Mosley Shocks Margarito In Dominating TKO Win
If
you ever doubted Shane Mosley’s merits for wearing the “Sugar” moniker,
that skepticism was dispelled this past Saturday (January 25). With
shocking ease, Shane Mosley outpunched, outboxed, bullied, and grinded
down Antonio Margarito to secure his second welterweight title.
With
a divorce and the BALCO fallout laboring on his mind, a stone-faced
Mosley was greeted with boos from the pro-Margarito crowd at the
Staples Center. The Tijuana Tornado, brimming with the confidence only
the title can bring, stalked to the ring assured that he would deliver
a memorable performance in his first defense.
In
round one, Mosley kept a snappy, consistent jab to Margarito’s head and
the pit of his stomach. Determined to gain early respect, it was Mosley
who came forward with several flush, hard overhand rights and left
hooks to the body. Margarito was coming forward through the punches,
but ran into a brick wall as Mosley held and mauled him around the
ring. Despite this, Margarito was able to land a few stiff jabs to end
the round.
Round
two saw Sugar Shane focus his jab more to the body. The punch kept
Margarito stationary long enough for Mosley to rip multiple crushing
right hooks off Margarito’s chin. The champion attempted to bully
forward through the assault, but Mosley would not give ground and
surprisingly controlled the larger Antonio in the clinches. A glancing
right from Margarito briefly got the crowd back into it before a lethal
Mosley left hook elicited “ohhs” from the crowd.
Although
the pro-Mexican crowd did not care for Shane’s “shock ‘em and lock ‘em”
strategy, they were equally frustrated with Margarito’s inability to
mount a significant offense once he got close. In a small reprieve,
Margarito was able to land several glancing albeit scoring uppercuts on
the inside as the round ended.
Mosley
began round three with a thudding jab-straight right to Margarito’s
skull. Now desperate to get on board, Margarito began to get more
reckless in hopes of escaping Shane’s holding tactics. The strategy
enabled Margarito to land an uppercut. However, Mosley fired back with
a six-punch shoeshine combo punctuated by a debilitating hard right.
The assault was followed by left-right hook combo, causing Margarito to
smile. That smile soon disappeared when Mosley fired a cracking right
hook to the body.
The
round did end on a somewhat hopeful note for the champion, as Margarito
was finally able to land a clean overhand right on Mosley.
After
losing a jab battle early into the fourth, Margarito found range on
Mosley’s temple with a short left hook. The challenger immediately
retaliated with a left hook to the body, followed by two blistering
overhand counter rights. Margarito’s attempt in the last 30 seconds to
bullying Mosley into the ropes only resulted in the champion absorbing
more combinations, each being punctuated with jolting right hands.
After
another one-sided fifth round, Margarito was now woefully behind on the
scorecards going into the sixth. Sugar Shane started the stanza with a
crisp jab-straight right to the head, followed by two more damaging
overhand rights. Margarito, befuddled by Mosley’s speed and power,
could show nothing but his famed chin as his 37 year-old opponent
careened several more rights off his face.
For
the first time, Mosley was now the aggressor and backing up Margarito.
After bullying the champ into the ropes, Shane proceeded to distort his
foe’s neck to odd angles with three flush rights. In desperation,
Margarito attempted to roll off the ropes and exchange. Mosley, with
his superior handspeed, welcomed the exchanges and brutalized Margarito
with two more reverberating overhand rights to the head. With the
Tijuana native knocked back into the ropes, Mosley gave Margarito a
taste of his own medicine courtesy of clubbing body hooks.
The
seventh continued the methodical beating. As usual, Mosley paced
himself early behind his jab, and rained down haymaker left and right
hooks at will. Briefly, Margarito got the crowd behind him with a
cluster of glancing hooks that pushed Mosley to the ropes. However,
Shane wisely tied up the champion, and made sure to end the round with
his umpteenth hook combination to leave no doubt who was still in
command.
Round
eight saw both men initiate hard exchanges of hooks. Margarito seemed
to be gaining some traction, courtesy of a several long right hands
from the outside. Never one to back down, Mosley immediately returned
fire with hooks on his own. With 35 seconds remaining, Margarito fell
off balance courtesy of a failed right hand. Although Mosley missed
with his first uppercut counter, he connected squarely on the
champion’s jaw with a leaping hook.
Margarito
was badly stunned and within 2 seconds was further hurt by two
punishing right hooks. Mosley mercilessly continued the assault,
beating the fading champ across the ring with clusters of hooks before
dropping him seconds before the bell.
A
shaky Margarito slowly made it to his feet as the bell sounded and
saved him from a sure knockout. Impressed, Mosley went over and touched
gloves with foe before awaiting the deciding round.
Margarito’s
cornermen nearly stopped the fight, but Margarito pleaded for another
round. Relenting, his corner sent the brave champ out to meet his fate.
Mosley
made short work of Margarito in the ninth, blistering him against the
ropes with successive hooks to secure the TKO stoppage with 2:17
remaining.
Now back atop the welterweight heap, Mosley credited his early body attack, speed, and power in the dominating win.
“The
big left hook I throw very well. I got Fernando Vargas with it and
Ricardo Mayorga,” Mosley stated to HBO’s Larry Merchant. “I softened
him up with the body shots. He was throwing some good body shots as
well [and] we were both catching each other with good body shots. I’m a
big welterweight too. I have great handspeed and hitting power. Not
everyone can stand up to it. It was very exciting.”
This
was a master-class performance from Shane Mosley. At times, he
controlled Margarito with a precise jab to the body which set up the
hook bombs that eventually ruined the former champ. In other instances,
Mosley would simply counter between Margarito’s punches and outmuscle
him on the inside. Whether the fight was held on the outside or in the
trenches, Shane Mosley was the superior fighter.
It
will be interesting to watch who Mosley selects for his first defense.
Whoever it is, we can be assured Sugar Shane will deliver a quality
fight.
Margarito Caught Cheating, Questions Emerge About Previous Fights
Before
the fight, Antonio Margarito was ordered by the California State
Athletic Commission to rewrap his hands after new Mosley trainer Nazim
Richardson discovered plaster-like substance in the champion’s gloves.
According
to early reports from HBO announcers, the Golden Boy staff, and the
commission, the substance was found under both of Margarito’s wraps.
“It
was a plaster-like substance,” Golden Boy attorney Stephen Espinoza
confirmed to ESPN.com. “It was bagged up by the commission and taken as
evidence.”
Early reports are alleging the substance was already wet, and would have hardened by the later rounds of the fight.
Fans
will remember Richardson also forced Felix Trinidad to rewrap his hands
due to excessive tapping before losing to Bernard Hopkins in 2001.
If
these reports turn out to be true, Margarito should be suspended
immediately. Boxing is life and death. An advantage like that can
result in career-altering damage to an opponent.
This
revelation also puts the Cotto fight under a microscope. It’s unlikely
this was Margarito’s first time cheating if the reports are true.
Against Cotto, Margarito’s blows began doing more damage as the rounds
went on. In the span of about two rounds, Cotto was reduced to a blood
mess by a man never considered a huge puncher. In addition, Margarito
also started to bust up and bounce Paul Williams all over the place in
the later rounds of their 2007 contest.
At press time, Margarito’s camp has declined to comment on the situation.
Mayweather Speaks on Pacquiao, Hatton, De La Hoya, Jones, and Ali
Former
pound for pound #1 Floyd Mayweather may be retired, but that hasn’t
stopped Money May from voicing his opinion on today’s boxing scene.
In
a call-in interview with Sports Rage Radio, Mayweather first addressed
his successor, current pound for pound #1 Manny Pacquiao.
“Congratulations
to Manny Pacquiao if that’s what they feel. I think Pacquiao is a good
fighter and take nothing away from him,” Mayweather stated. “But all
you gotta do is Youtube it. He’s been knocked out in the first round
before. 3 or 4 years ago he got outboxed by a washed up Erik Morales. I
answered your question right there. And he fought one of the Marquez
brothers, knocked him down 3 times in the 1st round and
still got a draw so we know he got outboxed in that one. And then he
fought him again and won by one point. Me, I’ve dominated everyone
they’ve put in front of me for many years…I left the sport at the top.
I came in the sport like any ordinary fighter and fought my way to the
top.”
Regarding his last opponent Ricky Hatton, Mayweather argues that the 140 pound champ has since become shot.
“When
Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao fight, if Pacquiao wins I wouldn’t be
surprised,” Mayweather explained. “I took everything out of Ricky
Hatton. He had hard fights with Kostya Tszyu, Mayweather, [and] Vince
Phillips. That’s wear and tear on your body. His last hurrah is when he
met me.”
Dismissive
of the recent adulation bestowed on Pacquiao for his easy win over
Oscar De La Hoya, Mayweather argued that he faced a greater challenge
facing the Golden Boy at 154 pounds.
“Just
like with Oscar de la Hoya. [He] choose my gloves; have you ever heard
a fighter choosing another fighter’s gloves? They’re always trying to
put me in a no win situation,” he revealed. “Not only did I beat this
guy hands down, he couldn’t even touch me. You let us meet at 147 with
some 8 ounce gloves. The gloves they gave me were pillows.”
Unrepentant
of his claim of being the greatest fighter of all time, Mayweather then
placed his accomplishments against two of the most revered fighters in
boxing history.
“God
blessed Sugar Ray Robinson [and] Muhammad Ali but name one fighter who
was in the sport of boxing for 11 years, a world champion for 10 years
and won 6 titles in 5 different weight classes and won the official
belt,” Mayweather declared. “Stats don’t lie. Ali is like a Barack
[Obama]; he stood for something in his generation. If I was in that
time, remained undefeated and accomplished back then what I’ve done
now, I’d probably be the president of the United States.”
“The
truth is Oscar De La Hoya’s opponents were handpicked. Absolutely he
was a good fighter, [but] he got to where he got to with a lot of money
put behind him. Manny Pacquiao is a good fighter but do your homework
on him. How can he be pound for pound one of the best if he got
outboxed 4 years ago by Erik Morales? Roy Jones’ opponents were
handpicked. Roy Jones is no different from Muhammad Ali. Work his legs.
Their legs were their defense. Once you take away their legs and they
become sitting ducks, you see what happens.”
As
we can see, Mayweather’s mouth is still in its prime. Mayweather has
already started loose preliminary talks with Pacquiao’s people. We’ll
see if he has any interest in Mosley in light of Shane’s career-best
performance last night.
Throwback Fighter of the Week: Jose Torres (1936-2009)
Puerto Rican light-heavyweight Jose Torres was among the finest boxers to emerge in the 1960s.
Starting
as a professional in 1958, he quickly racked up an impressive record of
26-0-1, the only blemish, a draw with future champion Benny Paret.
However, Torres would then suffer his only knockout loss to experienced
veteran Florentino Fernandez in 1963.
Torres
refocused in training, and went undefeated in his next eight bouts to
earn a title shot in 1965 against Willie Pastrano. With concussive
power in his fast, compact hooks and steady pressure, Torres broke down
Pastrano in route to a ninth round TKO.
Torres
went on the make three defenses before losing the belt by unanimous
decision to legend Dick Tiger in 1966. The immediate rematch saw Tiger
again emerge victorious, this time by a controversial split decision in
1967. The verdict was so unpopular that a riot followed at Madison
Square Garden, resulting in hordes of New York City police being called
in to control the situation.
Torres would fight two more times, both knockout wins, before retiring in 1969.
In
retirement, Torres remained active. He served as the New York State
Athletic Commission Commissioner from 1984-1988. He authored well known
books on his friends Mike Tyson (Fire and Fear) and Muhammad Ali (Sting Like a Bee). Torres also served as WBO president from 1990-1995.
He was working on a new book when he died on January 19, 2009 of a heart attack at the age of 72.
Jose Torres is enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame with a final record of 41-3-1, 29 KOs.
Torres vs. Olson
Torres vs. Pastrano