Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley: Mosley Falls Short in Upset Quest

The look on Shane Mosley’s face after suffering the third knockdown of his career summed up the entire fight Saturday night against Manny Pacquiao.  Mosley is being unfairly criticized for not taking more risks and doing more to win the fight.

Mosley trained exceptionally hard for at least 16 weeks.  Together with his trainers, he devised a strategy that could defeat Pacquiao if carried out, and at some point realized that at his age, it was not going to work out.  Mosley, who has been criticized in the past for being too aggressive against bigger opponents like Winky Wright, did a good job of not engaging in a fight that he would have no chance of winning that way. 

Mosley tried planting his feet in several different positions; he tried countering, parrying and weaving at various points of the fight.  He tried to vary where his head was after throwing punches, he fought tall to utilize his height advantage, tried jabbing to get the most out of his 3" reach advantage.  While sticking to a sound game plan, that quite simply did not work.  He appeared to be trying to simply survive and not win.  I truly did not see it like that.  He was physically outmatched and ran out of options short of pulling a knife out of his trunks.

Shane Mosley is 39 years old, at least five years removed from his prime and unable to pull the trigger anymore.  He is mortal and this is part of the normal aging process. I saw frustration and hopelessness in his eyes. 

I do not think electing to trade with Pacquaio would have given him any chance to win.  That would have gotten him knocked out, nothing else.  Casual boxing fans are not satisfied unless one man is beaten until he cannot continue.  I consider fights that end like that, far less entertaining than those contested over 12 rounds that leave us anxious to hear the decision because we are unsure of who won.  People looking for that sort of entertainment should hang out at local bars on Friday nights.

I am not surprised to read that boxing writers in general are dissatisfied with his effort.  Fortunately, most of them have never been in the ring with someone stronger and faster than them. They criticize someone willing to take risks that they themselves would never take.  To question the heart of Shane Mosley is unfair. 

Going into the fight, it was understood that Mosley’s best days were behind him.  His reputation should not be based on anything in the last few years, but based on when he was fighting at his natural weight and at an age when boxers are still successful.

I will always think of the Shane Mosley who fought at Lightweight, was amongst the top fighters in the sport and seemed unbeatable, not the one we saw on Saturday night hoping to turn back the clock.  Realistically, most of his losses are when he was past his prime or fighting at a weight that was too heavy for him.

Hopefully, Shane realizes that he is no longer a player at the elite level and retires from the sport which has brought him fame and fortune.  He is a certain Hall of Famer and anyone that disagrees simply has no idea what he is taking about.