Stacy Goodson: Mosley will be the toughest opponent of Mayweather's life

Mayweather vs Mosley

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a guy who loves to talk trash, stir up trouble, and incite controversy. In doing so, he always keeps his name on the tip of every boxing journalist's tongue. He's the ultimate villain of the sport, and it seems as though that's exactly the way he likes it. This writer has been critical of his arrogance, and his unbelievable lack of people skills. That said, there's no denying that the guy is a defensive genius the likes of which the sport has rarely seen. In fact, he may be the greatest defensive technician ever. He can dodge, duck, and counterpunch like no other athlete in the sport today. He can land blindingly quick, accurate counterpunches as he backpedals. He can slip a punch, disappear from a corner, and reappear in the middle of the ring—momentarily causing his opponent to have to search for him. Most opponents have found it all but impossible to land anything flush.

He often leans forward with his left hand dangling at his side, daring his opponent to take a shot. If his opponent accepts the challenge and misses, Mayweather can land that left hand at the speed of light. Perhaps one of Mayweather's main assets his his ring intelligence. He's a very smart fighter who takes few risks. He tends to conserve his energy by placing his shots carefully with pin-point accuracy. He rarely throws combinations consisting of more than two punches, but the ones he throws usually score. If Mayweather has a weakness in the ring, it's yet to be discovered. His record is 40-0, with 25 KOs.

On Jan. 24, 2009 Shane Mosley completely annihilated Antonio Margarito in a ninth round TKO. If he can come to the ring on May 1 looking like he did on that night, it should be a great fight. Along with a knockout rate of 75 percent, Mosley possesses the ultimate combination of lightning-quick hands, excellent agility, and power. Mosley's record stands at 46-5, with 39 KOs. Mosley’s main weakness is his lack of jabbing abilities. He is known for throwing lazy, pawing jabs that are intended more for measuring than for scoring purposes.This could be a major disadvantage in a bout against Mayweather. He'll certainly need to be throwing strong, hard jabs and concentrating on Mayweather's body.

Once thing that is certain is that Mosley will pressure Mayweather, and pressure combined with speed, power, and agility could actually spell trouble for Mayweather. Jose Luis Castillo and Oscar De La Hoya gave Mayweather some degree of trouble when they pressured him. De La Hoya is the only boxer to lose to Mayweather by split decision. Every other victory of Mayweather's career have come by KOs and UDs. Forget about the Mayweather – Marquez fight. Mosley isn't going to be an easy fight for Mayweather.

Professional boxer and trainer, Stacy Goodson of Paris, Arkansas said: “I see it being one of the toughest fights of Mayweather's life. I think it'll go the distance unless there's a quit or a disqualification. I see two people who have a lot to prove, but I don't think Shane is fast enough or able to walk Mayweather down. I see 8 to 10 rounds in favor of Mayweather.” Mayweather is heavily favored for the fight, and rightly so, but Mosley definitely has more than a puncher's chance.

It could be a long night for Mayweather.

Hopefully the winner of this match goes on to fight Manny Pacquiao for the WBO and WBA titles, as well as pound for pound bragging rights.

Lorne Scoggins

source: examiner.com