The Reemergence of a True Champion

‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley defied the odds and the critics to provide the shock of 2009 and stop Mexico’s Antonio Margarito in the ninth round of their WBA welterweight title fight.

Mosley turned back the clock and showed the boxing world that at 37 he is still one of the best fighters in the welterweight division. The one sided affair was halted in the ninth round after Margarito looked unable to continue. Margarito is widely regarded as having the best chin in boxing but was left on the canvas during the eighth round after Mosley connected with two right jabs in succession to stun the crowd in the Los Angles Staple Centre.

The victory comes as a huge shock as it was widely expected that Margarito would win this fight and head into a rematch with former welterweight king Miguel Cotto. Margarito provided the shock of last year by stopping Cotto in the eleventh round of their contest.

Mosley is now the man at the top and can pick and choose who he fights after spending the last few years having to go looking for fights. His fight against Ricardo Mayorga, where he stopped the Nicaraguan with seconds to go in the twelfth, saw him come in for criticism. It had been suggested that he had lost some of his hand speed and strength and that he was not the same fighter that beat Oscar De La Hoya in successive fights.

With this one sided victory it has all but dispelled those rumours that he is a ‘shot fighter’.

Mosley showed he still has ring prowess and still has the fastest hands in boxing. And any questions about his strength will now be put to one side to beat Margarito is one thing, to look so fast and convincing is impressive, but to stop him is sensational.

Margarito has never been knocked out and has fought with Kermit Citron, Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey all who posses tremendous strength, not to mention Paul Williams who fights at Middleweight now. For Mosley to stop him doesn’t just put him back on the map, it makes him one of the number one guys in the sport, and it shows how much hard work and belief can get a man.

I was one of the actual few who predicted that Margarito would beat Cotto, but the only person in the entire world who predicted that Mosley would beat Margarito was the editor of twodiceboxing, so hats of to him for getting it spot on and making a tidy little profit as well.

Where this leaves both men is hard to tell. Margarito will be deeply upset and is a very proud man and to be stopped could be the most defining part of his career. He must go back to the drawing board and see what’s available to him, in my opinion he is till a world class operator and can still comeback and potentially avenge this defeat. But he may have to wait. He was brave to take this fight .To choose a fight against a three weight world champion shows that he didn’t hold any fear, and that may have ultimately been the defining factor in why he lost. Fighters like Margarito live by the mentality of trying to better themselves and to prove to that they are the best at what they do. Mosley is a very, very rich man and is integral to the Golden Boy set up but still wanted to prove to himself that he can still beat the best.

By winning Mosley can decide his future. A rematch against Miguel Cotto looks likely but could be decided by Cotto vs. Margarito first (that is if Cotto gets through his clash with Michael Jennings in February). Mosley has also been tipped to be the man to force Floyd Mayweather out of retirement. Many believe Mayweather to have been the successor to what Mosley had achieved in boxing and for them to get it one would be a huge draw stateside and popular amongst the purists.

Mosley has now made Margarito another Mexican who he has dismantled, add Fernando Vargas to the list and business partner Oscar De La Hoya it shows that Mosley does his best work when against a Mexican fighter. He attributed this to his upbringing on East LA where he was constantly fighting and grew up alongside many Mexicans.

Mosley now has the world at his feet, much the same way Margarito did at the start of this year. It is up to him though what he does with his newfound status and power. There are very few things that would top a victory like this except for halting Floyd Mayweather.

The reigning WBA champion is easily the nicest man in boxing and can be an inspiration to some of our British talent (I’m looking at you, Mr Amir Khan) that defeat can be a stepping stone to bigger things and makes a victory like this that much more sweeter.