Andre Berto vs. Shane Mosley

Remember when this was officially scheduled & signed by all parties? As of eight years and less than a week ago, it was, for January 30th of 2010 on HBO - and it was meant to be a welterweight unification with both considered to be at the very top of their game. Berto had the youth advantage, while Mosley had the experience. Each had fast hands, good power, and sporadically aggressive boxer-puncher styles (or in Mosley's case, "power-boxing", as his father Jack called it) where they fought in brief, exhilarating bursts. They both were coming off high-profile dominant world championship victories (Berto showcasing his speed in a flurry-and-hold clinic against slugger Juan Urango to defend his fabled & widely coveted WBC "green belt"; Mosley unleashing a furious onslaught under Naz Richardson's guidance, becoming the first to ever to stop the iron-chinned Antonio Margarito to annex both his soul and his WBA title for good measure).

Then a massive earthquake rated 7Mw on the Richter scale hit & shattered the entire island of Hispaniola. Berto released a statement immediately afterward, that he felt compelled to return to his native home and help with the relief efforts (and IIRC, search for some lost or unaccounted-for relatives?).

Attempts were made to reschedule, but for naught. Berto & Mosley went on to have mixed success in the ensuing years, with rapidly diminishing returns on their respectively unattainable lightning-in-a-bottle peak form in 2010. Both fought, and lost decisions to, Floyd Mayweather Jr. - and received handsome paydays in the bargain. They fought in a combined 10 more championship bouts, going a combined 4-6 (4) - with all four wins courtesy of Berto. Their overall records since 2010 are: Berto 6-5 (5), down nine times & stopped twice and Mosley: 3-5-1 (2), stopped once via back injury. Needless to say, eight years ago was the last time either of them was headed into a big, meaningful, lucrative fight while still considered a force.

Had the quake not hit (and devastated the country our president chose yesterday, in his infinite sensitive wisdom, to refer to as being a "shithole", just three days after the anniversary of the disaster which displaced nearly a million people ) and this had gone ahead, how would it have played out? Given their respective form versus Margarito and Urango, for the sake of argument.

 

Disclaimer:

This content is protected

 

Yeah, I think I remember you tipping SSM pretty confidently back then even though Berto was still undefeated and had some hype behind him.

 

Mosley whose last gasp was arguably the year before, in 2009. When did he ever look that good again? In the nine remaining fights of his career after Margarito he looked mostly like complete ass (outside a good round against Floyd, and maybe a couple versus Canelo) - even in his wins.

 

You don't think Berto from Ortiz I can be competitive with the Mosley that drew with Sergio Mora?

 

As of then nobody had seen him dropped yet (or even seriously hurt, perhaps?)


..and the perception was that unlike notoriously slow Margarito, he wouldn't be outclassed in the speed department.

Experts were split on this.

 

Negative. Few in history ever have received beatdowns like the one Mosley wrought on Margarito. You might need to rewatch it.