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Miguel Cotto Vs Floyd Mayweather JR CO-Main Event – Can Sugar Shane Mosley SHOCK THE BOXING WORLD

By Geno McGahee

On May 5th, Miguel Cotto will collide with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather, JR., on HBO PPV in Las Vegas, Nevada. That fight will not be the only bout of interest as former welterweight, light middleweight and lightweight champion of the world, Sugar Shane Mosley, 46-7-1, 39 KO’s, takes on the aggressive and undefeated Mexican superstar, Saul Alvarez, 39-0-1, 29 KO’s, with the WBC Light Middleweight Title hanging in the balance.

Mosley is 40 years old and his recent run doesn’t give his fan base much optimism that he will come out of this bout with a belt around his waist. His last six fights went 2 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw. In his last fight, he lost very badly to Manny Pacquiao, getting dropped and not winning a round on two of the three scorecards. He couldn’t pull the trigger and Alvarez is a Pacquiao-like fighter. He is aggressive and has great timing, but unlike Pacquiao, he doesn’t have the defense. He gets hit a lot. That is where the Mosley chance lies.

The last thing to leave a fighter is their punch and even though the reflexes of Mosley are diminished greatly, he has still shown the power that he has had throughout his career. When he knocked out Antonio Margarito, he showed his punch. He did something that Pacquiao couldn’t do. He laid out the tough Mexican brawler.

Against Ricardo Mayorga, a large and tough customer, Mosley once again showed his power, laying him out in the 12th round of their fight in 2008. Margarito and Mayorga are both slow, plodding fighters that gave Mosley opportunities to land. He didn’t have to find them. When he faced fighters with mobility like Pacquiao, Sergio Mora, and Floyd Mayweather, JR., he showed his true age in the ring.

Alvarez in only 21 years old, but has already beaten some good fighters and has established himself as a future big star in the sport. He has knocked out Kermit Cintron (KO-5), Alfonso Gomez (KO-6), and Carlos Baldomir (KO-6). His promoters have taken calculated risks, taking on opponents that have name value, experience, but are not in their primes. They will be learning experiences that will improve him as a fighter but won’t blemish his record.

The majority of the great fighters do not know when to hang up the gloves. There is every indication that Shane Mosley should not fight any more. He has taken two systematic beatings from Mayweather, JR., and Manny Pacquiao. He fought to a draw with a mediocrity in Mora, and even in his win over Mayorga, he struggled greatly, even on the cards going into the final round. Although it is easy as a Mosley fan to imagine him landing that hard jab, throwing that left hook, and sending the younger aggressor to the canvas, it’s easier to see another beating of an older great fighter that should have hanged up the gloves years ago.

On May 5th, expect to see Alvarez survive some hard shots but father time will be the one that dictates the end result. The Mexican superstar has a lot of heart and power and will be trying to do what no other fighter has ever done: knock out Shane Mosley. It may be a sad moment at the end of the day for boxing, but this is a great supporting bout to the main event that night.

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