Sunday, June 21, 2009

Mosley-Pacquiao Needs to Happen in October

It is a great rarity when all the stars align within the world of boxing.

It only happens when a match-up looks fight fans dead in the eyes and says, "Yes, I am Pay-Per-View worthy and... No! This is not a fabricated fight!"

We've seen plenty of fabrications over the past several years such as De la Hoya-Pacquiao, Jones-Calzaghe, and Vargas-Mayorga. On the other hand we've also witnessed the absolute best within each division square off such as the Pavlik-Taylor I, Kessler-Calzaghe, and Cotto vs. Margarito scraps.

When you have two men facing one another after having performed spectaculary in their most recent prize fights, it signifies all that is intriguing about this pugilistic art form known as "boxing".

Shane Mosley entered the ring as more than a 3-1 underdog against Antonio Margarito this past January. It was a bout that few if any gave "Sugar" a chance to pull off the monumental upset. The Mexican cheater (Margarito) had recently defeated the highly touted Puerto Rican sensation, Miguel Cotto in a "Fight of the Year" candidate for 2008 and had garnered the momentum and adoration from the Mexican contingent rivaling that seen of recent greats such as Erik "El Terrible" Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

The veteran Mosley utilized a blend of speed, power, and well-timed (albeit excessive) clinches to destroy the myth of the "Tijuana Tornado". It was a result that left the boxing world in awe as a fighter who had been written of as "shot" showed the public that you can never count out a throwback fighter with the grit, heart, and resolve to strive for greatness.

We've all seen how the saga of Manny Pacquiao has played out over the past three fights so there's no need to delve into that history.

The question I ask of all of you is... why not have Manny Pacquiao face off against "Sugar" Shane Mosley this October?

It would pit two guys coming off sensational knockout victories which always sets the stage for a mild hydrogen bomb explosion inside the ring.

Instead of creating fights off the top of one's cranium, it'd create the ultimate intrigue by setting up a true super bout for March of 2010 between the winner of Pacquiao-Mosley against the potential clash between either Floyd Mayweather Jr., Juan Manuel Marquez, Joshua Clottey, or Miguel Cotto. Yes... as a purist of the sport, I always believe that winners should fight winners regardless of followings.

We must remember, it is perhaps the only way... the only way... once again... the ONLY way Bernard Hopkins would have ever gotten a shot at Felix "Tito" Trinidad back in 2001.

Hopkins had very little exposure leading up to his showdown with Trinidad but due to the "bracket" system of a tournament, there was no way for the Puerto Rican superstar to avoid facing off against the best middleweight of this era.

Boxing needs to go back to this system of competition rather than continuing to rely on the relationships between promoters, managers, advisors, shoe shiners, and the hanger-ons that plague the sport.

Shane Mosley has already openly stated that he's ready and willing to meet the "Pacman" at his requested catch-weight so at this point in time, there are no clear obstacles to stop the super fight from happening.

So what gives?

Source: theboxingtruth.com