Boxing: Manny Pacquaio Wants to Make Statement Against Mosley

Manny Pacquiao’s superfight with Shane Mosley isn’t the match-up fight fans were looking for but Al Dannity says it still promises to be an explosive contest.

Pac-Man will want the knockout
I normally hate to make comparisons between Boxing and MMA. For Boxing betting fans however there’s an important one to be made for Saturday’s fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. Much like Georges St. Pierre in MMA, Manny Pacquiao has developed a reputation as a dominant champion whose recent fights have tended to go the distance. Given how recently GSP fought, it’s easy to think we’ll see Pac-Man continue this trend on Saturday. Not so fast my friends.

Prior to his fight with Joshua Clottey, Pacquaio had stopped his previous four opponents. Clottey only survived the 12 rounds because he opted to use his fists as shields rather than weapons. Antonio Margarito, Pac-Man’s most recent opponent, shouldn’t have been allowed to finish their fight in November. These were two freak occurrences, neither of which is likely to prevail against Mosley. The American, to his credit, has never been stopped but that will only motivate Pac-Man.

The Mayweather factor
It seems impossible to get Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather in the same ring. The only thing Pac-Man can do is keep beating quality opponents to try and force Pretty Boy out. Mosley presents an interesting challenge in this respect. Mayweather dominated Mosley a year ago but couldn’t stop him. That is a challenge that Pac-Man will relish. Outshining his arch rival will fuel Pacquiao’s fire and enhance his claim as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Whether it actually makes Mayweather respond is another matter entirely but that won’t trouble Pac-Man’s camp this week. The focus will be on delivering a decisive display.

The verdict
I haven’t talked a lot about Shane Mosley and with good reason. This fight is all wrong for him. Like Margarito, he possesses a slight power advantage but is outmatched by Pac-Man in every other department that matters, and I bet he can’t match Pacquiao as a singer either.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDs4Si1alGs[/youtube]

The Filipino will rely on his speed early to wear down Mosley, who looked tired in an unimpressive draw with Sergio Mora in his last outing. Pac-Man will press hard for the stoppage and should have far too much in the tank to fear a late comeback by Mosley. I like Manny Pacquiao to retain the WBO Welterweight title by KO or TKO at -147 with Sports Interaction.