Shane Mosley: Anything Can Still Happen

“But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” That’s the famous Rocky Balboa phrase way back four years ago.

It was officially announced that Shane Mosley will be fighting Manny Pacquiao this coming May 7th in a blockbuster fight between two crafty fighters. Mosley won the mega-Manny sweepstakes against the hopeful Juan Manuel Marquez, and Andre Berto, after Floyd Mayweather Jr., will be facing a different battle out of the ring and in the court of law.

The three-division champion Mosley cut ties with his business partner and boxing promoter Golden Boy Promotions in favor of Bob Arum’s Top Rank. Shane wanted his career on the right direction and he wants the big pay day. He wanted to fight Pacquiao and moving to Top Rank was the only logical thing to do. It was a business move and a career risk but everything is now paid off.

Shane doesn’t have the luxury of time. He wishes this fight had happened two years or even a year ago. However, it is better late than never, and at 39 years old it seems a bit too late. Those heavy battles against Oscar De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright and Miguel Cotto are slowly taking their toll. His quick, cat reflexes seem a step slower now. His power is already suspect when he failed to dispose a wobbly Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the early rounds of their fight. And it seems he doesn’t dominate his opponent like he used to with his lackluster draw in his last fight against Sergio Mora.

Andre Berto could have been a good and explosive fight for Manny, but Mosley simply brings more crowd and more money to the table. It seems Manny is fighting Mayweather’s leftovers. But Manny respected Mosley’s skills.

He is not a shot fighter, and if he could hurt Margarito in such a brutal fashion then he could certainly hurt Manny. He still moves a lot and has a powerful, sneaky left jab, a good weapon against Manny’s straight-forward offense.

Shane just wanted a chance. He wanted to believe that he can still do it. He may be a step slower now, but he can still punch and he can still knock anyone out. It is not about how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward… But at Mosley’s age, I wonder how long his legs could stand Manny’s assault. How much can he take? And keep moving forward…He definitely is no Rocky, but he is definitely not on his fifties.

Anything can still happen.