Floyd Mayweather Jr and Shane Mosley square off in a welterweight clash this Saturday on HBO pay-per-view. It is the biggest fight of the year, to this point, and the action will begin at 9pm ET. The undercard features Saul Alvarez vs. Jose Miguel Cotto, Daniel Ponce de Leon vs. Cornelius Lock, and Hector David Saldivia vs. Said Ouali. Inside Fights will have live coverage of the entire pay-per-view if the $54.95 price tag is too much.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley
Money Line: Mayweather -450; Mosley +300
Floyd Mayweather Jr., 40-0 (25 KOs), is considered by some to be the world’s #1 pound-for-pound fighter. Mayweather Jr. retired as the world’s best after defeating Ricky Hatton in 2007. His retirement lasted two years as he returned in ’09 to defeat the top-rated Juan Manuel Marquez. Ironically, Shane Mosley ambushed Mayweather Jr. during his post-fight interview for the Marquez bout, challenging the undefeated start to a fight. Mayweather Jr. initially set his sights on Manny Pacquiao, but the infamous drug-testing debacle killed the chances of that fight being made this Spring. Mayweather Jr. turned his attention back to Shane Mosley and the fight was made, complete with drug testing standards above what the Nevada State Athletic Commission requires. Floyd uses his lightning fast speed and incredible defense to stifle his opponents, often times into an embarrassing defeat.
Shane Mosley, 46-5 (39 KOs), is a three-division World champion and currently possesses the WBA Welterweight title. Mosley’s title will not be on the line in this fight although the fight will be contested at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds. Mosley last fought in January of 2009, delivering perhaps the best performance of his career in a ninth round stoppage of Antonio Margarito. Ring rust may be an issue for the 38-year-old Mosley. His opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jr., turned 33 this year. After years of fighting the guys that no one else wanted to fight, Shane has been posturing for a fight with the two top dogs in the pound-for-pound game: Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. This Saturday, Shane will finally get what he’s spent the past year-and-a-half fighting for. Mosley has the complete package as a fighter: technique, power, and speed. But this Saturday will prove if Father Time has caught up to Shane.
Staff Predictions
Bryan: Mayweather vs. Mosley would have been a really great fight five years ago. Mosley is now 38 and coming off a year-long layoff. Mosley is arguably Mayweather’s sternest test to date, but I believe youth and speed will carry the day. Mayweather is still in his physical prime, and Mosley is not. Look for Mayweather to be quicker in exchanges, and use his footwork to outmaneuver Mosley over 12 rounds. Mosley will be tough and will try to make a fight out of this, but I like Mayweather by unanimous decision.
Paul: For some reason people are making this out to be a walk in the park for Mayweather. I have to assume those people are caught up in the whole cult of personality surrounding this fight and are either die-hard Mayweather fanatics or dedicated Mayweather haters, looking to diminish a win by diminishing Mosley. The fact of the matter is that Mosley is the most dangerous opponent that Mayweather has ever fought and I’m not 100% certain that Floyd is as sharp as he should be coming in. While Mosley can’t match the speed and technique of Mayweather, he understands the style and has proven himself a master at interrupting his opponent’s execution. Shane is precisely the type of fighter who will beat Mayweather: Smart, disciplined, and accurate. Mayweather won’t be able to count on taking advantage of opponent mistakes in this one; He’ll have to actively go in there and force the issue against Mosley…and that is something that Mayweather hasn’t had to do in ages. I’m still going with Mayweather in this one, via Split Decision, but it’ll be a legit scrap with Floyd having to dig deep to pull out the win in the later rounds.
Corey: Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley are coming off of two of the best performances of their careers. Though everyone wanted to see them clash in the early 2000s and again in 2006, the fight is probably bigger now than it ever could have been and will likely go down as the biggest fight of 2010. Expect a tight chess match between these decade-long rivals that will end with Mayweather just edging it on points, 116-112 or closer, based on clean punching and ring generalship. Those are two things nobody in boxing does better than “Money.”
Trent: This is a fantastic matchup in the welterweight division and it’s great to see these two finally get at it. Floyd has had problems in the past with power/pressure guys and Shane could expertly execute that gameplan. The only problem is that Shane has never been in the ring with someone that had a speed advantage over him…until now. Mayweather has the speed and defense while Shane has the power. I don’t want to overlook Nazim Richardson in the corner of Mosley either. A win for Mosley here catapults Nazim to Best Trainer in the World status. As much as Mosley wants this fight, and it pains me to say this as Mosley is my favorite fighter in boxing, I see Mayweather coming out with the decision. I want nothing more than for Mosley to have his hand raised at the end, but I see Mayweather’s speed and elusiveness telling the tale of this fight. Call it 115-113 for Mayweather.
Got a prediction of your own? Let us know in the comments section below.
