By Frank Gonzalez Jr. September 27th, 2008 – In a very sloppy Jr. Middleweight contest Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson California, former titlist “Sugar” Shane Mosley (45-5, 38 KO’s) labored through 12 ugly rounds against wild-man, former welterweight titlist, Ricardo Mayorga (29-7-1, 23 KO’s) until knocking him down and out with one second left in the 12th round.
Mayorga looked dangerous in the first three rounds, where he threw bombing overhand rights, a few of which caught Mosley, who took them well enough. Mayorga’s confidence was heightened after landing some wild punches and harassing Mosley with sloppy pressure. But by the fourth round, whatever Mayorga had was fading, as Mosley started to land the cleaner shots and win the little brawling exchanges that Mayorga was initiating.
Mayorga showed signs of slowing down from the fourth round on and though he possessed some power, he lacked the speed to implement any consistent offense. Surprisingly, Mayorga fought about as controlled a fight as I’ve ever seen—for Mayorga, sloppy as it all looked. To his credit, he was able to hang with Mosley for twelve rounds, a feat in itself. Mosley had a little trouble early in the fight, adapting to Ricardo’s wild style and at times, Mayorga managed to land some shots that connected well enough to score points, but only in the early rounds, where Ricardo’s wildness set the tempo.
I gave Mayorga the first two rounds, where he was able to land a few good shots and keep Mosley off balance with his unorthodox methods. Mayorga landed a few overhand rights that stunned Shane and riled the crowd.
From the fourth round on, Mosley made some adjustments and became the one landing the best punches and though Mayorga showed a good chin, everything about his game was wearing thin as the clock ticked on.
At times, Mosley look confused. Throughout the fight, Mayorga kept looking away from Mosley, especially during clinches. There were a few head butts and low blows but no penalties. Mayorga at times complained to the ref about low punches or head butts. Because Mayorga turns out of chinches, Mosley did hit him on his back a couple of times. Mayorga complained to the ref, but it was really his fault anyway.
Aesthetically, this wasn’t a very good fight. In effect, it was a match between two fighters past their best days. Mosley just happened to be in better shape and had the sharper punching skills. Though Mayorga is heavy handed, he lacked the kind of skills that would enable him to land clean punches against the better conditioned boxer that is Shane Mosley.
The final round looked like most of the preceding rounds, sloppy and wild. Shane landed a big right that staggered Mayorga, followed by a left hook that saw Ricardo go down. After Mayorga got up, Shane greeted him with a short left hook that put Mayorga down and out. The time was 2:59.
Congratulations to Shane Mosley for winning this fight by KO! Though it was a sloppy affair, Shane rose to the occasion to win in dramatic fashion. Like his peers, Oscar De La Hoya and Tito Trinidad, add Mosley to the guys who have knocked out the ‘made to order’ Ricardo Mayorga.
Mosley was humble during the post fight interview, crediting Mayorga for being a tough fighter and admitting that he got hit by a few good shots. When asked who he wants next, Mosley was honest in saying that he didn’t know. He mentioned how prior to this bout, he was calling out Antonio Margarito, but now he’s got to consider his age and what kind of fights would be good for him. His honesty was refreshing.
Though Mosley will remain at the top of the rankings, he recognizes that at 37 years old, he’s not the same guy he used to be. He’s had a charmed life, won titles in three divisions, has a beautiful wife and kids. If Shane retired tomorrow, it would be with full honor. He’s fought some of the best fighters of his era and has won most of the time. He’s been a good ambassador for the sport and now, deserves to spend more time with his family, enjoying all those millions he’s made as a prizefighter.
I wish him all the best.
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