Shane Mosley: Mayweather’s Worst Nightmare

25.04.06 – By Geoffrey Ciani: Floyd Mayweather, Jr is the reigning pound-for-pound king in boxing. Possessing a unique combination of speed, power, and incredible defensive prowess, Mayweather is widely considered the most talented boxer in the world, and for very good reason. Mayweather has dominated his competition in every weight class he’s fought in having won titles in all four divisions..

After his recent victory over Zab Judah, Mayweather improved his unblemished record to a mark of 36-0. However, despite winning, this bout proved something to me that I’ve believed for quite a while now: Mayweather cannot beat Sugar Shane Mosley.

Indeed, Sugar Shane Mosley represents Pretty Boy Floyd’s worst nightmare.

Part of the problem for Floyd at this stage in his career is that he’s a small fighter for welterweight. Against the likes of Judah – a very good, but by no means elite fighter – Mayweather was able to weather the early storm. However, a fight against former pound-for-pound great Shane Mosley would prove to be an entirely different story.

In his fight with Mayweather, Judah appeared to be the physically stronger and bigger fighter. This was clear in the first three rounds where Judah was presenting Mayweather with all types of problems, staggering him several times in the process. Not only did Judah have what seemed to be a significant advantage in size and strength, but he’s a very fast fighter which helped nullify what’s ordinarily one of Floyd’s biggest assets – his speed. Fortunately for Mayweather, Judah isn’t exactly the smartest fighter in the world. In fact, it would probably be a fair assessment to describe Judah as a “dumb fighter”. You see, Judah’s the type that seems to care more about image than actually winning fights, and this has already cost him several times throughout his career.

This isn’t meant to take anything away from Mayweather’s victory over Judah. Unlike Judah, Mayweather is an extremely intelligent fighter, and he was able to figure Judah out and make the appropriate adjustments. After doing so, Mayweather had a relatively easy time, having dominated Judah throughout the rest of the contest, entirely eliminating any physical advantages Judah held over him. This was business as usual for Floyd, and a perfect illustration why he’s considered to be the pound-for-pound best in the world.

So how does Mosley figure into this equation? Well, simply put, Mosley is superior to Judah in every measurable facet of the fight game. He’s stronger, he’s faster, he’s bigger, he’s smarter, he throws better combinations, he has a bigger heart, and overall, he’s just plain better than Judah. Few would contest these facts.

Now many of you are probably wondering how this necessitates a win for Sugar Shane in the unlikely event he’s afforded the opportunity to fight Mayweather. The answer is simple: much in the same way Mosley is better than Judah in every imaginable facet of the fight game, so too, is he better than Mayweather. That’s right, I said it! Sugar Shane Mosley is a better fighter than Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

I suspect that Floyd is aware of this fact, which might help explain why he’s so seemingly reluctant to ever mention Mosley as a potential opponent. In fact, I reckon that Mayweather would be much more interested in a rematch with Arturo Gatti than he would in facing the fighter who represents his worst nightmare. I mean, if a not-so-bright fighter like Judah can manage to give Floyd fits for three rounds, imagine what Mosley would be capable of. Mosley would not make the same mistakes Judah made; Mosley would not let Mayweather have the opportunity to make the adjustments he made against Zab.

Judah already proved that someone with incredible speed can help neutralize Floyd’s blinding speed. That Mosley is even faster than Judah only further helps his own cause, but beyond that, Mosley hits much harder than Judah and is even bigger than Judah. Floyd would look like a child in the ring with Mosley. And unlike the stubborn Judah, Mosley isn’t apt to sit around trying the same thing after Mayweather has made adjustments without making some of his own.

If Mayweather truly believed he was the pound-for-pound king, he would seek out the best possible match-ups out there, and Mosley clearly poses the toughest challenge out there for him at this juncture. Other fighters who would pose a challenge include the likes of Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, and Kostya Tszyu, but none of them has the style of a Mosley; that is, the style that’s tailor-made to beat Floyd Mayweather. And of these potential opponents, I seriously wonder whether or not Mayweather will actually fight any of them. After all, didn’t he choose the path of least resistance by accepting a fight with Judah immediately after Judah had lost to the unheralded Carlos Manuel Baldomir?

Sadly, I don’t think us fans will ever get the chance to see Mayweather face Mosley anytime soon. For starters, Mosley is inexplicably being forced to fight Fernando Vargas again in a fight which is a total waste of time. Mosley already proved to be the superior man by literally blinding Vargas, and I for one, don’t see the reason for them to go through this dance yet again. Secondly, I suspect that The Golden Boy, Oscar de la Hoya, is trying to angle himself for a fight with Mayweather at 154 (assuming he beats Mayorga). Where I think De La Hoya probably has the size and talent to beat Mayweather, I don’t believe he has the stamina to go twelve full rounds against an elite fighter like Mayweather. However, money talks, and for better or worse, De La Hoya is still the biggest draw in boxing, so this would be an appealing match-up for Floyd. Finally, and most importantly….I don’t believe Mayweather wants any part of Shane Mosley.

Indeed, I believe Mayweather is smart enough to be aware of the fact that Mosley represents his worst nightmare in the sport of boxing. However, I do hope I’m wrong, and that boxing fans are given the opportunity to see these two pugilists go head-to-head in a mega bout this year.