By Dave D.
Let’s face it: no matter how you slice it, the announcement of a Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight was not the announcement most online sports betting fans and hardcore boxing enthusiasts wanted to hear.
It’s not that that fight is necessarily going to be bad, it’s just that there are better options. Namely, a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. showdown.
Without a doubt, a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr. would not only be the best boxing event we would see this year, it would be one of the signature bouts of our generation.
But we have to stick with reality, which includes Mayweather’s stubbornness to return to the ring and both fighters in ability to agree on blood testing regiments.
Which leaves us with Pacquiao-Mosley.
Manny Pacquiao graphic art by Michael Canja.
The original sentiment in this fight is that Pacquiao is going to slaughter another lamb. Mosley has been an excellent fighter in his time but the truth is that Pacquiao is still in his prime while Mosley is well past his. It’s something that can’t simply be overlooked.
Mosley was absolutely dismantled by Mayweather Jr. last year and then fought to an uninspiring draw against Sergio Mora in September. Mosley looked very much his age – 39 – in both fights and unless he’s found the fountain of youth, he hasn’t gotten any younger since then.
But there is a glimmer of interest for boxing fans. Keep in mind that Mosley had to come forward against Mayweather and that’s regularly tough to do given his defense and excellent counter-punching. In this bout, Mosley should be able to sit back and let Pacquiao be the aggressor, which may be bettor-tailored to Mosley’s style.
Interestingly enough, Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, has led the fight to Showtime instead of HBO this time around. The thought is that with the help of CBS’ promotion, they might be able to make this a mega-event pay-per-view.
We’ll find all of the answer on May 7th when the two fighters step into the ring.
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