Miguel Cotto is Back

On November 14th, 2009, Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman fought on the same card, but their nights ended very differently, and while Cotto was dominated by Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KOs) and stripped of his WBO welterweight world title, Foreman cruised to a unanimous decision victory over Daniel Santos to become the new WBA super welterweight champion of the world. Just 6 months later on June 5th, 2010, Cotto and Foreman fought on the same card again, but this time against each other, and by the end of the night it was Foreman who was stripped of this world title, and Cotto who cruised to a 9th round knockout victory to become the new WBA super welterweight champion of the world.


Fight Recap

Cotto controlled the pace of the fight from the opening bell with his effective footwork and solid jab. While Foreman was expected to have the advantage in footwork and hand-speed, Cotto matched Foreman's footwork step for step and used his expert timing to pick off the largely untested champion with solid jabs. Cotto remained patient as he stalked Foreman around the ring peppering the champion with jabs and hard shots upstairs.

Foreman spent the early rounds dancing around Cotto trying to stay away from the relentless challenger's power punches, but in round 4 Foreman planted his feet and landed several lead right hands, effectively winning his only round of the fight.By the end of round 6, Foreman's face was showing signs of swelling and his footwork was looking sluggish, but Cotto continued to stalk him, cutting off the ring and punishing Foreman on the ropes and in exchanges.

Round 7 spelled disaster for Foreman after he slipped, crippling his right leg in the fall, and effectively neutralizing his footwork and rendering him helpless. As one commentator put it, "Foreman without footwork is like Cotto without fists." Cotto smelled blood in the water, but remained surprisingly patient as he pounced on the champion and systematically broke him down with jabs, feints, and hard left hooks to the head and body. The following two rounds probably earned Foreman more fans than the rest of his career as Foreman weathered Cotto's assault, throwing the hardest punches he could muster on a crippled leg, and absorbing massive punishment for his efforts.

The champion, who was largely untested in his previous 28 wins, showed tremendous heart and courage as he hobbled around the ring, grimacing in agony, refusing to surrender his world title to the brave, experienced challenger. Foreman's corner actually threw in the towel during round 7 but the referee Arthur Mercante refused to accept the sign of surrender. Even after the ring flooded with cameramen and cornermen, Mercante ordered the ring to be cleared and the fight continued through a brutal round 8 in which Cotto poured on the punishment and Foreman gave everything he had to not go down.

Cotto sealed the deal in round 9, landing a Miguel Cotto classic crunching left hook to Foreman's body, causing the champion to collapse in agony and referee Arthur Mercante to stop the fight. Cotto let out a triumphant roar of redemption and was crowned the new WBA super middleweight champion of the world. Miguel Cotto is back.




Impression

Foreman: Despite losing the first fight of his career, this fight probably earned Foreman more fans than all his previous wins combined because he showed tremendous heart and spirit in the face of adversity. Foreman has had a hard life growing up, but had a relatively bland fight resume, and this baptism by fire will most likely temper Foreman into a tougher, more experienced fighter. A tough fight with an experienced three-time world champion and a first career loss can be a tough pill to swallow, but if Foreman continues to train and fight with the same kind of heart he displayed in his fight with Cotto, fight fans can expect to see great things from him in his upcoming fights.

Cotto: Under the expert tutelage of world renowned trainer Emanuel Steward, Cotto showed vast improvements in his footwork and jab. When used in conjunction, a great jab and footwork are an instant recipe to success, allowing fighters to set up big punches, stay out of danger, and control opponents. Cotto definitely is not to that point yet, but he has shown definite signs of improvement and will most likely continue to refine his technique if he continues to train with Steward.

Other improvements included an improved right straight and selective use of the left hook to the body. Cotto has rarely used the right straight to much success, but for the bulk of his career offensive pressure and a powerful left hook have been enough to steamroll opponents. By improving his right straight, Cotto is no longer a one trick pony and he now has more options in the event an opponent is well prepared to defend against Cotto's signature left hook. In his fight with Foreman, Cotto demonstrated that he no longer has to rely on the left hook like a crutch, but his left hook is now a powerful tool he can utilize with deadly efficiency.


Is Miguel Cotto Really Back?

This may not be the old Miguel Cotto, the Miguel Cotto who would walk down opponents, engage in brutal slugfests, and rely on his vicious left-hook body shots. No, this does not appear to be the same fighter, but Cotto has shown that he is back as a new fighter, a more disciplined, balanced, patient fighter who utilizes a solid jab, footwork, and gameplan to control and systematically breakdown opponents. Although Cotto was famous as a big puncher, he has an excellent amateur pedigree and can box when he chooses to, so perhaps after all the brutal slugfests he has survived in his career, he has realized that it is a better idea to fight smart, utilizing his fine, boxing prowess. Especially now that Cotto is in the heavier super-welterweight division and doesn't have a strength advantage over the majority of his opposition, he will have no choice but to become a smarter and more disciplined boxer. While it may not be as crowd pleasing as his old style, Cotto's new style will most likely prove beneficial to the longevity of his health and career.

Upcoming Fight: Miguel Cotto vs Yuri Foreman on June 5th

On June 5th, three-time, two weight class, former world champion Miguel Cotto (34-2-0, 27 KO) squares off against WBA super-welterweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0-0, 8 KO, 1 NC) in Yankee Stadium. This will be Cotto's first fight since his devastating loss to 7 weightclass world champion Manny Pacquiao last November, and it will be against a younger, taller, and arguably stronger fighter. While this fight has not garnished as much attention from the boxing community as one might have expected, it should prove to be an interesting fight nonetheless, and it will definitely be an important fight in the careers of these two fighters.

The Lowdown

Miguel Cotto
The vultures have begun to circle on Miguel Cotto, as his career momentum seems to have dissipated following his utter destruction at the hands of both Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao. Entering into his fight with Antonio Margarito, Cotto was the undefeated WBA welterweight champion, coming off a warpath, leaving in his wake a trail of top light-welterweight and welterweight fighters including Sugar Shane Mosley, Carlos Quintana, Kermit Cintron, "Super" Zab Judah, and Paulie "The Magic Man" Malignaggi. While Cotto was known for his relentless offensive pressure and hard body punches, the tables were turned during his fight with Margarito and Cotto was forced to backpedal, constantly using lateral motion and superior boxing during the first half of the fight to elude and frustrate his taller, slower opponent. However, despite his best efforts, Cotto soon found himself on the receiving end of his signature fighting style, with his back against the ropes and hard body shots and uppercuts tearing through his guard. In the 11th round, Cotto's corner threw in the towel, giving Cotto his first career loss, leaving him a thoroughly beaten man, his face bloody, swollen, and unrecognizable, his body and spirit broken. After his loss to Margarito however, Cotto showed his resilient spirit by coming back for a relatively easy win over Michael Jennings for the vacant WBO Welterweight title followed by a questionable split decision victory against top welterweight contender Joshua Clottey in his first title defense. While some claimed that Cotto was back, many analysts, including 4 time trainer of the year Freddie Roach, saw Cotto's lackluster performances as a sign that something was missing from Cotto, that he was a broken fighter. Cotto's brutal 11th round TKO loss to Manny Pacquiao in November 2009 did not help to mitigate the shroud of doubts surrounding Cotto's physical and mental condition, and as he prepares to fight against Yuri Foreman, many analysts are hoping for some answers as to whether Miguel Cotto is still fit to compete against the top echelon of boxing.

Yuri Foreman
The 29 year old Brooklyn native was raised in Israel and by winning the WBA super-welterweight title from Daniel Santos in November 2009, Foreman became the first Israeli boxing world champion. An aspiring rabbi, Foreman employs a controlled fighting style, utilizing footwork, solid combinations, and effective counterpunching to control the ring and win decision victories. Although Foreman is unbeaten in his professional career, his style has been branded as boring by many fans, and his resume is currently rather lacking in high caliber opponents. There were talks in January 2010 for a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Yuri Foreman which could have possibly bolstered Pacquiao legacy by allowing him to become the first 8 weightclass world champion, but negotiations never panned out. Now Foreman has another formidable opponent laid out before him in Miguel Cotto, and it will give him a chance to add a notable 3 time world champion to his resume.


Fight Breakdown
Cotto has an uphill struggle before him. Perhaps he will come out as a different fighter now that he is being trained by world class trainer Emmanuel Steward (who also trained Tommy Hearns, Wladmir Klitschko, and Lennox Lewis), but if he performs as he did in his last few fights, Cotto will most likely not be able to defeat Foreman. Foreman sports a height and reach advantage and Cotto has never proven himself to be effective against taller fighters. Foreman also uses footwork to his advantage which, combined with his reach advantage, will allow him to control the fight with his jab and long range combinations.


Cotto's Keys to Victory
1) Use Pressure: While Foreman is the larger fighter, he has never been known to be overly aggressive in his fights. If Cotto can land some hard punches early on to gain Foreman's respect, he may be able to force Foreman to backpedal, not allowing the heavier champion to plant his feet and throw hard shots.

2) Counter Punch Effectively: Even if Cotto is able to pressure Foreman and force him backwards, Foreman has a longer reach and will be able to throw punches from outside of Cotto's range. Cotto must press forwards while employing effective head movement to slip past Foreman's long jabs and land hard counter punches in return. Cotto must make sure that he is not caught reaching for counter-punches however, as Foreman is also a skilled counter-puncher.

3) Cut off the Ring: This can sometimes be a fool's endeavor, but it may prove to be a worthy gamble. If Cotto can trap Foreman on the ropes or in the corner, he may be able to land some hard left hooks to the body of Foreman, effectively slowing down the champion's footwork. After enough left hooks to the body, Cotto can opt to go upstairs and throw the left hook to the head. While trapping Foreman on the ropes or corner is ideal, Cotto has to be weary as Foreman is sure to be waiting for the left-hooks, ready with his own counter-uppercut.

Even if Foreman decides to go on the offensive, as long Cotto can counter-punch effectively, just as he did for the first half of the Margarito fight, he should be able to stay safe and steal a decision victory.


Foreman's Keys to Victory
1) Use Footwork: Foreman should use his superior footwork to circle to the left and throw his long jab. This will keep him out of Cotto's range and it will allow him to earn points, win rounds, and possibly cause cuts and swelling on Cotto's fragile face. Circling to the left will also allow Foreman to stay away from Cotto's powerful left hook.

2) Counter Punch Effectively: Both fighters need to counter-punch if they want to win. Foreman needs to use his footwork to dance away from Cotto while landing hard jabs, which will frustrate the smaller man and force him to reach for the champion. Foreman needs to capitalize on these opportunities, punishing Cotto for overextending himself with hard counter-punches.

3) Land Hard Early: Foreman needs to land some hard punches early on, to ensure that Cotto respects his punching power. Cotto has a habit of walking opponents down and destroying them in devastating fashion when he does not respect their punching power. Foreman needs to hit Cotto hard in the early rounds, causing him to hesitate and think twice about coming forward to cut off the ring.



Punch of the Night
Neither of these two fighters have one-punch knockout power, but they will most likely have one punch that will make or break their night.

Cotto- Left Straight: Excuse me? Not the left hook? Yes, I believe that Cotto will most likely use his left hook to great success, but if I had to choose another punch, I would say Cotto's left straight. This is a punch that is not often touched upon by the commentators, but Cotto oftentimes switches to southpaw stance while advancing and lands a hard left straight down the line (If you don't know what I'm talking about watch his first knockdown of Paulie Malignaggi). Foreman will most likely be watching for the left hook to the body, but Cotto's left straight down the pipe will most likely catch Foreman by surprise as he is retreating.

Foreman- Left Jab: This is probably a little more predictable. He won't be dealing any major damage, but the jab combined with his footwork is what will seal the deal for the young champion. If he can just use his footwork and jab, he will have a relatively easy night ahead of him. If he can't use, or chooses not to use, his jab and footwork, he will have a hell of a night and an awful morning after.


Prediction
I predict that Foreman will win by unanimous decision or late round TKO. Foreman definitely has the skill and power to put away Miguel Cotto, but it will decide on how aggressive he decides to be. If he chooses to be more aggressive, I believe that he can stun Cotto with a hard combination and pounce on his with a flurry of hard punches to put him away in the later rounds. Cotto seems to have taken too much damage over his career and his mental game is questionable. There is no doubt that he still possesses the spirit of a warrior, but his mind and body may just be too worn down to put away the young, unbeaten champion.

If Cotto does win, he willl have to systematically breakdown Foreman, landing hard counter-punches, forcing Foreman into a corner, and then working his body with hard left hooks. I do not see Cotto winning a decision, but if he does win, it will most likely be by late round KO, most likely a body shot KO.

Amir Khan: The Next Big Thing?

Amir “King” Khan (23-1-0) is a Pakistani-British boxing sensation, current WBA world light-welterweight champion, and seemingly the total boxing superstar package. He has good looks, charisma, excellent technical boxing skills, superb speed, decent power, along with a silver medal from the 2004 Olympics and an excellent trainer, the same trainer as 7 weight class world champion Manny Pacquiao, 4-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach. Is he the next big thing in boxing?

He certainly made a case for himself in his American debut last Saturday at Madison Square Garden, putting on a boxing clinic as he dismantled fast-talking and fast-punching contender Paulie “the Magic Man” Malignaggi (27-5-0). Khan worked the double-jab beautifully, rotating to the left, coming from angles, popping Malignaggi in the head with 223 punches according to HBO’s Punchzone, the bulk of which were stiff jabs. Khan lead on the judges’ scorecards, taking every round up through the 11th, finishing the defenseless Malignaggi with a hard flurry to earn the referee stoppage, cementing Khan’s impressive American debut with an 11th round TKO. In the interview following his victory, Khan expressed his interest in unifying the light-welterweight class by defeating the heavy-handed WBA light-welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana and then taking on the winner of a proposed fight between WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and WBC and IBF Light welterweight champion Devon Alexander. Khan certainly exhibited the confidence of a champion as he proposed to unify the light-welterweight titles, but there remains some skepticism as to whether Khan possesses another certain trait shared by great champions: a good chin.



HBO’s Punchzone showed that over 11 rounds, Khan took only one punch on the chin and in return, Khan landed a total of 91 punches on the chin of Malignaggi. Khan’s ability to avoid being hit on the chin is commendable on one hand, but it also raises some concern, as Khan is clearly indicating his unwillingness, and perhaps inability, to take a good punch on his chin. After his embarrassing 1st round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott in 2008, it is no surprise that Khan is extra cautious when it comes to taking shots to the chin. While it is impressive that Khan went through a whole fight only getting hit on the chin once, once may be one time too many if the fight with Marcos Maidana (28-1-0) comes to fruition. Of his 28 wins, the heavy-handed Argentinean has won 27 by way of knockout, giving him a KO percentage of 93% with 10 knockouts in the first round, so Khan will have to fight a perfect fight if he plans on defeating Maidana and eventually unifying the light-welterweight titles.

Learn to Box: The Jab pt 1

The previous two Learn to Box posts covered Target Areas and Stance. Now that you know wear to aim for, and how to stand in order to keep yourself protected, it's time to learn the most important punch in boxing: The Jab.

How to throw the jab

The jab is a straight punch thrown with the lead (front) hand, which would be the left hand for an orthodox boxer. If any of that sounds foreign, you may want to refer back to the post about the orthodox stance. The jab is a long rang punch, and is thrown in a straight path, drawing the shortest distance between your lead hand and your opponent's face. There are dozens of different kinds of jabs, but in general, the jab is one of the fastest, safest punches to throw. Let's see how it's done.



Here the two opponents face each other, each in orthodox stance with their left leg forward, and left hand forward.




Here we see the fighter on the right side starting to throw a jab.
(A) He is pushing off slightly with his back foot, pushing himself towards his opponent.

(B) The fist is beginning to rotate, with his palm beginning to turn down towards the ground.

(c) The elbow should remain pointed down towards the ground as long as possible. If the elbow juts out to the side, the jab will not be as fast or as straight.




Here we see the jab connecting with the opponent's face.

(A) For a long, powerful jab, the front heel should pivot at the last second, with the toes planted, and the heel rotating towards the target. This heel rotation adds a couple inches to your punch and adds power from your hips into your jab.

(B) The left shoulder should be rotated up towards the face. This protects the left side of your chin from a counter punch.

(C) The left palm should be fully rotated down towards the ground by the point of impact. This rotation adds snap to your jab and also naturally rotates your shoulder up as indicated in (B).

(D) A good jab will cause your opponent's head to snap back, setting them up for further attack or scoring points with the judges.


Here is different angle for the jab.



Note how the jab can cut between the gloves of the opponent, landing clean on the face. If the opponent has their left hand lower, it makes it even easier to connect with the jab.

Here is a breakdown for the jab from a front angle.



(1) Assume the initial stance. It is important to always start from this position so as to not telegraph your punches. If you change your stance as you prepare to throw a punch, your opponent will be able to read your movements and easily avoid your punch.

(2)
a. The left hand begins to rotate towards the ground.
b. The elbow remains pointed towards the ground.
c. The shoulder gradually rotates upwards towards your left chin.

(3) The jab connects
a. The fist is fully rotated, palm facing the floor.
b. The arm should be straight, elbow pointing sideways.
c. The shoulder should be rotated up towards the chin, protecting it from attack. The chin should be pressed down towards your chest.
d. The right glove should still be held high, just below the eye, protecting your right side from attack.

(4-5) Your left hand should return back to the initial position in the same route it traveled, the shortest path possible. This will protect your from any counter punches, or it will allow you to throw other punches.

This post has focused on the proper method to throw the jab. The next post will go into some common mistakes as well as a uses of the jab. For now, practice, practice, practice, and then practice some more. The jab can be tiring to throw and hard to get used to, but a solid jab is the basis behind any good boxer. Till next time!

Learn to Box: Stance

In the last post, I talked about the target areas to aim for on your opponent. So how does one go about hitting your opponent, without being hit in return? The first step is to learn a proper boxing stance.

Stance

There are many different kinds of stances ranging from "Iron" Mike Tyson's defensive but explosive Peek-a-boo stance, "Money" Mayweather's elusive counter-punching Hitman stance, to "Prince" Naseem Hamed's No-Guard stance, sacrificing defense to allow him to launch punches from unorthodox angles, and I will go over some of these stances later, but for now, I will go over the Orthodox Stance. This stance is a solid, fundamental, boxing stance that is very balanced between offense and defense.



The picture above shows a front and profile view of the orthodox boxing stance.

(A) The chin is tucked down, towards the chest. While this may feel uncomfortable at first, it is important because it prevents your opponent from landing and easy, clean punches your vulnerable chin.

(B) Your right hand is held at about eye level, with your palm facing towards you. This effectively covers the right side of your chin from attacks, and if you raise your right hand an inch or two, you will also protect your right temple from attacks, effectively guarding the entire right side of your face.

(C) Your elbows are pointed down and held close to your body. This is important for many reasons, one of which is that it protects your body from punches. If your opponent tries to punch you in the body, all you have to do is press your elbows tight against your body, greatly reducing any damage you would take to your body.

(D) Your left shoulder should be relaxed. Keeping your shoulder relaxed will allow you to punch easier, and not tire out quickly.

(E) Many coaches have different thoughts on your stance, with some saying to keep the feet shoulder-width apart, and some recommending wider than that. It's a matter of preference, but I personally like to keep my feet a little wider than shoulder width, because it allows more mobility for my upper body to avoid punches. If you consider your opponent in front of you to be at a 90 degree angle, the toes on your back foot should point at about a 30 degree angle and your front foot can vary, but should probably be around a 70 degree angle.

Note how the body is turned slightly to the side, causing your left hand to be in front, closer to your opponent, with your right hand back, further away from your opponent. Fighters who are right-handed generally fight in this stance, with their right hand (their power hand) in the back. Fighters who are left-handed, generally fight with their right hands in front, and their left hand (their power hand) back. These kinds of fighters are known as southpaws and are not as common as orthodox fighters. Notable southpaws include Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao and "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler. Some fighters who are left-handed choose to fight with their left hand forward, with notable examples Mike Tyson and Miguel Cotto.

Your knees should be slightly bent and you should be on the balls of your feet. In order to throw hard punches, it is sometimes required to plant your feet, but in general, it's is safer to be on the balls of your feet, ready to move if your opponent throws a punch.

Stance is very important in boxing as it is the foundation for all your punches and defense. The stance laid out here is the orthodox stance, but you can mix it up and change it however you want. The main things to focus on are to make sure that you can defend yourself from your stance and that you have proper balance in your stance, because balance is the key to throwing effective punches.

Learn to Box: Target Areas

Here is a segment I'm starting that will focus on teaching you how to box. If you already know how to box, then you can skip these posts, but for those of you who don't know how to box and would like to learn, you may find these posts helpful. I apologize for the bad drawings, but this was a spur of the moment post. So let's jump right in.

Target Areas

Now, the art of boxing can be defined in many ways, but one simple way to describe it is knowing how to hit your opponent without being hit in return. Simple enough. So if you're fighting an opponent, where exactly are you supposed to hit him? And conversely, where are you trying to not get hit?



Figure (1) shows the four main target areas to aim for on your opponent, and to protect on yourself. The target areas include, both sides of the chin and both sides of your temples. The reason that these four areas are so vital is that hitting any of those four points has been proven over the ages as the quickest way to knock someone out. When a strike of sufficient force is thrown to any of these four areas, it causes the head to quickly snap as shown in figure (2), which in turn causes your brain to slosh about in your skull, possibly causing loss of consciousness and hemorrhaging. Not fun. While the four areas indicated in figure (1) are the highest priority, protecting your whole head and body in general is important too. A straight punch on the front of the chin as shown in figure (3) can also lead to a quick knock out.

What the hell happened to Mosley?

The once triumphant underdog resided himself to walking home with his head hung in shame and his tail between his legs. Shane Mosley has had a long career, and his fair share of losses, but I’ve never seen him so tense, petrified to throw a punch, a sitting target for the faster, stronger Mayweather. Mosley did not show up for the fight, and after an electrifying round two where Mosley nearly toppled Mayweather with a crashing right hand, Mosley seemed to give up, his energy slowly leaving him, his arms rubber, his hands reduced to balls of lead. The crowd watched in agony as Mosley took 10 rounds of brutal punishment, while Mayweather landed straight right after straight right with ridiculous ease. Truthfully, I gave up on Mosley after round 4, and the rest of the fight I just begged him to do something. Anything. Mosley’s trainer Nazim Richardson joined me in my pleads, demanding that Mosley get back in the fight, trying desperately to invoke Mosley’s warrior spirit which was nowhere to be seen on that night. No, my pleads, Nazim Richardson’s words of encouragement, and even the deafening chants from the crowd could do nothing as Mayweather hammered the nails into the coffin of Sugar Shane Mosley’s career with his perfectly timed straight right hands.

I doubt that I’m the only one who noticed it, but there was a sense of familiarity in the Mayweather vs Mosley fight on May 1st. It reminded me of a fight that took place not too long ago between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. Both the Mayweather vs Mosley fight and the De La Hoya vs Pacquiao fight took place at welterweight after both Mosley and De La Hoya enjoyed stints in the heavier middleweight division. Both fights showcased hall of fame caliber fighters being brutally thrashed by younger, stronger, faster boxers. Both fights signaled the end of an era, and the timely retirement of a legend. Mosley and De La Hoya enjoyed classic bouts against each other, with Mosley emerging the victor both times, and now both are boxing promoters under De La Hoya’s Goldenboy Promotions. It is too early to tell if Mosley is ready to retire, but the strings of fate are certainly pulling Mosley in that direction. I admire De La Hoya’s decision to retire gracefully after his one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao, but I have a feeling that for a fighter like Mosley, retirement is a thought worse than death. Perhaps he can take comfort in training his son Shane Jr. who is an aspiring boxer.

So back to the initial question: What the hell happened to Mosley? There are countless possible reasons for his pitiful performance on Saturday night, and I will go through some of the possible reasons.

1) Mayweather’s defense was too much: A very probable cause for Mosley’s lackluster performance. While not always apparent, the beauty of Mayweather’s style isn’t all about straight right hands and left hooks, but it’s what he does to set them up. Whether it’s his shoulder rolls or his illegal use of his elbow to control the heads of his opponents in close, Mayweather’s speed and counter-punching style is enough to frustrate and neutralize some of the best boxers out there. While this is most likely a large part of the reason why the fight was so one-sided, I don’t believe Mayweather deserves all the credit.

2) Mosley is too old: Another possible cause which is easy to resort to, but not necessarily true. In January 2009, Mosley showed a dominant performance over the WBA welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, showing that he still had his trademark tenacity, spirit, and powerpunches to boot, and unless he miraculously aged 10 years in a year and a half, it seems unlikely that this is the only reason why Mosley wasn’t himself on Saturday. Inability to pull the trigger is a tell-tale sign that a boxer is over the hill and perhaps this loss will mark the beginning of a steep decline for Sugar Shane.

3) Mosley over-trained: Most fighters will hold training camps a month or two before the fight and they will use this time to work on techniques and conditioning, ensuring that they are in their peak condition by fight night. Mosley however was initially scheduled to fight young prospect, WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto on January 2010, but the fight was canceled after Berto lost several family members in the earthquake in Haiti. Following the collapse of the Berto fight, Mosley went after Mayweather, and scheduling two training camps so soon together, may have caused Mosley to peak too early and not be in top shape for the fight with Mayweather. The random Olympic style drug testing leading up to the fight may have made it even harder for Mosley to make weight and stay in peak condition.

4) Pressure: It’s easy to look at Sugar Shane Mosley and judge him for his lackluster performance, but it is certainly something else to be him. There might just have been too much riding Mosley’s shoulders that night, and the once spirited underdog collapsed the pressure. He needed to prove to himself that he wasn’t too old to compete with the upper echelon of the sport. He wanted to silence the skeptics and the critics who counted him out, as an old has-been. He wanted to silence Mayweather for all the nasty remarks he had been hurling around at press conferences. Countless fans were counting on Mosley to end Mayweather’s tyrannical reign as the king of boxing, and it felt as though that thunderous right Mosley landed in round 2 was a triumphant release of all these pressures. For one glorious moment, Mosley saw a glimmer of hope, a release from the mountain of pent up frustration, a chance of victory, but in one short round, Mosley would find himself on the receiving end, watching helplessly as Mayweather wrenched control of the fight, leaving Mosley to collapse under the mountain of pressure.

5) Mayweather’s pressure: This is an aspect of boxing and combat sports in general that is often neglected by the average fan. If one has never been faced with a tough opponent in a physical confrontation, it is difficult to imagine or describe the “pressure” that boxers face. Most often, when people think of ring “pressure” it comes in the form of one boxer constantly pressing forward, while the other boxer is forced to move back. While this is indeed one kind of pressure, there is another kind of pressure which is exerted by skilled boxers. This kind of pressure is stifling and mind-numbing, and it creates a kind of tunnel-vision, making the ring appear smaller than it is, seemingly limiting ones options. To any common bystander, it may look baffling as to why a boxer is being hit by punches he should be able to avoid, and oftentimes, it is this pressure that is the cause. In the case of Mayweather, his pressure causes opponents to stand in front of him and fight him at his pace. Rather than using the entire ring, circling with jabs to the head and body, opponents strangely find themselves standing in front of Mayweather, fighting to his strengths, succumbing to hard counter-punches. Oddly, I’ve never known Mayweather to exert all that much pressure, but then again, I’ve never been in the ring with him.

Verdict
It was most likely a combination of all the aforementioned reasons, but how much of each reason is of course subject to debate. Perhaps Mosley over-trained and was fatigued from the blood testing and then found himself powerless against Mayweather’s pressure and became frustrated when he couldn’t crack Mayweather’s defense. Maybe Mosley was just scared of being knocked out. Maybe Mosley traded his dignity for a fat paycheck. Everyone can have their theories, and Mosley can give the answers people want to hear, but no one will ever know for certain what happened behind Mosley’s crystal blue eyes on Saturday night. Do I think Mosley should retire? Perhaps. Do I think Mosley can still win fights? Most certainly. Do I think Mosley can compete with the top echelon of boxers? No, not really. Not unless he wants to find himself on the receiving end of another brutal beatdown.

The bottomline is fight between Mayweather and Mosley was a disappointment on so many different levels. The fans who were expecting a great action fight were left watching a hopelessly one-sided thrashing. Nazim Richardson was left watching his meticulous gameplan unravel in the hands of a fighter unwilling to adhere to the gameplan. Mayweather finally came out of his shell and pressed the offense, only to find his opponent unwilling to fight, resulting in another “boring” Mayweather bout. Mosley’s children watched their father, the once proud warrior, stumble out of the ring, heavy-hearted and with his spirit broken. Possibly, worst of all, Mosley suffered 10 rounds of humiliation and frustration, unable to pull the trigger, unable to put up a decent fight, unable to be himself. Each time Mosley missed a punch or was hit flush with a big right hand, he seemed to shake his head, telling himself to try harder, telling himself he was better than that, refusing to believe that it was time to hang up the gloves. But after 10 humiliating rounds, all Mosley was left with the sixth loss of his career and a deep sense of bitter disappointment.

Mayweather vs Mosley

The upcoming fight between Sugar Shane Mosley (38 y/o, with a record of 46 wins, 39 by knockout, 5 losses, and 1 no contest) and Floyd Mayweather (33 y/o, with a perfect record of 40 wins, 25 by knockout, and no losses) should prove to be interesting. Though Mosley is going into the fight as a 5-1 underdog to the ever popular and confident Mayweather, I believe that it is too soon to count Mosley completely out.

Mosley the Underdog

In January 2009, Mosley was a 4-1 underdog going into his fight with Antonio Margarito who was the WBA Welterweight champion at the time. Margarito was coming off an 11^th round decimation of Miguel Cotto, the same Miguel Cotto that Mosley lost to prior by unanimous decision. Mosley entered the fight, recently hearing about his wife’s decision to file for a divorce and as a 4-1 underdog, but to the surprise of many skeptics and critics, Mosley annihilated Margarito over 8 brutal rounds, pounding the iron-jawed champion with hard shots to the body and vicious hooks upstairs. The fight was stopped by a brutal TKO in the 8^th round, with Mosley becoming the new WBA Welterweight champion, silencing the critics and doubters. He looks to do it again on May 1^st against Floyd Mayweather.

Game plan

In terms of a game plan, Nazim Richardson, Mosley’s trainer who trained him for his fight against Margarito, has alluded to the fact that too many fighters have resided themselves to chasing Mayweather in order to crowd him and turn the fight into a brawl, and that it may not be the best tactic against Mayweather. Jose Luis Castillo, in his first encounter with Mayweather, demonstrated this tactic well and nullified Mayweather’s slick boxing skills by turning the fight into a brawl, with Castillo landing far more power-punches overall than Mayweather. Since then, many fighters have tried to use the same brawling tactic against Mayweather with minimal success. Many fans can remember the bout between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather where Hatton attempted to press forward and swarm Mayweather, unfortunately falling victim to numerous pop shots and hard counters on his way in. Another bout that may come to mind is the fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather in which De La Hoya fought well initially, utilizing his good jab. However as the fight progressed, De La Hoya abandoned the game plan was goaded into a brawl, ultimately losing a split decision.

It seems natural to assume that brawling Mayweather is the only way to beat him, as his slick defense and boxing intelligence is superb, allowing him to stand in front of fighters, block or dodge any punches, and in turn land hard counters, lead right hands, and lead left hooks at will. But time and time again, boxers have tried to box Mayweather with mild success and they have tried to brawl Mayweather, more often than not getting torn apart by Mayweather’s perfectly timed counter punches. So how does one go about defeating the defensive master?

Breakdown

In order to get a better assessment of the situation it’s necessary to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the two fighters.

Mosley’s Strengths: good hand speed, power in both hands, good stamina, good chin

Mosley’s Weaknesses: ineffective jab, exposes himself when he throws power shots, in general, keeps his shoulders relaxed and hands a little lower than normal, exposing his chin and temples.

Mayweather’s Strengths: great hand speed, excellent timing, good chin (arguably), great defense

Mayweather’s Weaknesses: Susceptible to straight shots down the pipe.

What Each Fighter Must Do to Win

Mayweather doesn’t really need to do anything in particular to win. He just needs to fight the same way he fights in every fight, relying on his tight defense, well-timed counter punches, leading Mosley into lead left hooks and straight right hands. This is assuming that Mosley fights how he usually does, pawing with his jab to set up his big right hand hand shot, following up with a flurry of hard hooks and straights. While Mosley can box when he wants to, he has been known for approaching his opponent rather straight on, with his gloves low, which adds to his power but also leaves him open for a counter-punch. The big punch to watch out for will most likely be Mayweather’s left hook which is arguably faster than Mosley’s and will probably hit first if both fighters throw at the same time.

Mosley must do much more to win, as no one has ever beaten Mayweather in the ring, so there is no real proven game plan on how to defeat him. In my opinion, Mosley needs keep the fight in the center of the ring (contrary to common belief), and rotate to the left, using a sharp left jab to pepper away at Mayweather. By moving to the left, Mosley will avoid Mayweather’s speedy left hook, and Mayweather will not be in position to throw a good right straight. The jabs serve a dual purpose of scoring points with the judges as well as disrupting Mayweather’s timing. If Mayweather chooses to tighten his guard and fight in the pocket, Mosley can either continue to jab away, or go for some hard body shots. I believe Mosley’s power is strong enough to wear down Mayweather’s guard, but not completely break it, as he did to Margarito. I feel that Mosley needs to concentrate on hitting Mayweather in the body because Mayweather has proven very difficult to hit in the face flush (on the few occasions I’ve seen Mayweather his clean, it is usually while he is moving back or at least stationary, lessening the impact of the blow). Mayweather also received a rib injury during sparring, prior to his last match with Juan Manuel Marquez, and I believe that might indicate that he is not used to taking hard shots to the body. By going downstairs early in the fight, Mosley may be able to slow down Mayweather just a fraction of a second, which is all it takes for him to land a hard left or right hand. Mosley is slightly taller than Mayweather, so his chopping right hand May be able to come down over Mayweather’s elevated left shoulder, but this is an incredibly risky shot, which would leave Mosley wide open to eat a counter right uppercut.

If Mosley opts to take a safer approach, I believe that, rather than going for power shots, Mosley can stay on the outside and pepper away with his longer jabs. While the chances are slim, if Mosley can accurately bait Mayweather into throwing a lead right hand and counter with his own uppercut, he may be able to stun Mayweather just enough to land some good hard shots which is all it takes to turn the tide of the match, as demonstrated in Mosley’s match with Margarito. Despite the fact that Mosley was dominating the action, it wasn’t until he grazed Margarito with a counter uppercut followed by a vicious left and right, that Margarito truly had his fate sealed.

The main things Mosley has to do is keep up his intensity, keeping the fight at his pace, utilize his jab, rotate to the left, mix up body shots and head shots, and not get goaded into a brawl.

Mayweather just needs to do this thing, as usual.

Prediction

If things went ideally for Mosley, I see Mosley beating Mayweather by split decision or unanimous decision, with Mosley taking the first 2 or 3 rounds, Mayweather speeding up and taking the next 4-5, and then Mosley finishing strong.

What will most likely happen is that Mosley will start off sticking to his game plan, catching Mayweather with a couple good shots every round, but it will be Mayweather who will dictate the pace and utilize his defense to land the cleaner, more accurate shots. In the later rounds, Mosley will become frustrated, charging in with his head high, eating counters for the last couple rounds, leading Mayweather to a tough, but unanimous decision victory.