By Ted Sares: Mayorga to Mosley: “I’m glad you’re throwing out the first pitch at the Dodgers game tonight. You should be a catcher for the way you take right hands.”
If you judge this one, in part, by looking at common opponents, Fernando Vargas and Vernon Forrest come to mind. Mosley, now 37, savaged Vargas twice while the Nicaraguan, ‘El Matador’ Ricardo Mayorga fought “El Feroz” in a relatively slow, though entertaining fight somewhat reminiscent of Duran-Camacho.
On the other hand, Mosley lost two to the Viper getting beat up in one, while Mayorga beat Forrest twice. But then Mayorga, an “old” 34, got iced convincingly by Oscar De La Hoya whom Mosley “beat” twice. Of course, that was then and this is now and a lot has changed.
The Fight
The clownish Mayorga, who celebrated after each round, simply could not cope with the superior (though somewhat diminished) skills and speed of Sugar Shane who was able to get between the brawler’s wide and looping, albeit menacing shots, to take his measure. However, it took a cautious Mosley until the fifth round to really get started after which he dictated the pace and controlled the action in a less than compelling manner until the last two minute of the last round. Then deadly lightening struck as Mosley rocked Mayorga with a series of rattling shots. A three-punch combo finally put the Matador down. Sugar Shane Mosley then finished him off with a crunching left hook with one second to go. Mayorga remained on the canvas for some time.
Mosley was smart not to take The Matador’s bait given his propensity to take one in order to give two. And taking one flush from the 170 pound Mayorga could have been a disaster. Still, this was even a slower and more reflex-challenged Mayorga than he one who fought a spent Vargas in his last outing; this was not the Mayorga who burst upon the scene by brutalizing Vernon Forrest five years ago while taking everything The Viper had to offer Forrest (twice).
While most of the fight failed to live up to expectations, the last round more than made up for the previous eleven.
With this great win under his belt, Sugar Shane perhaps now enters the official and financially juicy Antonio Margarito sweepstakes where the winner gets the dubious task of dealing with the Tijuana Tornado’ incoming savagery. As for Mayorga, the end is here.