well.
Back then people were putting Jack Mosley up on a pedestal so high that it was rumored his ears hurt from the altitude and the pressure.
The turning point, and main idea that Sugar Shane better come to terms with after losing a portion of the titles he won from De la Hoya controversially last September is simple.
Mosley has to move down in weight. It’s scary to think what Mosley would have done if he decided to move to jr. welterweight instead of making the gigantic leap to face De la Hoya when he did. The speed, power and sick devastation of his punches would have stopped Tsyzu-Judah from ever happening.
There would have never been Oscar De la Hoya to pay Mosley. But the talent pool at jr. welterweight is so thick that Mosley would certainly have found someone to dance with for near the purse he received the first time he slugged it out with the Golden Boy.
It was the first De la Hoya fight that surprised everyone with Mosley. Nobody in this day and age had ever traded with De la Hoya the way Mosley did. Surely nobody had ever gotten the better of many exchanges with De la Hoya either. Then you had the Antonio Diaz’s and Adrian Stone’s of the division step up and get knocked down just as fast by a blitzing and ultra confident Sugar man.
The misconception and hype that was brought from Mosley’s explosion on to the welterweight scene was that Mosley was a puncher and workhorse that would outwork and hurt you to the body before knocking you out. That water holds with guys like De la Hoya and other natural lighter fighters. Putting Vernon Forrest aside for a minute, Winky Wright and last Saturday is where reality finally should have set it.
Shane Mosley isn’t comfortable as a Jnr. middleweight, nor should he be. Wright was bigger, stronger and quicker than he was and from this point on any other natural Jnr. middleweight is going to be too.
No excuses for Mosley though. Wright deserves to walk down the pathway of glory in full stride away from any controversy that might stem around the sport.
Mosley, however, is wounded. He’s been on life support with everyone other than De la Hoya since moving up in weight. Now getting back to The Viper. Forrest is one of those cliché’ fighters in terms of having the style to whoop on Mosley ten times out of ten. You have to give Forrest his just due in both his fights with Mosley, even with the cliché’ theme of “styles make fights” playing in his hand. It’s clear that Forrest is the better fighter when placed against Mosley. What’s not clear is who will go down as the better fighter from a historical perspective. This is the reason that I don’t think it is appropriate to deem Forrest as the over all better fighter, at least not at this point. Even in the wrong weight class for his body to perform at its peak, Mosley beats Ricardo Mayorga had he beaten Spinks in December. Hands down.
You have to give Mosley his proper respect for accomplishing everything he has. But more so than that he’s a true class act and one of the few people in the sport – along with Wright, Forrest, and to a degree Spinks – who can help put boxing back on the big market and away from the alleys where to often the thugs roam.
Whatever Mosley decides to do from here is uncertain, but lets hope that he does something to help strengthen what comes too natural for him. One thing is for sure though. No matter what Mosley does – whether it be right or wrong in terms of the best for his situation – he will do it will the same class and dignity that he’s done it with time and time again. That says enough.