We are a little less than three months away from one of the year’s biggest fights with the May 5th Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto duel at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada and you can expect some heavy criticism in that time for that super fighter’s co-feature bout; a meeting between WBC junior middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and former champion ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley.
While Alvarez has seen his stock rise in the past few years, Mosley’s stature in the game has taken a hit after three tepid performances against the likes of Mayweather, Sergio Mora, and most recently Manny Pacquiao, who he was dropped in the third round against this past May before backpedaling the remainder of the fight and eventually losing a unanimous decision.
.
.
Lineal lightweight champion and Mexico City native Juan Manuel Marquez has had some harsh words for Alvarez in the past yet this time around he appears to be centering in on Mosley when offering up his assessment of the fight.
“Against Pacquiao, Mosley was afraid,” Marquez stated in a BoxingScene.com piece by Salvador Rodriguez. “He was afraid, even though he said over and over again that he wanted to win and convince everyone. I think Mosley is in the last stage of his career and he wants to retire in a good financial state. I see no point in Canelo facing him, as Mosley’s name lost its taste a long time ago and he does not represent a major challenge for Alvarez.”
Not to be outdone, Marquez’s countryman Erik Morales, again a hot commodity in the sport and getting ready to defend his WBA junior welterweight belt against tough Philadelphian Danny Garcia on March 24th, also chimed in with his thoughts.
While truly recognizing everything that Mosley’s career has encompassed, Morales feel that time has passed for the 40-year old Pomona, California star.
“When you become a world champion, most often people will criticize the way you do it, but once you get there, great fighters want to make history,” Morales said. “Mosley is a fighter who was once great, but things have not gone well for him in his last few fights. He has been criticized a lot and has history, but his career is over and that has been very evident because in his last few fights he was beaten very easily.”
Mosley won’t be short of detractors heading into the Alvarez melee and if he is looking for any press clippings for motivation, he just got a few.
.
.
LATEST SLIDESHOWS FROM THE BOXING WORLD
Pacquiao makes an appearance on HBO's On Freddie Roach - In the fourth episode, Freddie Roach travels over to the Philippines and starts working with his premiere fighter, Manny Pacquiao, at the Shape Up Gym in Baguio City
Inside Chavez Jr.-Rubio/Donaire-Vazquez Jr. - Donaire defeats Vazquez, Chavez Jr. overcomes Rubio - Candid shots from ringside of Donaire and Chavez's victories plus bonus shots of Mosley, Rigondeaux, and others / Massive Weigh-in Gallery - A closer look at all four HBO stars weighing in, and cameos by Roach, Arum, Merchant, and others / Tensions arise at final Donaire-Vazquez presser - See images of Nonito Donaire and Wilfredo Vazquez going face to face plus bonus shots of Freddie Roach, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Bob Arum, Marco Antonio Rubio and others
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.Twitter.com/CRHarmony
Comments