Forget Manny Pacquiao Vs Floyd Mayweather JR: Sugar Shane Mosley is the Threat
By Joseph Garcia
On May 7th, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao returns to the ring against future Hall of Famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
Many critics have written off Shane as over-the-hill and are calling this a huge mismatch (evident by the odds makers having Shane listed currently as a nearly 5-1 underdog).
Critics point to his last two fights, a wipe out against Floyd Mayweather, JR., and a draw against former “Contender” contestant, “The Latin Snake” Sergio Mora as evidence that age is catching up with Mosley.
Mayweather supporters will say that Floyd took everything left in Shane’s tank and credit “Money” with Pacquiao’s apparent impending victory.
However, if the Shane that showed up the night of January 24, 2009, in Los Angeles against Antonio Margarito is in the ring, this fight looks to be an entertaining fight in the ring for as long as it lasts.
As much prefight hype a Mayweather/Pacquiao fight would bring, this fight will provide far more action than a fight with Mayweather ever would. Both men love to engage and there surely will be lots of toe-to-toe action in the middle of the ring.
So what can Shane do to pull off one of the bigger upsets in recent times?
Despite being 39, Mosley still has great hand speed and may arguably be the fastest fighter Manny has faced to date. He also is physically stronger than Manny and it would be wise to use that to his advantage.
Mosley should control the distance and pace with his jab and when clinched, smother Manny to wear him down physically. Manny is also susceptible to uppercuts up the middle as he keeps his gloves to the side of his head so Shane should look for that opening and try to exploit it.
Unfortunately, Shane tends to get caught up in the moment and the crowd and decides to trade punches and that’s when he gets wild and leaves himself open to get tagged.
I’m sure the well-respected Nazeem Richardson has a game plan in place but it’s up to Shane to use his in-ring experience and intelligence to remain focused at the task at hand.
If he can weather the storm in the early part of the fight, and dole out well-placed counters to the body and head of Manny, I can see Shane’s size advantage take control of the fight in the latter part of the fight. Keeping Manny at distance with his jab and not letting Manny get in and out of the pocket untouched will frustrate Pac and he will likely take more chances and leave him susceptible to many opportunities for Shane to counter him.
If he can stick to a game plan and execute and not get sucked into a toe-to-toe battle, who knows he may just shock the world.
Manny, on the other hand is still at the top of his game, and just needs to keep doing what he’s been doing. His footwork is a work of art, and his in and out style has enabled him to utilize his lighting fast hand speed to hit his opponents from all those awkward angles.
With explosive power in both hands, he’s far from the one-dimensional fighter of the past and a complete fighter. Manny’s defense is not top-notch but he does possess an above average chin but he’d be wise to utilize his superior foot work and hand speed to hit Shane from all angles as he’s done the last couple fights against Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. He’s also shown that despite all the chaos around him, he can put all his extracurricular duties aside and focus strictly on boxing.
What can go wrong for the Pac-Man?
Recent reports have suggested that there is still the possibility of a showdown with Mayweather in the fall. If he overlooks Mosley and looks ahead to Mayweather, that’s a recipe for an upset.
He’s shown he can handle the pressure of carrying the hopes and dreams of a nation on his shoulders but logic says that someday it will be too big a load for one man to carry – Is that time now?
Prediction
There will be a few nervous moments early for Pacquiao fans, but as much as I want to give Shane a chance, I still see Manny doing what no one has done and knocking Shane out around the 7th round. Manny’s footwork is truly a sight to behold and all those punches from awkward angles are going to pepper Shane’s face all night until Shane goes for the home run and Manny places a well-timed counter, sending the likeable “Sugar” Shane to the canvas and retirement.