MOSLEY VS. MORA

Hey Doug. Hope all is well,
Regarding the Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora fight, I've got to be honest with you and say that I've been thinking one way and then the other. I do believe that Mora could play it safe, use his size and stay on the outside in order to win a decision, but I think that the crowd and Mosley are gonna place Mora in a place where he will want to stand his ground and make a big statement. And if that happens, well we all know who the winner will be in that situation ….. US.

Give me your 5 best fighters to interview, 5 worst (in both cases, those that you have interviewed).

Lastly, more BAM BAM, more BAM BAM. As always Doug, have a good week. — Simon, Montr├®al

I can see both of your Mosley-Mora scenarios happening, Simon. I think Mora is going to box in spots and stand his ground when it suits him (probably if Mosley gets him up against the ropes or if he notices that body shots bother the veteran).

Five worst: Augie Sanchez, Stevie Johnston, Cory Spinks, Manny Pacquiao and Frankie Gomez. Honorable mention: Mayweather (lately), Hopkins (lately), Toney (lately), Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams.

LAST CHANCE TO CHEER FOR MOSLEY

Good afternoon Mr. Fischer,
Despite my enthusiasm, Gamboa's fight stunk and my main man from DC lost in the worst possible manner. Hopefully the Peterson brothers will rebound. At least Vladi's fight against Sam Peter did not disappoint and we now know for sure that Tyson Fury's not going to win any world titles in the near future.

The rumor mill hints that Maravilla and the Spider Man will indeed fight each other in a rematch, and that it may happen in fight starved DC. Outtasite! If the fight happens in DC, I'm going to do anything and everything legally possible to be ringside. Martinez and Williams have kept 160 a thriller and I'd love to watch this potential “fight of the year” as close to the ring as possible.

After a lot of internal debates I opted to order the PPV fight this weekend. Like many, I questioned why this wasn't on regular HBO and was just kind of “okay” about the undercard. But the RingTV.com coverage of the undercard fighters brought up many questions about Victor Ortiz, Antonio Escalante, Opie Canelo and Carlos Baldomir.

What really sold it for me is the realization that Saturday may be my last chance to cheer for Shane Mosley. Sugar was one of those boxers who I followed even before I was a boxing fan. He was from that era of late 90s lightweight/welterweight sweetness, a time when Tito Trinidad seemed unbeatable, and Oscar De La Hoya was on top of the world. Most of those top guys from that era have retired or seriously faded (though B-hop still seems to have game), making Mosley one of the last of the Mohicans.

Without a doubt the last few years have been tough on Shane Mosley's fans. Those losses to Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest and Angel Cotto (I had to root for Cotto for that one) made me worry about Shane's health. I openly questioned whether his fight with Margarito (then 147's most feared monster) was a good idea.

Of course, Mosley gave us all reason to root for him that night. He walloped Margarito out of contention with a textbook butt whipping. Of course, we're almost two years removed from that fight and we've witnessed another tough loss against “grow up already” Mayweather. So now I'm thinking that win or lose, Mosley can't have too many more fights left in him. As a fan, I'm going to buy the fight and root for Mosley. I'll root for him if he walks away the winner, and I'll still root for him if the Latin Snake makes Sugar look like a sugar-free can of palooka. Shane's given us fans a lot of reasons to cheer over the years. He deserves our attention for 36 more minutes, especially if these turn out to be his last.

(PS Who was the jackhole who introduced Ricky Hatton to Amy Winehouse? tee hee. Sorry, that joke's not in the best taste. Seriously though, I hope Hatton is able to defeat whatever demons haunt him. He seems like a great guy and its sad to see him spiral down to a bad place.) Sincerely. — Enrique Fern├índez Roberts, Washington, DC

I didn’t always root for Hatton but I’m rooting for him to get healthy and to get his life back on track. Likewise for Mayweather.

Regarding Martinez-Williams II, if that fight takes place this year and lands in D.C. I’m heading out to cover my first fight in your neck of the woods.

BICENTENNIAL PICKS

Wassup Doug! Been a while since I wrote in. I would like to know your take on the card on Saturday. Here is mine… Shoutout to my Mexican homies! Party on Saturday!

1. Escalante by close UD in a barnburner. Toughest fight to call and most worth watching. I could see flash Kos. Lets just hope both get up and don't end the fight early. I picked Escalante also due to youth. Not to say Ponce is old him being 30, but out with the older and in with the younger and fresher. Plus I can see a brighter future for Escalante.

2. Canelo via KO under 5. Looks like somebody needs a payday. What’s Baldomir doing? I know he has a granite chin but it can only hold for so long. Not to mention he's pushing 40. He's done since the Floyd fight and Canelo being bigger and heavier will hit that chin with bombs and the ref will finally stop the fight.

3. The better Vicious – Ortiz -via KO under 4. This is a mismatch much like the Canelo fight. I hope Ortiz calls out Brandon Rios after. I just knew about the bad blood in the mailbag. If that fight happens I'll root for Rios the underdog. But he has the style of Maidana that made Ortiz quit. Though Ortiz was impressive and disciplined against The Galaxy Warrior. It’s gonna be a good fight that’s for sure…Talking about Rios, I was very impressed and I think he will beat JMM at 135. I know JMM is very capable of outboxing Rios skillwise but Rios is too tall and coming in at 151 JMM might actually be fighting a welterweight and JMM is not effective above 135. I don’t think JMM can hurt Rios also who will just come forward all night until he wears his opponent down. My money goes to Bam Bam not to mention the spread on betting for him. What do you think about these matchups?

4. Mora via UD. Am I the only one expecting the mild upset? I think Mora is slick enough to beat this version of Shane. And you guys called it with your “Bad style for Shane” articles. Shane looked very good vs Cheato but that was 2 years ago. Mora just needs to watch the Floyd fight to know what to do. Hate to say it but I think age is finally catching up with the Sugarman.

(P.S. What do you think about Kaliesha West? I hope to see a clash with Ana Julaton someday. Two hotties going at it. Can't complain about that. LOL!)

I can't wait to see another Rios or Eloy Perez fight, after re-watching their sparring session. Nothing but good stuff… Peace out! — Joks, Bay Area, CA

Perez will be back next month on Solo Boxeo from Indio, Calif., versus Dominic Salcido. Should be a good one. All of Rios’ fights are good ones, however, I don’t think he’s ready for Marquez (too much experience) or Ortiz (too big and unwilling to do the macho thing) just yet.

4. You are not alone in your Mora pick. More than a few boxing writers are picking him and I gotta go with the Latin Snake, too. He’s had a good camp, he’s already at weight, and he’s motivated like never before. It might take him a few rounds to get into his rhythm but once he does I think he’ll gradually take over the fight.

MOSLEY-MORA CARD

What up Dougie,
I'm finally writing after nearly 10 years of following your work. Mora pulls the upset by UD. Alvarez decisions the shell of Tata. Ortiz stops Harris. Ponce De Leon erases a deficit on the cards with a KO in the FOTY. Oh yeah, Hernandez stops Anchondo on the world's best boxing series pound-for-pound.

How about your top 5 TV favorites? I was born in 1977 so mine are: Tyson, Corrales, Benn, Norris, Gatti.

5 favorite late 80s Marvel comics? Thor by Simonson, Avengers by Stern/Buscema, Uncanny X-Men, Spider-man and Hulk by McFarlane. Peace. — Mark

My top five late-80s Marvel comics (I should note that I was more into DC titles at this time): Uncanny X-Men (Chris Claremont/John Romita Jr./Marc Silvestri), Walt Simonson’s Thor, Excalibur (Claremont/Alan Davis), Electra Assassin (miniseries by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz), and the “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline (J.M. DeMatteis/Mike Zeck) that ran in Web of Spider-Man, Amazing Spider-Man, and the Spectacular Spider-Man.

I agree with all of your Bicentennial picks, but I think Anchondo outmaneuvers Hernandez in a ShoBox stinker.

DON'T CARE ABOUT MORA

Hey Doug,
The only way Sergio Mora will get me to care about him is if he turns into Arturo Gatti. I cared about Winky Wright for exactly one fight: against Fernando Vargas. For the rest I don't miss him… — Stephen M., Montreal

Mora will never be Gatti but he can be entertaining as he was in his bouts with Peter Manfredo Jr. and his most recent fight (vs. Calvin Green). I think that version of Mora will show up for Mosley. I also think Wright’s 12-round draw with Jermain Taylor was a very entertaining middleweight bout, and his fights with Mosley weren’t bad, either.

DON'T GET 'CANELO'

Hey Doug hope all is well man.

I have a kid’s birthday party to go to Saturday so I won’t be able to see the Mosley-Mora PPV even if I wanted to, which is a good thing because sometimes I need to be saved from myself.

Mosley-Mora will probably turn out to be entertaining but I can’t see Mora pulling this off, I don’t care how herky-beef-jerky his style is, Mosley is in another class.

The only fight I would like to see is Escalante-Ponce de Leon, sounds like it’s bombs away time in that one.

Here’s my main question though: Saul Alvarez. What’s the deal? Honestly I don’t see any “star power” there. I only saw his fight against Cotto. I know it’s apparently not his best but stillÔǪ maybe I just don’t “get” him.

Am I the only one to say this about him? — Steve, Montreal

You’re not alone among non-Mexican and non-female fans of our fine sport. I don’t see or pick up the charisma that everyone is talking about but then again I didn’t understand the big deal about Oscar De la Hoya when he was in his prime, either. (I thought he was damn good fighter, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t see “star” everyone was talking about. He wasn’t a Mexican-American Muhammad Ali or Ray Leonard in my eyes.) But I grew to understand the Golden Boy’s crossover appeal and perhaps “Canelo” will grown me eventually as well.

One thing is for certain, ever female I’ve spoken to about that kid thinks he’s either cute or gorgeous. I don’t get it. I guess it’s the “Archie” effect (that’s a comic book reference, folks; Archie is a red-headed freckle faced teenager who is always juggling the fine ladies of his town — Betty, Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats, etc. — the way his pal Jughead gobbles up hamburgers.).

UNCROWNED CHAMP

Doug,
How come you didn't include Billy Graham in your top five? — Sherm

Good question, Sherm. I read the emailer’s request to mean my choice of the Top Five fighters who should have been champ but (for whatever reason) “never got the chance”. In other words, the old-time fighters that made my list never received an opportunity to fight for the world title. Graham, an all-time great in my opinion, received his shot (versus fellow all-timer Kid Gavilan). He was reportedly robbed, but he did get a shot, unlike Wills, Burley, and the others I listed.

TWO QUICKIES

Hey Dougie,
Two quick ones for you:

1. Could a switch over to Freddie Roach make Gamboa the next offensive phenom and boxing superstar?

2. Something tells me that there's going to be a lot less hate on Margarito after 4 episodes of 24/7.

Best. — Toomey

1. Probably

2. Probably

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH FROCH?

Dougie,
I email you pretty regularly, my whole focus with regard to boxing for the past year has been the Super Six. What the hell man? The Super Six has been the most promising thing in boxing and it's falling apart. Why isn't Showtime enforcing the contracts that the tournament is based on? Did they just draft them poorly? Did the promoters castrate the agreements in negotiations? What the hell? More complex international deals are held together against the will of a party every day, and there's a billion ways to ensure that when you're drafting contracts, and a billion ways to enforce it once someone's breached.

From a fan's perspective, delay is the worst case. I think, if the agreements permit, Froch should be dropped from the tourney (it's what he wants anyway, no one in their right mind thinks you can beat Abe by out slugging him) and Allan Green should be subbed in for him. That would give us a semi-final round (even if not a great one) and allow the tournament to continue to the finals. Coming out on the other side of the tourney that leaves all kinds of fun possibilities: Froch v. Kessler rematch (the best fight of the tourney so far) for a shot at the Super Six Champ, or even some informal match making involving the Champ, the number 2 out of the tourney, either of the guys who've dropped out, Bute, and maybe even Pavlik. With half of the original fighters now having arguably dropped out of the tourney, it hasn't exactly told us what we'd hoped (who was number one at super middle), but I think the Super Six is still a success in at least creating marketable personalities and story lines out of three unknown (in the States) Euros and two super-green (at the time), risk-averse amateur standouts. I guess it's a decent consolation prize. — Todd

Good point about the Super Six shinning light on some of the key players in the 168-pound division. Ward quickly evolved from a barely tested prospect to a potential P4P player with just two fights. Dirrell’s talent was shown to be world-class even if his resolve and durability are still in question. Kessler’s technical shortcomings were exposed but so was his fighter’s heart. Abraham was revealed to be a very mean and scary dude. And Froch turned out to be the best personality of the group.

I think fans and members of the media should just chill and wait for Showtime to work things out with everyone involved in the tournament. Who knows? Maybe Froch’s back injury will heal faster than he thought and the fight with Abraham can be moved to mid-or-late October. If not, well it’s not the end of the world. Maybe the whole damn thing will have to be shelved until early next year. I can live with that. There are enough good fights scheduled in November and December to salvage what has been a mainly disappointing year.

NEED YOUR HELP

Sup Dougie,
Gonna keep it short and simple about Mayweather… He’s a Di__Head and he’s a coward for hitting a woman. That being said… What does Manny have to do to get a fight with him? Well the answer seems obvious. Dress like a woman and Mayweather will pick a fight with you.

Also… What does Marquez have to do to get a fight with Pacquiao? Dress like a Karaoke Machine? lol (low blow? nah I dont think so)

Anyways enough about them… Rafael Marquez vs. JuanMa Lopez. Seriously cant wait!!! I'm rooting for the Mexican warrior and im predicting a Mexico vs Puerto Rico Classic!!! I think Marquez is going to test Lopez chin and heart…

Since the Marquez-Lopez fight is postponed I cant decide if I should go watch the Mosley vs Mora fight live… I'm gonna be in Santa Ana visiting a very special someone and cant decide if that fight is really worth my money? What do you suggest?

Keep up the good work Doug as always. — Peter, Houston TX

You and your special someone should go to the Mosley-Mora card. It’s not that expensive and there will be at least one memorable fight on the stacked card. Undefeated prospects Frankie Gomez, Sharif Bogere, and Keith Thurman are in action on the non-televised undercard, as well as more seasoned fighters Lanardo Tyner, David Rodela, and Kaliesha West.

I guess Mayweather had that quip coming.