By Sean Crose
“I won’t begrudge anyone who orders Mosley-Mayorga II. We’ve all paid for far worse.”
So claimed “Saturday Night Boxing” scribe Adam Abramowitz on Twitter Thursday, neatly summing up in 140 characters or less a nearly indisputable truth. For we all indeed HAVE paid for far worse. Besides, even though Mosely-Mayorga II may be ridiculous, ridiculous isn’t always a bad thing.
At the very least, Saturday’s showdown between the 47-9-1 Shane Mosley and the 38-8-1 Ricardo Mayorga will exude passion and possibly excitement. Yeah, Mosely’s nearly 44 and Mayorga is around 102 (just kidding, he’s 41), but they may well bring the heat on Saturday when they fight in Inglewood, California. Can the same be said with certainty of Floyd Mayweather as he prepares to face Andre Berto in a few weeks?
Here’s a bit more perspective to chew on:
Shane and Ricardo will be going up against the Leo Santa Cruz-Abner Mares showdown this weekend (talk about poor planning!). Most would argue there’s little doubt that the Santa Cruz-Mares featherweight battle is more relevant than the Mosley-Mayorga fight…but is it?
Anthony over at “Thunderdome Boxing” made an interesting point recently by pointing to the featherweight division’s deep talent pool. Can Santa Cruz actually be expected to best the likes of Nicholas Walters and Vasyl Lomanchenko? Can Mares? Exactly how relevant IS their featherweight bout? Will anyone remember it for any length of time if the action doesn’t prove to be fantastic?
Mosley and Mayorga, on the other hand, may well be remembered as an unserious form of entertainment, like that one-on-one game decades ago between Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Julius Erving. Such events can prove to be good, silly fun – so long as no one gets hurt.
Besides, nobody believes Mosley or Mayorga are among the best anymore. Then again, let’s face it, Santa Cruz and Mares aren’t among the best, either. Not by a long shot. Mares was arguably altered when Jhonny Gonzalez dusted him in under three minutes not so long ago.
As for Santa Cruz, well, I’m still waiting for him to prove he was being truthful when he told me last year that he wanted to get it on with Guillermo Rigondeaux. “Hopefully next year we get to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux,” were his exact words to me.
Still waiting, Leo.
Regarding Shane and Ricardo, no one’s ever questioned their career strategies (until now, that is). Oscar De La Hoya. Miguel Cotto. Felix Trinidad. Fernando Vargas. Floyd Mayweather. Manny Pacquiao. One or both men have faced all of these esteemed foes. These guys, like them or not, have earned their props, (though Shane has earned his far more than Ricardo has).
In other words, both fighters (yeah, even Mayorga) have made their marks. Whether or not it’s worth a dime to watch these two get it on in a form of boxing’s senior tour is up to the individual. Still, Abramowitz makes a valid point – we’ve all seen a lot worse. Unless, of course, you think Mayweather-Guerrero was the height of excitement.