15 years ago yesterday (in an AU) - "Sugar" Shane Donte Mosley Sr. vs. Joshua "Grandmaster" Clottey

This was scheduled for December twenty-sixth of 2009 - a Saturday, the day after Christmas - to headline a card on HBO from Staples Center in Los Angeles. On the line would have been the lineal/super WBA championship at 147lbs, in Mosley's first defense.

Clottey was coming off a June loss to Miguel Cotto, and Mosley off his TKO9 victory over Antonio Margarito in January. They were the #5 and #2 rated welterweights in the world per Ring Magazine as of December of 2009, and the Ghanaian was the WBA's number four ranked contender for the American's crown.

Some network shenanigans led to not only this date getting scuppered (having already been delayed a few weeks to accommodate Paul Williams vs. Sergio Martínez I, bumping it from its original December 5th slot) but SSM rusting away on the shelf for more than 15 months between the Margarito and Mayweather bouts. As it happens, Clottey also benefited from the pivot in plans with his own career payday - although his effort in Dallas the next March versus Manny Pacquiao was a bit more ignominious than Shane's college try against PBF a short while later that May.

How would this have gone? Let's give them each the benefit of the doubt and generously assume Clottey in the same form as when he fought Cotto (not the emasculatingly gun-shy version that showed up at Cowboys Stadium), and more or less the Mosley of the Margarito fight (so, less shot than he looked after just a few rounds with Mayweather).

A big edge in athleticism, footwork, speed, combination punching, killer instinct and power to even a fading 38 year old Mosley campaigning two full divisions above his peak. Clottey had that iron chin, terrific jab, good workrate - at least when not fighting Pacquiao - and some passing similarities defensively to Winky (a man that gave Mosley fits on two separate occasions).

Think it would've been good.

It also would have satisfyingly closed the loop on this:
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threa...ve-all-fought-each-other.169185/#post-4942414

 

I think Over 9.5 rounds is a much safer bet than any specific outcome prop.

 

Exactly the Mosley of Margarito, whatever that means to you.