Mosley vs Alvarez on Ring Kings Undercard
By: Adam Millican
The main event of the Ring Kings card this Saturday night is getting most of the fanfare, and rightfully so. But the bout immediately preceding the Mayweather vs Cotto clash is a most interesting one, too. “Sugar” Shane Mosley (46-7-1 39KOs) will meet Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (39-0-1 29KOs) in a matchup in which both men have a lot on the line.
Mosley’s resume reads like a who’s who of the sweet science over the last ten to fifteen years. He’s seen it all, done it all, and is surely headed for the boxing Hall of Fame whenever he decides to hang it up. Unfortunately he’s not had much success as of late; in fact he has not been able to win a fight since his dominant victory over Antonio Margarito way back in January of 2009. This fight represents Shane’s last best chance to show that he’s got something left and can compete with top level fighters.
Alvarez is a young, rising star within the Golden Boy stable of boxers. He has a straight ahead style that features pressure, a steady attack to the body, and a willingness to exchange with his opponents. Despite having forty fights he’s not fought much top level opposition yet and his best win came in his last fight against a rather faded Kermit Cintron. On the other hand at only age twenty one he still has a lot of upside and possesses many of the right tools that can take him to the top of the game.
The old adage that styles make fights is always true, especially for this bout. Mosley hasn’t looked that great in his last three fights but that may be because the stylistic matchups were not that friendly to him. In Mayweather and Pacquaio he was facing elite level fighters with superior hand speed. In both of those fights the deficit in hand speed seemed to be a key factor that left Mosley unable to pull the trigger with his own punches. In his bout in 2010 with Sergio Mora he was facing someone who wanted to use his legs, keep at a distance, and not get involved in any up close exchanges. This Saturday nights clash will be a much different story. Alvarez will come directly at him and while Alvarez has decent hand speed and throws good combinations he’s nowhere near Pacquaio or Mayweather’s level. Combine that with his somewhat questionable defense and this represents a good stylistic matchup for Shane. But Alvarez, for his own part, will not be willing to simply stand in front of Mosley and eat combinations the way that Margarito did. He’ll look to grind Shane down with his body attack and a high punch output. As the much younger fighter he’ll also try to force Mosley to fight at a faster pace than he’s comfortable.
Alvarez is the heavy betting favorite and a win over Mosley would set him up for bigger fights against top ten level fighters. Mosley needs a win to stay relevant and keep his career alive. Ultimately the fight boils down to how much Mosley has left in his tank. If he can recapture the form he showed against Margarito then Alvarez is in for a challenge the likes of which he’s never faced. If not then Alvarez will continue his ascent.
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COMMENTS
English
Thanks for the video and for the points you bring up about Alvarez and Mosley in this current fight. I’ve grown up watching boxing, and I’ve always liked watching Mosley, so it’s a little sad that it feels like the end of his career is closer than I’d like it to be. In case this is Mosley’s last fight or perhaps his great comeback, I’m glad that I’ll have it recorded in HD since I’m ordering it through Dish. Mosley’s fights, like all fights, look the best in HD through Dish. Several co-workers from Dish will be coming over to watch the fight, and while they’re highly anticipating the Mayweather/Cotto fight, I’m keeping my hopes high for Mosley. Thanks again!