Boxing After Shane Mosley: Sergio Mora Returns to the Ring Friday Night
By Geno McGahee
Sergio “The Latin Snake” Mora, 22-1-2, 6 KO’s, returns to the ring this Friday night as he takes on hopeful spoiler, Bryan Vera, 17-5, 11 KO’s, in a ten round bout in Texas on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights.
Mora is coming off of a disappointing draw with Sugar Shane Mosley in a terrible pay per view event. Mosley looked shot and Mora looked timid, and it turned into an ugly display. Considering where Mosley is now, in what could be the biggest payday of his career with Manny Pacquiao, you have to feel that Mora is kicking himself for not stepping up the action against the older fighter in an attempt to win.
It has always been a battle for respect. Mora first captured the imaginations of the public by winning the Contender series, but he wasn’t taken too seriously by the boxing community and a heavy underdog going into a 2008 bid for the WBC Light Middleweight Title against the late Vernon Forrest. Mora came away with the victory and the title, but would lose it to Forrest in the rematch in his very next fight, dominated from the opening bell to the finale.
With Vera, we have the spoiler that has found the mark on two different and notable occasions. The first was against undefeated hot prospect, Andy Lee, where he was able to come back from a first round knockdown to stop Lee in the 7th. Contender Sebastien Demers would come into the Vera fight with a record of 31-2 and an impressive résumé, but would fall in three to the power of Vera.
Now Mora must avoid it and he’s good at that. I don’t expect a lot of fireworks here. Vera has lost five of his last eight fights, and may not be able to catch the mobile “Latin Snake.” Mora should win an easy decision.