Read on for fans’ last predictions and comments on tomorrow’s big welterweight showdown between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley in this week’s FFMB. Enjoy!

SHANE WON'T PULL A 'B-HOP'

Dougie,
Man I didn’t know whether to worry about your health or what?! But I’m glad to find you here at TheRing-Online.com which will now be my first go-to site.

First, why did Andre Berto’s handlers rush him so quick? As boxing fans we only want to see him step up his opposition and soon he will have to fight the Margaritos and Cottos of the division which I give him no chance. I think he would have been better off if he had 3-4 more fights before vying for a title. He has undeniable skills but it’s a shame his handlers rushed him to a belt so quick IMO.

As for Saturday’s Mosley/Margarito fight, how much of a chance do you give Mosley? I am a Mosley “nut-hugger” but I don’t think he can pull off a B-Hop performance like Hopkins did vs Kelly Pavlik or even come close. Margarito is going to be walking Mosley down and will wear Sugar down. Also I think that Shane’s “power” boxing will get him in troubleÔǪ Stay off the RopesÔǪ much easier said than done!!! If Mosley deterred from his “power” boxing and moved around and utilized any jab, I think he would have much better chanceÔǪ I dunnoÔǪ am I on crack to think that? At more than a 3-to-1 underdog I gotta lay a little something on my boy.

Love Mosley but come Saturday night Top Rank takes the next round vs Golden Boy. – Lawrence, Las Vegas

If I was a betting man, I’d lay some money down on Mosley (or at least on the over – I think the fight will go the full 12 rounds). I give him a solid shot at beating Margarito based on his experience and athleticism, his chin, his familiarity with the pressure fighter style, and the addition of Naazim Richardson – an excellent strategist – to his team. ‘Brother Naazim’ helped Hopkins come up with the plan to contain, nullify and dominate Pavlik. He also helped Bouie Fisher and Hopkins come up with their strategies vs. Felix Trinidad, Antwun Echols, and Glen Johnson. Richardson knows how to shutdown forward-marching bangers.

As for Berto, I don’t think the young man is being rushed. He just happens to be in a really tough division, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t have a successful title run or that he (and his handlers) shouldn’t take chances. Berto is 25, and he had an extensive amateur career that included many national titles. I think it was time for him to have a real rest. He’s passed all of his minor tests (vs. Cosme Rivera, David Estrada and Steve Forbes) and although a case could be made for Collazo winning their fight last Saturday, you can’t deny that Berto showed world-class heart and resolve. I think he proved that he’s ready to face the likes of Zab Judah, Josh Clottey and the maybe Shane Mosley, and if he gets by someone like that, then let’s see a rematch with Collazo and then let’s see how he does vs. Margarito and Cotto.

THREE REASONS WHY MOSLEY WILL WIN

Dougie,
What’s goodie? U gotta send a mass e-mail when you bounce from place to place. It took me over 8 months to find you when you left HOB and lucky 4 me the Internet is bigger now and I was able to find you here in only 5 weeks from the Max.

I think Mosley is going to surprise this Margarito on Saturday.
3 reasons:

1) The layoff from his last fight. Ring rust and starting slow isn't going to help him with Mosley. Mosley will be up 4 this but will Margarito?

2) Mosley’s physical strength. Magarito will be surprised on the inside. Cotto was able to get off on Mosley because Miguel has excellent timing with his jab and was able to move his feet at the same time.

3) I'm Puerto Rican and I don't think Cotto's style can beat Margarito, so I gotta hope someone else does it!

But on another note, you gotta check out Max Kellerman rapping in a video from 1994 with his brother Sam (RIP). Yes SIR that's Max from HBO!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uA8hcv1MzA

Didn't he go to Columbia during the same time u went? Strange…. Hardest Jewish White boy you know. Bacdafucup!!! Peace out. – Frankie from the Bronx

Max is indeed the hardest Jewish white boy I know. I don’t know if he attended Columbia the same time I did. I was in the journalism graduate school from the fall of ’92 to the spring of ’93 (it’s a one-year program). I think he attended a few years later, but I’m not sure. Anyway, before grad school I remember watching Kellerman’s public access show whenever I would visit my younger brother, who also attended Columbia, during spring break in ’89 and ’90. It was good stuff.

However, wrestling with Margarito might take some steam away from Mosley, who I doubt can match the punch output of the Tijuana Tornado. If he doesn’t have the strength to keep from being backed into the ropes, especially late in the fight, he’s going to take a beating. I think Mosley has to keep the fight in the center of the ring and get off first without getting tagged back as much as possible (which means deny that warrior part of his soul). He can do that if he mixes in the right amount of holding with his offense and footwork, but too much clinching and he’ll not only tucker himself out, he’ll make for a stinky fight and risk being penalized by referee Raul Caiz Sr. If he tries to go toe-to-toe all night, I think he’ll be outhustled down the stretch of a great fight.

MOSLEY’S THE BETTER FIGHTER – PERIOD

Dougie,
I'm going with Sugar Shane this weekend and here's why:

1) I believe his skill set and boxing IQ trump the age gap similar to Hopkins / Pavlik.
2) Shane realizes he won't KO Margarito and will fight accordingly racking up points.
3) I don't think Margarito will get to Shane enough to wear him down since Shane won't be standing and trading with him ala Cotto.
4) Both Clottey and Williams showed that movement will slow down Margarito's aggression and if there is one thing we can bank on it will be Shane moving.
5) Shane's got a good beard. The only time I recall him really being hurt is when Forrest almost took his damn head off and he still got up and finished the fight.
6) I believe; he's a better all around fighter. See #1

I'm going with Shane by UD 8 rounds to 4. The old man will win again. – J in FLA

You might be right. I wouldn’t be shocked if after six rounds, Mosley is up four rounds to two on some scorecards and up 6-0 on others. The second half of the fight will be interesting as that’s when Margarito will be switching into high gear, but who’s to say Mosley can’t win some of those rounds?

6)We’ll find out tomorrow night.

MARGARITO PREDICTION

Ok dude, are you still clinging to that Margarito by decision prediction? Like are you certain Mosley will last the distance, like are you sure he won’t get stopped? Like are you 100% positive that Margarito won’t catch him late? Well Margarito/Judah will likely never happen so let’s say that if Mosley gets TKO'd then the signature Dougie pony tail comes OFF! LOL Enjoy the show. – Jorge, San Diego!

Man, you must be nuts. If Margarito ever fought Zab Judah, yeah I’d bet my precious pony tail that the New Yorker gets swept away by the Tijuana Tornado.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Mosley wins this fight, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he got stopped for the first time in his career, either.

TIJUANA TUBO?

Hello Dougie: there were rumors that Margarito came into camp excessively heavy. Has Margarito had to work extra hard this camp to take off weight? Thanks. – Brent

Margarito was about 175 pounds at one time, late last year, but he wasn’t fat, he was all muscle. He’s been lifting back in Tijuana. One of his old buddies likes to lift weights and has him pumping iron in-between fights. He was almost as heavy – around 168-170 pounds – before the Cotto showdown but he still managed to come down to 147 pounds for the fight (although I thought he looked a bit drawn at the weighin).

I don’t think he’ll make 147 pounds easily this afternoon, but I believe he will make weight and he’ll probably be a solid six or seven pounds heavier than Mosley Saturday night. Whether or not Margarito can use that extra weight to his advantage depends on how Mosley decides to fight him.

APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

Hey Doug,
Does Mosley’s father have any role in this camp or is it all Naazim Richardson?

After that nice little appetizer last Saturday (Berto-Collazo) I’m ready for the main course (Margarito-Mosley) – Steve, Montreal

Jack Mosley didn’t have any active role in this camp, but he occasionally popped in to check his son’s progress and from what I’ve been told, he liked what he saw and he has a lot of respect for Richardson.

Get ready to fill up on some meat and potatoes, my man. I think Margarito-Mosley can be just as intense and competitive as Berto-Collazo was, but with more power punching from both fighters.

SHAME MOSLEY

Doug,
Quite a piece Mark Zeigler wrote on Mosley’s EPO use and the drug’s potential effect on the sport. It strains the boundaries of credibility to the breaking point to believe Shane’s assertions that he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong when he injected substances in needles into his sides. He seems like a great guy, and being a lawyer myself, with experience on the defense side to boot, I’ll refrain from stating he’s legally guilty.

But I don’t believe a word of what he says. It’s too much. And De La Hoya was robbed. I always thought he was robbed. But now, he was really, literally robbed, all b/c Shane cheated. – Louie, Yuma, AZ

I don’t think De La Hoya was robbed (I had Shane winning seven or eight rounds of that fight), but knowing that Mosley knowingly boosted his red blood cell count, I think the result of that 2003 rematch should be erased from the record books. It should be made a No Contest, and I think Mosley should admit that he f__ked up. I think most fans and members of the media would forgive him if he just owned up for what he did and took some accountability for his actions. He can hold a press conference and look us all in the eye and say “Hey guys, you all know that I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed. I get punched in the head for a living for God’s sake; I’m not always going to make sound judgments. I was told that every pro athlete of note in every major sport uses the s__t that I injected into my belly and that it was no big deal, and to my shame, I wanted to believe that was true and that it was OK to do so. I was wrong. I wish I could go back and change those actions but I can’t so I want to apologize to my friend Oscar and to the fans and to the sport. Please forgive me.” I bet you more than a few fans would actually applaud him if he did something like that.

AFTER THE FIGHT

Dougie Fresh,
How the hell are you man? Listen, super quick, I want to congratulate you on your move to The Ring. I wish you and your family nothing but the best. Honestly, it sucked when you left Maxboxing, not because it's failing without you (because I think they're doing a great job with your transition out of there) but because now I have to chase your ass somewhere else! I know that sounds selfish, but that's the truth. But aye, the work you put out is definitely worth chasing around and I appreciate all you do for the sweet science. Dougie, I'm heading out there for the Margo-Mosley fight (this will be my second live Margo fight in a row!) and I just wanted to get a chance to meet you and say what’s up, man. Where will you be hanging out before the fight? After the fight? Guinness? Tom Collins? Count me in, I got you. Alright, Dougie, punching out, hope to see you up there. – Gus G., Chicago

This is your second Margarito bout? Get this, Gus. Saturday’s fight will be my 18th Margarito bout and my 20th Mosley bout (although I observed two of those early bouts as a fan), dating back to ’96 for the TJ Twista and WAY back to ’94 for Sugar Shane. Can you believe it? I’ve been around for a minute, huh?

Anyway, If you see me before or after the fight, don’t be a stranger. I love to talk boxing with anyone who has love for the sport. I’ll be writing up the deadline story or my post-fight column immediately after the fight, then posting the pieces, and then catching the tail end of the post-bout press conference, which might take an hour or two. I might not make my way out of the arena until kind of late, but I plan on checking out the bar scene at the new L.A. Live across from Staples Center before I leave, so if you see me snooping around don’t be afraid to call me over for a drink. I’m a Guinness man.