By Doveed Linder
Going into 2011, the biggest gripe in the boxing world seems to be the match-up between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley. After all, Pacquiao is at the top of his game and many consider him to be unbeatable. And Mosley is coming off of two of the worst performances of his career (against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Sergio Mora). Since Pacquiao is currently the pound-for-pound king, the boxing public wants to see him against a fresh opponent who presents a worthy challenge. But in my opinion, given the circumstances in the welterweight division where Pacquiao resides, Mosley is a logical choice for Pacquiao’s next fight.
Other than Shane Mosley, Pacquiao’s best options included Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto. Many in the boxing world believe that Marquez defeated Pacquiao in their first two encounters. And since he has returned to his winning ways with victories over Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis, some believe that he was the most deserving of a shot at Pacquiao. In my opinion, the scoring of the two fights between Pacquiao and Marquez was fair and accurate (the first fight was ruled a draw, while the second fight was a split decision victory in Pacquiao’s favor). Pacquiao and Marquez had a great rivalry at the 126 and 130 pound weight classes. But at this point in time, Pacquiao fights at 147 and Marquez fights at 135. Even if they were to meet at 140, I believe the extra weight would slow Marquez down considerably (as was demonstrated when he weighed in at 142 for his fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.). And to put things into perspective, victories over Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidis don’t prove that Marquez is once again at the top of his game. Diaz was coming off of two poor performances against Paullie Malignaggi. And Katsidis, himself, was thoroughly out-boxed by Diaz back in 2008. In my opinion, Marquez still has enough fire to win a few fights. But if he were to face Pacquiao at 140 or above at this stage of his career, he would get knocked out.
As for Andre Berto, in my opinion, he has done nothing that warrants a shot at Pacquiao. The only thing he has going for him is the fact that he is an undefeated champion. His toughest opponent to date was Luis Collazo, who he struggled against. It seems the plan for Team Berto is to keep their fighter undefeated by taking on low risk opponents and to hold out for a big money fight. There has been no gradual progression that one often sees when an up-and-comer is built up to a major event. Recently, Kermit Cintron called out Berto here on Boxingtalk.com. And to me, that’s exactly the kind of fight Berto needs at this stage of his career. In order to prove that he belongs in the same ring with fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he needs to face and defeat some of the top guys in his division.
Another possibility that boxing fans considered for Manny Pacquiao was Sergio Martinez. It seemed like a realistic idea considering they both have fought at 154 pounds. But Pacquiao’s recent “title affair” at 154 against Antonio Margarito was a gimmick. It was fought at a catchweight of 150 pounds against a former welterweight in Margarito who was coming off of a sub par performance which occurred right after a long layoff, which occurred right after a knockout loss. Pacquiao is not a 154-pounder and there is no way his handlers will put him in with a legitimate junior middleweight who is at the top of his game.
So this leaves Shane Mosley. I’m not particularly crazy about this match-up. But I do feel that Mosley poses a greater threat than some of Pacquiao’s previous opponents (Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey, and Miguel Cotto). He hits hard, he has fast hands, and he’s durable. At this point in his career, some nights Mosley is on and some nights he’s not. Against Ricardo Mayorga, he looked faded. But in his next fight against Antonio Margarito, he looked fairly spectacular. But when he faced Floyd Mayweather, Jr., he looked like he was completely shot. Some might say that was due to the long layoff after the Margarito fight and some might say it was due to the technical skills of Mayweather.
I believe that Mosley will be very motivated for this fight and that he will be in great shape like he always is. Early on, he could be a problem for Pacquiao and he might even hurt him. Pacquiao-Mosley is an interesting clash of styles, but I don’t see styles coming into play down the stretch. I see Mosley running out of gas after the first 4 or 5 rounds and Pacquiao’s work rate completely taking over. Given the toughness that Mosley has shown throughout his career, it’s hard to see him getting stopped. But against Mayweather, Mosley looked as if he had completely given up on himself. The fire just wasn’t there and he was no longer protecting himself. And if he reaches that point against a busy fighter like Pacquiao, he might just fold under the accumulation of punches.
If Mosley is somehow able to pull it together for one night and bring his best, he stands a chance of winning. However, I don’t expect him to be more than slightly better than he was against Mayweather. But Mosley has had a great career and he has proven himself against some of the top welterweights in the world. And since Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has removed himself from the equation and with Juan Manuel Marquez and Andre Berto as the only other options, I believe that Shane Mosley is the best choice for Team Pacquiao.
A Look At Bradley-Alexander
The Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander fight is the perfect way to start off the New Year. We have two young, undefeated fighters who are out to prove that they are among the best in the world. The winner of this fight will more than likely crack the top 10 of the pound-for-pound lists and make a strong case for a future match-up with Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, Jr. On paper, it’s a very close fight. But I give a significant edge to Timothy Bradley. In general, I see Bradley as the more complete fighter with the ability to make adjustments.
Devon Alexander has a tremendous work ethic, his conditioning in impeccable, and he is a tough proposition for anyone he faces. But I believe he lacks creativity. If you see one round from Alexander, you’ve seen it all. And his fight against Andriy Kotelnik is a perfect example of that. One can make the argument that the Kotelnik fight was Alexander’s first major event that he headlined in front of his hometown of St. Louis, and that the promotion of the fight proved to be distracting. Not to mention his friend and boxing idol, Cory Spinks, was knocked out by Cornelius Bundrage shortly before he fought. But the problem I have with this argument is that Alexander looked the same as he always has in every fight. The only difference was that he was in there with a better opponent.
I am originally from St. Louis and I have been a fan of Devon Alexander’s since he turned professional. And as a fan, I hope he prevails. But to offer an unbiased appraisal of this fight, I see the action being competitive early on with Timothy Bradley turning the tide about halfway through and going on to win a convincing unanimous decision.
A Word About “The Fighter" : If you haven’t seen “The Fighter” yet, be sure to check it out this week! In my opinion, this is one of the best boxing movies of all time. It’s not as exquisite as “Raging Bull” and it won’t inspire generations to come like “Rocky”, but it is a fine piece of work that could possibly turn movie-goers into boxing fans. When I first heard that the story of Micky Ward was being made into a movie, my initial thought was that Hollywood would find a way to screw it up. But as it turns out, this is one of the best films of 2010, and it is sure to be nominated for a handful of Academy Awards, particularly for Best Actor for both Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale who are brilliant in the roles of Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund.
-boxingtalk
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