Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora: 10 Reasons Why Boxing Still Matters

Tonight is the big match between "Sugar" Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora.

But some in the boxing community fear that this fight is not drawing as much attention as it deserves.  With MMA stealing headlines and attention away from boxing, a lot of fans seem to have forgotten about boxing.

Even if this event doesn't pack as much interest as a possible showdown between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, this night's fight still has plenty of storylines to keep people interested.

Here are 10 reasons to prove why their boxing match still matters.

10. Mora: The Reality Television Star

Many fans have followed Mora's career since he won the first season of the reality television show The Contender.

He came to the show as a young up-and-comer with a 15-0 record as a professional.

But since making his name on the small screen, Mora has done very little to take significant steps to further his career.

Tonight's fight with Mosley can prove that he is more than just an overhyped reality-television athlete.

9. Mora: WBC Championship

His biggest career highlight to date, has been winning the WBC Light Middleweight title from Vernon Forrest.

Mora wasn't able to enjoy his title for long, he lost the Championship belt three months later to Forrest in a rematch.

With pressure on him to meet his early high-expectations, Mosley offers him a serious challenge.

8. Mora: Mosley Is A Big Name

Nicknamed the "Latin Snake", Mora has signed on for a battle with the man they call "Sugar".

Mosley is 10 years older than Mora, and is arguably the biggest name Sergio has ever fought.

Mora actually dropped down from his normal fighting class of middleweight to junior middleweight in order to fight Mosley.

This is a significant step for Mora, since he was historically backed away from big-name bouts.

7. Mora: Career Defining

There's plenty of talk regarding Mosley's need to win so he could prolong his career.

But the same holds true for Mora.

This is also a career-defining match for the Mexican fighter, who needs to shed his label of being a second tier fighter.

If he doesn't do well, he may never get as big of a fight as this.

6. Mosley: Still Has It At 39

Mosley is still fighting at 39-years-old with a 46-6-1 record and 39 KOs.

He is ranked by the Ring as the number five pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

After losing to the undefeated Mayweather, people feel that Mosley's best fights are now behind him.

By appearing in this match against Mora and doing well, Sugar aims to prove his doubters wrong.

5. Mosley: Rebound From Mayweather Fight

A strong showing against Mora will prove that he can still rebound from a big loss.

No one expected Mosley to win that fight since he was viewed as the clear underdog.

Mayweather did take over that match after the second round and may have considerably bruised Sugar's confidence and ignited more talk of his demise and the end of his career.

4. Mosley: Last Fight Of His Life

If Mosley doesn't beat Mora, it could very well be the last fight of his life.

It's one thing to lose to Floyd, but a loss to relatively unproven Mora will lead to more questions about his waning abilities.

And inevitably lead to talks of retirement.

3. Mosley: Successful Career

Retirement might not be a bad idea at 39, but like most great fighters they never know when to call it career.

Oftentimes, they don't realize they are done until it's too late.

Mosley has had plenty of success as a fighter. Over the last decade, there has been a shortage of great fighters to rise up in the ranks of boxing and Mosley has been one of the few.

At the very least, he could hit retirement holding three titles in three different weight divisions and arguably one of the better pound-for-pound fighters of this generation.

2. Hometown Pride

Mosley and Mora are both Southern California boys, and they are taking their match to the Staples Center.

Mosley beat De La Hoya back in 2000 and upset Antonio Margarito last year at the Staples Center.  While Mora won his "Contender" title rematch at the same arena.

What better exposure for boxing in Los Angeles than a match between these two fighters in front of their home crowd?

1. It Could Draw One Of Boxing's Biggest Names

With Floyd Mayweather tied up with his recent troubles, a win for Mosley could actually lead to a fight against one of boxing's biggest draws—Manny Pacquiao.

If the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight never comes to fruition, the closest thing to another big name for Manny to fight is five-time champion Mosley.

Although it would never have happened earlier this year but after recent events, also known as a Floyd Mayweather fall from grace, a Mosley-Pacquiao match just might happen.