Good matchup. It didn't happen because the timing was wrong. Mosley moved up from lightweight to welterweight in 2000, around the same time Trinidad moved to light middleweight. Then Mosley lost to Vernon Forest in 2001. If the fight had happened in early 2000, I pick Trinidad. He was bigger, had greater reach and power and I think Mosley would've been outgunned. Everything that happened after 2000 leads me to the same result.
Shocked how many are picking Tito when he showed throughout his career he couldn’t deal with good boxers with fast hands
He had trouble with Oscar but he won (rightly or wrongly) and obviously Bernard beat him all ends up. The Winky Wright fight, Trindad was past his prime. In his heyday, though, he had a way of imposing his will on fighters that I think is underappreciated when people say he wasn't good against boxers. Yes, he was hittable and you could put him down early but he would apply pressure systematically and grew in strength as fights wore on. I think Mosley would struggle with that side of Trinidad.
He lost at least 7 of the first 9 rounds of the de la Hoya fight. I’ve scored it 50 times..no way could he have won the fight at that point.. Trinidad could break down brawlers and B level boxers...but A level boxers with handspeed like Mosley would expose Trinidad and win a wide decision in my opinion. Trinidad has leaky defense and fought with his feet stuck in the mud.
Good fight.. Tough to say. .Back in the day I would slightly favor Tito but I know Mosleys speed would have given him problems for sure.
Mosley was more of a speedy slugger though. The “power boxing” style he has is an aggressive, somewhat unorthodox, slugger/brawler type with great speed rather than the more technical boxers that troubled Trinidad. At the time, I thought Mosley would have won, and thought he could have gone to 154 and beaten Tito in 2000. But I think it’s a tougher fight. Mosley will certainly trouble Trinidad with his speed, and maybe score an early KD. But I think Tito would land straight right hands and hard jabs and make Mosley tentative. I don’t think Mosley could really execute the type of disciplined gameplans that Hopkins and Oscar did, Mosley was better in the exchanges, more of a brawler type. Trinidad gradually fell in love with his power by the time he was at 160, but was better at boxing and picking shots (not loading up too much) when he was a WW. I think after a slow start, Tito would land some really hard shots that would make Mosley tentative and lower Shane’s offensive output, and Tito wins a close decision.
Very good post! I agree for the most part though I've always found the fight a tough one to call. You're right that Mosley was more of a speedy boxer-slugger-puncher than anything else, though I've always found him to be a decent sneaky puncher in a way that most sluggers aren't even if his overall timing was hit and miss. I do think Mosley has the tools to win the fight and isn't at a stylistic disadvantage but you make a very good point about Trinidad making him tentative as things wear on. That was the thing with Shane, Forrest turned him into a gun-shy one punch hitter overnight from the combo-hitting machine that he'd been previously. I really question his mental fortitude and will to overcome in a firefight with somebody like Trinidad. I'd choose him otherwise.
Huge Mosley fan. HUGE. I saw Tito back Oscar up and I saw Oscar back Shane up. Mosley would have to box a perfect fight to beat Tito and keep it up for 12 rounds. Tito might be too big and powerful for Shane. Sugar Shane always started out fast and always closed the show on his terms. But what happens in between his moments of glory? He's wilted under pressure and took way too many breaks for me to see him beat Tito on points. I hate to pick against Sugarman but Tito scares me in this one.
I always thought this would be a bad fight for Mosley, and I think he did too. Tito would hurt him with the jab and lefthook and stop Mosley. I think he would beat up Mosley badly.
Trinidad would have kicked Mosley's ass. Shane was too hittable, and too brawl happy. Believe it or not, Tito had had better technical skills than Mosley.