Myth: Floyd Mayweather Vs. Shane Mosley Was Fixed; Myth Busted

Saturday night, May 1, 2010.  After 12 rounds of boxing in the main event, I was one among many boxing spectators who cried “Et tu, Brute”?

One of the most recognizable lines ever written, Julius Caesar utters them to Brutus, his closest friend, after an act of betrayal, meaning “Even you, Brutus”?

Mayweather is as masterful with the sweet science as Shakespeare is with words.

Knowing how truly gifted Floyd is, I was shocked and elated to see Shane Mosley come so close to dropping Mayweather in the second round of their bout.

Subsequently, I was even more stunned to watch the fight go an agonizing 12 rounds, with Mosley choosing to engage in short infrequent fits.

I felt like the boxing public was playing the part of a naive spectator, foolishly betrayed by a story of a humble hero (Mosley) and a slick villain (Mayweather).  Another boxing scandal, the fight had to be fixed!

I must admit, I was one of the naysayers on Bleacher Report who did not believe Mayweather did anything notable to alter the course of that fight through three rounds of boxing.

It just seemed like Mosley stopped fighting and after talking to other boxing enthusiasts, I found I was not alone in my thinking.

I adamantly posted “Why did Mosley stop punching?”

The answers that returned where numerous as well as diverse and did not sway my opinion.

The responses ranged from “It’s just too hard to continuously land clean against Mayweather…” to “You’d stop punching too if every counter punch was that effective…”

However I’m here to declare, after watching Mosley vs. Mora, the showdown vs. Mayweather could not have been fixed.

Mosley simply hit a wall after he poured everything he had into those first three rounds.

“Why did he stop punching?”

Simply put, he had nothing left.

So the glamour and greatness of Mayweather over Mosley has been exposed by time.

Ironically, it was “time” that made the biggest impact on Mosley in that fight.

His “time” versus Floyd in the ring, every round that went by playing in Mayweather's favor.

His “time” between fights, a 16 month layoff, and ring rust is hard to shake even for a young fighter.

Finally his “time” as a fighter, Mosley is 39 years old and has been in 54 bouts.

Shane will never be a PPV fighter again and shouldn't be.  The most he can hope for is to become a good Journeyman, taking on young up and coming fighters like he once was, and he will likely end a few of their careers early.

Those who can make it past Mosley will gain the knowledge of a boxer who has been in with the best and the lessons learned against him will be worth more than their weight in gold.

As far as the Myth of Mayweather vs. Mosley being a fixed fight: Myth busted.

As busted as Shane Mosley, further exacerbating the Myth: Floyd cherry picks old fighters.

Personally, I think he is a guy who intelligently picks the fight he knows he can win.

I don’t know anyone in boxing who picks an opponent he knows he will lose to.