Revisiting the Mosley-Mayorga Scorecards from 2008: Early Stages of a "Shot" Sugar

Here were the scorecards heading into the final round of the 2008 Mayorga vs Mosley fight:

Pat Russell: 105-104 Mayorga
Nelson Vasquez: 105-104 Mosley
Tony Crebs: 107-102 Mosley

Mosley won the bout by knockout at 2:59 of the 12th round.

The idea that a chain-smoking, limited brawler like Ricardo Mayorga could outbox and possibly out-point a sure-fire Hall Of Famer like Mosley seemed so far-fetched as to be beyond belief. Even a 37-year-old version of Mosley.

But that's exactly what was taking place in the bout.

It was shocking to watch. Sure, Mosley had lost his previous fight to Miguel Cotto, and exhibited telltale signs of a fighter on the downside, but Cotto was a far superior talent to Mayorga. Certainly, Mayorga would be just the kind of journeyman adversary Mosley needed to regain his standing in the sport.

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The Shane Mosley -- admitted PED user Shane Mosley -- who stepped into the ring with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. last night was a shell of his former self. At 38 years old, and without the aid of agents such as EPO to supply critical energy against his younger foe, Mosley was exposed, completely, as the shot fighter who had begun to emerge against Cotto and Mayorga.

Some were fooled by the "Cheater vs Cheater" match against Margarito. In retrospect, however, that fight's greatest lesson may have been that Tony Margarito needed his special hand wraps even more than Shane Mosley needed his EPO and whatever else Mosley used.

One group of people who were not fooled by the Margarito bout were Team Mayweather. They knew they had an aging, PED-less fighter on the slide but who was still recognizable and marketable to at least certain segments of the pay per view-purchasing community.

What happened last night between Mosley and Mayweather will remind a number of boxing fans of unfortunate mismatches along the lines of Ali-Holmes or Tyson-Lewis: A still-effective or prime boxer builds fortune and acclaim by defeating a once-great champion who is well beyond his best days.

This is a sad aspect of the sweet science, but one which has gone on, likely, for as long as the sport has existed. It is tough to blame Floyd Mayweather for participating in a well-worn tradition.

It is less difficult, however, to pin the blame on Mayweather's fans who would try to spin the bout as something which it was not. Which is to say, a competitive match-up.

Viewers of the HBO PPV broadcast were well-served by Emanuel Steward and Larry Merchant. Each commentator made sure that those tuning in knew they were witnessing a diminished Mosley, a fighter not to be confused with the man who built himself a future spot in Canastota.

Those complaining about Merchant and Steward are missing the mark. The broadcasters, especially the analysts, do not exist to serve as myth-makers for any fighter. They are there to share their honest observations. That is, if Shane Mosley looks uncoordinated, tired, old, "shot" and such, that is to be conveyed, not covered-up.

Merchant was at his best in the post-fight interview with the victorious Mayweather. He got Mayweather to admit that unless Mayweather's unfounded and arbitrary demands for drug testing were obliged by Manny Pacquiao, Mayweather would not fight him.

This valuable insight into's Mayweather's thought process helps fans decide who it was that torpedoed the potential Mayweather-Pacquiao bout the first time around. As has been reported, Mayweather was advised by a medical expert(s) that the time-frame which Pacquiao agreed to submit to for the random blood testing Mayweather demanded was sufficient to ensure that Pacquiao would not receive any marked PED benefits.

Mayweather balked, against the wishes of his team. And last night, he essentially balked again when questioned by Larry Merchant.

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The Mosley-Mayweather bout was precisely what many of us felt it would be, sadly. For a number of Mayweather's fans, though, the truth will not penetrate their version of Saturday's events. Such is the nature of fandom.

For this crowd, Round 2 will be a rallying cry of Mosley's supposed "non-shotness."

Don't try to bring up with these people that a man whom many of them roundly decried as "shot," Roy Jones, landed a better punch than Mosley's on Joe Calzaghe and actually dropped the Welshman in the first round of their match-up. All will recall how the rest of that fight played out.

For the more objective boxing observers and for long-time followers or reporters of the sport, last night will seem familiar. The principles may change, but one boxing axiom remains: No fighter escapes Father Time.

On Saturday, Shane Mosley became another unwilling witness to that reality.

 

Sorry, dude. If the truth hurts, that's not my problem.

 

If you don't see the parallels, you probably shouldn't be wasting my or the board's time with you inane and emotional responses.

I'll do my best to help you with the remedial tutorial: Over-the-hill Hall Of Famer is schooled (or battered, in Ali's case) by a younger, more-prime fighter.

Get it? Good. Now shut up and move on. People with a brain read this board, and your drivel isn't helping the forum's collective IQ any.

 

Swing and a miss. I'm done wasting time on you for now.

 

Thanks, appreciate it.

I agree. I hope Mosley hangs them up. I'm a huge fan and I don't want to see his legacy or health diminished any more than it already has been.

 

Shane's shot. One of the best ways to see this in a fighter is when they no longer can let their hands go. That was Mosley last night.

A younger Mosley would have attacked like crazy and gone out on his shield. He simply wasn't capable of doing that, for physical reasons.

38 years old and no PED's is no picnic for a pro athlete who is used to supplemental assistance and far more energy and vigor.

Father Time has us all on the list.