Mosley Can Give Mayweather All He Can Handle

There’s a casual acceptance amongst boxing fans that Mayweather vs Pacquiao has to happen but this weekend Shane Mosley will look to spoil the party against Pretty Boy.

Mosley will fight his way
One huge advantage enjoyed by Floyd Mayweather in recent years has been that fighters always try to adapt to him. Challenger after challenger have focussed on working out how to counter the awkward mechanics used by Pretty Boy to prevent effective offense. Shane Mosley recognises what every fighter who has put Mayweather under any kind of pressure did, over-thinking Money’s gameplan will only lead to defeat.

For Mosley to have a chance he can’t let Mayweather’s natural advantage force him to change tactics. Every boxer that has competed with Pretty Boy, rather than those who just stood there in frustration, has done so by fighting their own fight. Sugar Shane has the veteran instincts to realise this is the only way to win. If Mosley boxes an error-free fight he can make Mayweather come to him. This could force Money into positions where Mosley’s power wins the day and is well worth considering with any Boxing betting decisions.

Eyes on a different prize
While Sugar is defending his WBA belt, Floyd Mayweather doesn’t particularly care for it. So much so that Pretty Boy isn’t willing to pay the sanctioning fee so while a Mosley win means he keeps the belt, a win for Mayweather will see the title go vacant. Mayweather understands he faces a serious challenge on Saturday night but the opportunity of a shot at Manny Pacquiao for the undisputed pound-for-pound crown is the real prize he’s after.

Money has treated this fight like preparation for Pacquiao. Remember those drug tests he wanted before fighting Pac-Man? Mayweather and Mosley were both subjected to multiple blood tests in the build-up to this clash. This partially helped offset the continuing murmurs of Mosley’s ties to the BALCO scandal but for Mayweather the tests will serve as a weapon to call out Pacquiao after Saturday night. Such a measure will only prove useful if he can knock off Mosley.

Pretty Boy can win ugly
A flawless Mosley performance could earn him a win. This is a fighter who has beaten Oscar De La Hoya twice and owns wins over Mayorga, Vargas, and Margarito. Perfection however is still going to prove hard. Mayweather will be able to use his shoulder-roll for some of the fight and when he does come out of his shell he will capitalize on any wasted punches thrown by Mosley. There isn’t a boxer in the world that can make a fighter pay for a missed punch like Mayweather and this should prove the edge in a tight fight on Saturday.

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XIX: Gabriel Morency breaks down Mosley vs. Mayweather and the rest of the weekend’s action