Can Shane Mosley Make it Wright and Beat Winky?
by
Julius Stecker
11/19 - I can remember a time, when I saw a brilliant lightweight
fighter
that captivated my attention. He was fleet of foot, and he had power
that
was beyond belief. I can recall a time back in 1998, when I ignored
going
out with college friends to watch him fight a rugged Demetrio Ceballos.
What
a performance it was, and I was glad that I did neglect a night on the
town
that evening.
Shane Mosley was that special lightweight, and he was phenomenal, he
jabbed,
he threw punches in bunches. And he went to the body like nobody I had
seen
in quite some time. After it was all said and done, boxing had a new
superstar, and I had a guy that I wanted to watch on a monthly basis.
What a
year it was for the Mosley, 5 title defenses and 5 knockout victories.
In
fact, he did not lose a round that whole year.
Experts were comparing him to the greatest ever, the legendary Sugar
Ray
Robinson. Things could have not gone any better for the young world
champion
from Pomona.
Fast forward to 2004, Mosley is now in the mist of a tremendous slide.
He
has not fought well since 2001, and while he did beat De La Hoya in
their
second fight, it was far from his rousing performance in their first
fight,
back in 2000. Earlier this year Mosley was thoroughly dominated, by the
tricky and excellent Ronald "Winky" Wright. Shane had finally hit rock
bottom in the boxing circles. Nobody was clamoring for him to fight,
and
fight fans lost faith in the Sugarman. Boxing people had also lost
faith in
Shane's once highly thought of abilities. It has prompted 74 of 88
boxing
writers to pick Winky to repeat his victorious feat this weekend.
Shane claims to feel regenerated and has replaced his father Jake, whom
he
had so much success with. He now has the respected; and career changer
Joe
Goosen. Goosen has worked wonders for Diego Corrales; now the question
is
can he change Shane Mosley? Can he get Shane to back to combinations,
body
punching, and a higher punch volume?
Ever since Vernon Forrest landed his big right hands on Shane's head,
Shane
has been gun shy. He just has not had the same desire to let his hands
go
like he once did.
For Shane it is all on the line. He has placed all his chips on the
table
and he is going to let it ride. But in the other corner he has perhaps
the
best fighter in the sport. Winky Wright is a force, he is a winner. He
does
not care about flash and dash. He cares about winning and beating his
opponent and a lot of people would say he has never really lost a
fight. He
also is perhaps the best defensive fighter in the sport. So what can
Shane
do?
It will come down to skill in this fight, and in this writer's
estimation.
Wright has more of it. While I really like Sugar Shane Mosley, for all
he
has done and for what he stands for. He just will not be able to beat a
bigger, a stronger, and a better skilled Winky Wright. You can not
fault
Mosley's warrior heart, but in the end his heart will not be the
deciding
factor. Winky's skill will.
Julius Stecker is one of the founding fathers of TalkingBoxing.com and has a passion, commitment and work ethic unmatched in the game today! Make sure to check us out daily as Julius talks with boxing's best boxers and offers his insight in weekly articles and big fight breakdowns!
