Well, 1/12th of the fight I expected, and would have preferred to see. The second round was great: the rest, not so much. Floyd adapted, Mosley didn’t. I’d say the biggest difference between the actual fight and my expectation of it was Mosley’s non-existent jab. Mosley also looked more jittery than I expected, but that’s not too surprising: He’s a smart guy, and must have suspected he was overmatched.
Future Prospects – Mosley
Well, retirement certainly deserves a good look. It doesn’t seem as if Mosley will be able to become the undisputed top dog at welterweight, which is about the only thing he could add to an outstanding career. If he were to fight on (because, hey, who doesn’t like money?), here are my quick thoughts on potential opposition:
- Manny Pacquiao: I think this is an easy win for Mosley, as well as a big payday, as well as a very difficult fight to make. Supposedly Freddie Roach didn’t want to see Manny fight Shane before, even at 140. I can’t see why Manny takes this fight now, unless he sees Shane’s recent loss as proof that he’s easy pickings.
- Paul Williams: In my opinion, Williams beats anyone at 147. Mosley should stay away.
- Andre Berto: This looks like a pick-em fight to me.
- Joshua Clottey: I think Mosely wins this one.
Future Prospects – Mayweather
I suppose Floyd will fight on, cash more checks, and continue to tell us all that he’s not only the best there ever was, but the best there ever will be. (Yes, he’s an excellent boxer. No, I’m still not a fan.) My thoughts on his potential matchups:
- Manny Pacquiao: The fight everyone but me wants to see. I think this is an easy win for Floyd.
- Paul Williams: Ooooh, would I love to see this fight. I doubt Mayweather will take it. He seems to have gone right back to his cherry-picking ways; the rumors are of a fight against Sergio Martinez – that would be the Sergio Martinez that lost an MD to Paul Williams. Sheesh.
- Andre Berto: Good, meaningful fight. Don’t know how it would go. Probably not enough money in it for Floyd.
- Joshua Clottey: Mayweather wins. Probably not enough money or interest to get made.
Other Boxers
How about that Saul Alvarez fellow? Impressive fighting off the ropes, and he didn’t back off a bit when he was hurt. A great matchup from GBP; it did exactly what it was supposed to, and made me want to see more from this guy.
There are rumors of a Joe Calzaghe/Bernard Hopkins rematch. Ugh. Joe would have to train very, very hard to prevent the rematch from degenerating into another debacle, and he (supposedly) hasn’t been taking the best care of himself since retirement. On the other hand, I like the guy, and would be interested to see what he can do. Hopkins is crafty and disciplined, but not getting any younger. And if Calzaghe feels like he needs a return to the ring for personal reasons (which I rather suspect) I certainly wouldn’t begrudge it him.
