14.02.07 – By Michael Brennan: It may have taken him a few years, but once again Shane Mosley is back on his game. Now that he has dropped down in weight from the 154 pound division, the combos have returned along with speed that belies his age. His impressive win should quiet the last of his critics who have been spending too much time criticizing his opponents as being slow or washed up in an effort to keep their predictions of him being faded from being proved wrong. Collazo was a hungry and skilled fighter who was forced to capitulate to the greater skills and determination of the former pound for pound king..
Although he was not knocked out, it was abundantly clear by the second half of the fight that Shane had completely taken over and was dominating like it was the mid 90s again. This win not only showed that Mosley is still an elite fighter but made the case that he may be the greatest threat to Floyd Mayweather to come along.
Although Mayweather is probably slightly faster, Shane will be the fastest fighter he has ever faced and with his busy style, we may finally see someone get through the best defense in the game.
It is hard to say who has the better chin since they have both shown themselves to have good ones, but Mosley has more power at welterweight. While it is hard to imagine Floyd catching enough shots to be knocked out, the power advantage could come into play since Floyd showed he is still mortal when Zab Judah was able to buzz him and give him some of scary moments for the first time in his career.
What makes this matchup so compelling is that it is very hard to imagine how it will unfold. Each of them is unlike any other opponents that have faced. While Floyd will be the betting favorite, it’s a match up that is really too close to call. Now that Mosley has made a case for himself as still being an elite fighter, it may not be long before he goes for the biggest title of our sport, the pound for pound best. If he has does pull it off, it will be nice to see the position held by an aggressive brave fighter who is credit to the sport in or out of the ring.