Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora Preview & Picks

Previews

Shane Mosley faces Sergio Mora this Saturday, September 18, in a light middleweight bout in honor of the 200th anniversary of Mexican Independence Day. The bout headlines an HBO pay-per-view event at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. Now we take a look at the main event, including predictions from the staff at Inside Fights. Don’t forget to join us on fight night for live coverage of the event.

Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora
Money Line: Mosley -300; Mora +220

Shane Mosley (46-6, 39 KOs) is bound for the Hall of Fame. He has been a world champion in three different weight classes and was one of the most dominant lightweight champions in recent memory. Lately, Mosley has built a reputation as being the guy that will fight anyone, frequently taking fights with guys that are being avoided by others. Now entering the twilight of his career, the speed that carried him through the 2000’s is beginning to fade. The power, however, remains. Mosley’s power was on display in the second round of his recent loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mosley hurt Mayweather and had him clinching, but was unable to follow up. Mosley claimed he felt stiff in the fight. But at 39 years old, boxing reflexes don’t respond the way they did when you were 29. Floyd Mayweather Jr is not a litmus test. Sergio Mora will be.

Sergio Mora (22-1-1, 6 KOs) is perhaps best known for winning the first season of the boxing reality series The Contender in 2005. Mora was able to parlay his Contender success into a world title shot against Vernon Forrest. Mora would go on to score the upset over Forrest in 2008 but would later lose the title back to Forrest in the rematch. Known as the Latin Snake, Mora is a slick boxer that makes up for his lack of power with a great boxing acumen. He resists the temptation to engage for the sake of engaging, a trait uncommon amongst many Mexican fighters. Mora tends to be methodical in his attack, opting to pick apart his opponents over the course of the fight. His chin has proven to be reliable and keeps Mora out of potential danger, although Mora is adept at staying out of precarious positions.

Staff Predictions

Trent: We all know Shane Mosley is a better fighter than Sergio Mora. The question is whether a 39-year-old Mosley is better than a 29-year-old Mora. Getting beat by Floyd Mayweather Jr doesn’t exactly tell a boxer where he stands amongst his peers so it’s hard to say where Mosley is at in his career. Mora needs to be more aggressive than usual to take rounds from Mosley. If Mora can impose his will and dictate the pace of the fight, then Mora can pull off another upset. If that happens, then it proves Mosley is a shot fighter. While he may be digressing, I don’t see Mosley at this point yet. He’s got enough left in the tank to take a decision in the 117-111 range.

Corey: Mora’s size and ability to take a good shot should serve him well against Mosley, who has struggled mightily with bigger junior middleweights in the past. And Sergio may be catching Mosley at the right time, with Shane coming off a downright drubbing at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in May. But Mosley has bounced back from defeat before and still has enough to beat the bigger Mora, whose best performance to date remains edging an uninspired Forrest two years ago, only to be dominated in the rematch. After all, the only men to get the job done against Mosley are Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest. Mora’s name would stand out like a sore thumb in that lineup. If Mosley keeps his hands moving and doesn’t get discouraged by Sergio’s refusal to pack it in, he’ll punch his way to a unanimous decision, 117-111.

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Part 2: Daniel Ponce de Leon vs. Antonio Escalante
Part 3: Saul Alvarez vs. Carlos Baldomir