Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao vs “Sugar” Shane Mosley
WBO Welterweight Title, 12 rounds
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday, May 7, 2011, 9:00 pm Eastern, TV: Showtime Pay-per-view
Current Line: Pacquiao -900 / Mosley +600 (courtesy of bookmaker)
Rounds Prop: Under 11.5 rounds -175 / Over 11.5 rounds +145
A couple of years ago, this would have been one the most anticipated fights in boxing. Shane Mosley had just upset Antonio Margarito and demand was sky high for him to fight either Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Maywether, Jr. Mosley ended up fighting Mayweather but not for 15 months. Mayweather won by lopsided decision. Then Mosley had a draw against the inferior Sergio Mora. All of those have contributed to some of the luster being taken off this fight between Mosley and Pacquiao. People still want to see this fight because these two are still among the biggest names in boxing. The 39 year old Mosley has never been knocked out, but that could change against KO specialist Pacquiao.
Mosley is 46-6-1 in his career with 39 knockouts. He is nearing the end of a brilliant career but isn’t the same dominant fighter he once was. The right-handed Mosley weighed in at 147 pounds Friday. He is listed at 5’10”, 4 inches taller than the diminutive Pacquiao. Mosley has the reach advantage of course with 74 inches to 66 1/2. Mosley has had 2 of his 6 losses in his last 5 fights plus the draw to Mora which is basically like a loss. Mosley’s experience will help him as he has been in plenty of big fights before. He is also versatile and can switch tactics on the fly if he needs to. He is one of the most durable fighters in the world as he has only been knocked down once in his career. Mosley hasn’t fought in 9 months, so rust could be an issue.
Pacquiao is widely considered the best pound for pound fighter in the world. A megawatt celebrity in his native Philippines, the 32 year old “Pac-Man” is 51-3-2 in his career with 38 KO’s. He is a singer, actor, and is so popular in his home country that he was elected to congress there last year. Imagine if LeBron James or Peyton Manning ran for public office in this country and still kept their day job as a superstar pro athlete! That is exactly what Pacquiao is doing. Pacquiao is the only boxer in history to win titles at 8 different weight classes and hasn’t lost a fight in over 6 years. All of the extracurricular activities might be a distraction but it hasn’t seemed to bother him so far. He beat Margarito by unanimous decision in November in his last fight. However, the fight wasn’t that close. They ref could have stopped the bout at multiple times and Pacquiao won every round convincingly. Margarito was sent to the hospital with a broken orbital bone around his eye. Among Pacquiao’s many strengths are his unorthodox southpaw style, his unbelievable speed and stamina. The southpaw style keeps his opponents off balance. His speed and stamina are incredible and must be seen to be believed. It doesn’t happen anymore but people used to underestimate him because he was just a “little guy”. If he has any weaknesses, he struggles with boxers like Juan Manuel Marquez who almost beat Pacquiao in their two matches. He also is susceptible to cuts and bruises as he has tender skin.
As for the fight, Pacquiao will win. The only question is whether Mosley survives all 12 rounds. I think he will. You can bet on Pacquiao if you want but you have to lay 900 to win 100. A better value is over 11.5 rounds at +145 from out friends at bookmaker. Though it should be pretty one-sided, these two veterans always put on entertaining fights. This will be no exception.
