Dougie’s FAT Friday Mailbag

Apr

MOSLEY'S CHANCES?

Doug!
You are the last savior for many of us! The one voice in a sea of pundits who see the outcome of this fight as a forgone conclusion. As I made the rounds this morning (searching for predictions), I was a bit deflated by the resounding unanimous vote for Floyd Mayweather from your colleagues. Has Mayweather done it again? Safely pick an opponent while giving us the slim hope that he may actually be in a competitive fight when in fact we are getting a borefest for 12 rounds that I will delete from my DVR the same night!?

It’s up to you DougÔÇª to get the blood flowing! I expect for Mosley to do some damage and get his hands on Floyd somewhere in the first four rounds. If that doesn’t rattle Mayweather, and he gets into his grove of countering and leaping with this left hook, I’m afraid it’s going to be one of those nights where I don’t even want to watch the post-fight interviews!

What do you see that the rest of your colleagues are missing? Peace Brother! — Ernesto

I see a ring-wise veteran who still has the speed, power, legs and reflexes to compete with a defensive and crafty genius like Mayweather. My colleagues either don’t believe Mosley’s legs and reflexes are 100 percent or they don’t think he can compete with Mayweather on a mental/strategic level. They may prove to be correct, but I disagree with their assumptions about Mosley.

I think he’ll put hands on Mayweather throughout the fight, whether he rattles the 4-to-1 favorite or not, and I don’t think he will allow the younger man to get into a groove. And if Mayweather is able to get off check hooks and counter-punches all that means is that we’ll get a good fight. Mosley loves a fight. The man’s a competitor and don’t think for one second that he’s not relishing being the underdog in this promotion. (Come to think of it, so am I!)

Buck up and have faith, Ernesto. Shane’s ready to fight 12 hard rounds. He’s not going to get discouraged if he doesn’t blast Mayweather out in the early rounds or if things don’t go his way in the middle rounds of the bout. He’s going to show Mayweather and the media that he box AND punch with the best of them.

HOW DO YOU BEAT FLOYD?

Hi Dougie,
I liked the article you wrote on the mythical undefeated record and the perception of greatness that comes with it. I’m more old school and I tend to gauge a fighter on who he’s fought, how well he loses and (especially) how he bounces back. I think the emphasis on undefeated records is far less here in the UK than the US . Joe Calzaghe still receives a lot of critique for the standard of his opposition even though no one gave him a chance against Jeff Lacy or Mikkel Kessler. Hopefully he will make a comeback against the Super Six champ, Lucian Bute, or Chad Dawson.

For me – I think Mayweather’s aura of invincibility comes from dominating fights against opponents he was always going to beat but dominating them far beyond our expectations. It’s fortunate that Mosley has a better boxing brain as I can’t work out how anyone can beat Floyd’s style and execution.

From your point of view – how does Mosley beat Mayweather? Full on assaults have been tried before by the likes of Hatton although Castillo fared much better. What do you think there is to learn from Castillo and how can Mosley take it on step further towards a victory?

Keep up the good work and enjoy the fight. Cheers. — Richard, Cumbria, UK

Thanks. I will.

There’s nothing Mosley can learn from the Castillo fight. What Castillo did against Mayweather eight years ago worked for Castillo on that night. If Mosley or anyone else tries to copy what the Mexican did all they are going to do is mess up their own game in my opinion.

The best way to beat Mayweather is to fight your fight. Either you have the talent and ability to beat him with your game or you don’t. I believe Mosley, even at age 38, has the talent and ability to beat Mayweather by fighting the fight that he and Naazim Richardson have prepared for the past three months.

From my perspective Mayweather is beatable. I see that he is bothered by a good jab, that he’s open for the hook, and that he can be outworked.

The 2007 version of Oscar De La Hoya, who Frankly only had legs for about seven rounds, was competitive with Mayweather and he made the mistake of NOT fighting his fight. He fought out of character by using a pressure fighting strategy and all it did was tucker his poor stressed ass out. De La Hoya had his best rounds when he boxed his usual fight and merely stuck a jab on Mayweather. It doesn’t take much. Fighters fall into Mayweather’s trap by overdoing things.

The trick to beating Mayweather is not to overdo it, but not to do the same thing over and over again. I think Mosley and Richardson understand this.

THE TRUTH

Hi Doug,
I got to “big” your mail bags up before I start off here. They're the only ones I trust..

I just want you to consider something for me. Has the rest of the boxing press got the wool pulled over they're eyes or are you thinking with your heart and not your head? If Sugar Shane wins we need to some boxing writers who can think for themselves and put they're balls on the line. Again big it up to you, Doug.

Reading the article “Notebook: Boxing writers unanimous in picking Mayweather” it’s just ludicrous man. Does no one know who Shane Mosley is? I believe Sugar will start fast. He'll get to Floyd, he'll let him know that this is a real fight, this is a welterweight fight, I can f***ing hurt you, I will f***ing hurt you, I'll make you wish you never signed the damn contract, I am Sugar Shane Mosley. I even believe Shane can overwhelm Floyd so much in the early rounds that he could even score an early KO. Unthinkable, I know, if you believe what they tell you. I also believe Floyd can’t and won't knock Shane out. It is only Shane who can score the KO.

I've picked Adamek and Martinez the last two weeks, let the picking streak continue.

If you see Shane will you ask him to change his name to Sugar Shane 'the Truth' Mosley?

Will you fight Kevin Iole in a Charity Boxing match, please?

Cheers Doug and have a great weekend. — Ben, UK

No more charity boxing matches for me. My left wrist and right eardrum are still messed up from March 20. (By the way, the young man I was in the ring with, Eloy Perez, is on the Mosley-Mayweather undercard and his fight can be seen live on the cable systems — iN-Demand, DirecTV, DISH Network, etc. — carrying the pay-per-view event. It’s a free broadcast, so check the young junior lightweight stud out. Like his sponsor, Shane Mosley, Perez is the truth.)

Boxing ain’t no joke. Mosley and Mayweather know this more than anyone and both veterans are ready to put it down tomorrow night. It’s going to be a good fight and I don’t have a problem with 90 percent of the media picking Mayweather. They’re just going with the chalk (Floyd’s a 4-to-1 betting favorite), that’s what most folks do.

You scared me a little bit with your Mosley mind meld, but that’s probably the mentality Shane will bring to the ring. I can’t wait! There will be blood!

I don’t see knockout victory for Mosley but I wouldn’t be shocked if he did it.

ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION

Hey Doug, hope you are well. Only two days away now, I'm getting pretty pumped.

I heard you on Ring Theory talking about how you perplex Mayweather fans with your question, “Of the 39 fighters Floyd has beaten, would you have picked any of them to beat Shane.” The reason this is a bit tough to answer is because it is a trick question.

Sure, Shane hypothetically could have beaten everybody Floyd has fought. Floyd DID beat everybody he fought. Would I have picked Castillo over Shane at 135? No, but I wouldn't have picked Vernon Forrest to beat Shane either. The difference between the careers of these two great fighters is consistency. Shane was capable of winning any fight, but Floyd actually DOES win every fight.

Is Shane capable of beating Floyd? Of course, but he is also capable of being savagely beaten like he was by Forrest. I have also read you mention that the blueprint on Floyd is in the Castillo and De La Hoya fights. Well, if the Sugar Man wants to make an interesting fight, and then lose a decision, sure.

Floyd has been so constantly unbeatable that boxing writers seem to give his opponents huge amounts of credit for even winning a round. “Judah gave him trouble!” Yeah, Judah lost 119-109, 116-112, 117-111, good for him. When Shane gets blown out by a similar margin please spare us Mayweather fans the annoyance of saying that Shane “gave him trouble.” — Sean

OK. If Mayweather wins, you got it, Sean. But if Mosley wins on points, you Mayweather fans better give the veteran his props and not claim that your hero was robbed or that Golden Boy Promotions, HBO and the boxing establishment conspired against him or any nonsense like that.

I keep getting emails asking me what I’m going say “when” Mayweather wins. Rest assured I’ll have something to write, but I think you Mayweather fans need to think about what you’re going to say or blog when Mosley beats your boy.

By the way, the Castillo and De La Hoya fights are not blueprints on beating Mayweather. They are fights that show flaws in Mayweather’s game that Mosley can exploit. Mosley will create his own blueprint to beat Mayweather tomorrow night.

I should not have to remind you this, but I will: Mosley is a better fighter than De La Hoya and Castillo.

COULD IT END IN A DRAW?

Hi, Doug!
I'll keep this short and sweet. We all know both boxers' skills, strengths and weaknesses. I can envision many scenarios: Mayweather by UD or SD, Mosley by TKO or SD. They are both too good for me to pick one. So I say this: The fight will end in a draw, where one judge will have it 114-114, another will have it 115-113 for Mosley and the other will have it 116-112 for Floyd. And then we'll have the rematch…

What do you think? Take care. — Jos├® Javier, Puerto Rico

I think it’s very possible. If I were a betting man, I’d lay some money on the draw.

MOSLEY AIN'T BALDOMIR

Hey Doug,
Is it just me or do A LOT of people need a little refresher course on exactly who Shane Mosley is? For starters, he is not the black Carlos Baldomir. With the way I hear some people talking, apparently Floyd is going to win at least 11 rounds of this fight or simply just stop Mosley before it even goes that far. One of Floyd’s talking points in discussing his greatness is that he’s been dominating since the ’90s; Shane was 38-0 with 35 knockouts before his first lossÔÇª in 2002. Is that not dominance? And are we to believe that if Floyd fought the same opponents as Shane he would be 51-0 right now? Please. This is not strictly about taking shots at Floyd; it’s a needed reminder that Shane Mosley is a damn good fighter. With apologies to the Ishe Smiths of the world, we’re talking about just the 3rd man who has lived up to the name “Sugar,” the short list comprised of guys named Robinson, Leonard, and Mosley.

I’m also glad you pointed out in a recent mailbag the simple answer to the idea of there being no “blueprint” to beat Floyd Mayweather. Well, yes, there is. The creator and executor of said blueprint is a man by the name of Jose Luis Castillo. I guess Floyd and his fans think he dominated that fight, too. (On a side note, I’ve watched that fight about 6 timesÔÇª Castillo is 6-0 with 6 UDs).

Overall, I’m just surprised how Mosley has been pegged as some wishful underdog in this fight. I guess Floyd has done his job well. Floyd goes on and on about how great he is, but to me it speaks to a fundamental difference between the two fighters. Whereas Floyd says that he’s great, Shane dares to be great. Shane takes the challenges and wants to prove he’s the best by actually getting in the ringÔÇª with anybody.

Oh, and by the way, I’m with you, Doug. Shane is winning this fight. — Jesse, New Jersey

Damn straight!

You wrote the truth right here, buddy: “Whereas Floyd says that he’s great, Shane dares to be great.”

I agree that a lot of folks are forgetting about Mosley’s talent.

But that’s OK. Mosley doesn’t mind being an underdog. He doesn’t care about how much money Mayweather claims to have made or about pay-per-view buys or about who the boxing writers are picking.

He just wants to get in the ring and win.

WHO'S THE UNDERDOG?

Dougie,
Just wanted to tell you what a great piece that was about Mayweather and the undefeated record mystique. You are one of the few writers that actually puts things in perspective and not get bogged down by the moment like most of these so called boxing “writers.” Many of these Mayweather diehards just think you are a blind hater but in reality you are just speaking the truth like you always do. You pointed out what would have happened had Shane Mosley took Mayweather's path and vice versa. Not only would Shane have an undefeated record but he would have absolutely obliterated the likes of Gatti, Baldomir, Hatton, and Marquez.

Am I crazy for putting money on Shane and thinkin' that Mayweather is the underdog? I know I will be looked at as a hater, don't know boxing, or not following the blueprint, blah, blah, blah, but I am only going by the facts. Judah, Castillo, and Oscar gave Floyd hell when they pressed the action against May but none of them has the will, dedication, and conditioning of Mosley even at 38. Many fans and writers are saying they can't see how Mosley can win.

Really?!? I can't see how Floyd pulls this out unless he really is as
special as he claims. If he does then I won't hate on the fact that Mosley is 38 but that he took on a legitimate bad ass at the right weight and beat him by whatever means. If not then I will be in the check cashing business and be laughing straight to the bank. LOL. Take care Dougie and keep doing your thing. — Jay from Chi-town

Thanks. I will.

I don’t think you’re crazy for putting money down on Mosley. You’ve got to love the value of 3-to-1 odds.

A HUNCH AND HOPE

My mind keeps telling me that Shane has been outboxed before and “NoMoney Mayweather” is a superior boxing technician but……..I just keep thinking that PBF is going to get caught early, maybe even dropped and from then on he'll be on his horse. This is when Shane will pressure him into a late round stoppage. Here's to hoping I'm right! I think Shane vs Pacman is a much better fight then PBF vs Pacman. I know about the rematch clause but since there is no belt involved, what’s to stop Shane from saying “F__k you” to Floyd? He'll get his title stripped? Who cares? Stay cool, enjoy the fight. — Brendan, Philly

I will, Brendan.

Like I’ve said before I’m picking Mosley by decision but I won’t be surprised if he wins by stoppage. I will, however, be very impressed. Mayweather is tougher and stronger than most know. I think he’s got a solid chin.

Mosley-Pacquiao would be the best mega-fight since Hagler-Hearns. It might happen, but not this year if Mayweather wants to fight Mosley again. What’s to keep Mosley from telling Mayweather to ‘F’ himself? A sense of honor and the desire to bring revenue to Golden Boy Promotions, which has backed him up for the last five years.

BOXING IS NOT CHESS

Hi Dougie how things?
I've been following the hype around the big fight this weekend and your arguments with the people that pick Floyd to completely dominate Mosley with his boxing skills and ring 'intelligence'.

That discussion for some reason always makes me think about the first Chavez-Meldric Taylor fight. Not exactly because of some resemblance in the styles or in the match up. The real reason is that people forget that skills and intelligence don't always win fights. Power, determination and heart play an equal part so I see this match as a toss up. I won’t be surprised if I see Floyd beaten up at the end. But I won’t bet any money on it :). I have also a question for you. What do you think about a possible Angulo-Williams match up down the road. I see it as an explosive fight and this time I'm ready to bet on Angulo. Something tells me that his style at 154 will be too much for Paul.

Always a fan. All the best. — Lubomir

I think Williams is all wrong for Angulo, but that’s a 154-pound matchup I’d pay to watch.

Heart definitely counts in boxing, and I think Mosley has the biggest ticker among the pound-for-pound players.