With the Mosley-Pacquiao fight approaching and all the controversy surrounding it, there has been a lot of talk of how good a "prime" Shane was. People who weren't even born when he was in his prime or were just kids have expressed all sorts opinions about what type of fighting style supposedly he had. I just recently read in a thread, "that Shane possessed a Mexican style just with faster hands." "What was Shane's boxing style" In Shane's prime, Shane was a "Puncher/Boxer"......plain and simple. Shane was never a finesse boxer that lived and died behind his jab, or fought off of the back foot exclusively. But at 135lbs This content is protected Shane displayed a very good jab that he controlled opponents with. It wasn't the pawing jab that Shane in his mid 30's began to rely on to gauge distance. In Shane's youth his timing and ability to gauge distance were impeccable, hence why he could throw and land in combination from up close as well at a distance. As Shane got older, and had less confidence, and his reflexes started to slow, so did his combination punching which made him such a threat in his youth. But make no mistake Shane was an ALL-AROUND fighter. He could fight off the back foot This content is protected . All fights in which he used his jab and looked to counter his aggressive opponents. Shane often started as a counter puncher, and then once he felt his opponent had been softened up he would then begin to walk them down, ultimately KO'ing them. Shane could also fight coming forward, but as a lightweight Shane rarely "Stalked" his opponents exclusively. Shane like Manny would jump in and out of range, and only till his opponent showed signs he was ready to go would he then walk them down. What you had in Shane as a lightweight, and why "boxing historians" consider Shane to be an ATG lightweight.... was a very large, physically strong, KO power in either hand, hall of fame chin, extremely fast hands & feet, dynamic combination puncher. He could fight from both the outside as well as the inside. Now just think to yourself how many fighters today you can really say that about. He was a phenomenal body puncher too. Shane also possessed a very good defense. He was not and will never be mistaken for Whitaker, Hopkins, Toney, Mayweather,or even Marquez. In fact it is totally fair to say that a critical aspect of Shane's defense was his offense. But to put this into perspective Shane in his prime NEVER got hit as much as Pacquiao. Shane's combination of boxing skill This content is protected meant that most didn't get near him. If you don't believe this go back and check the punch stats. In fact go back and check the punch stats for the first Forrest fight. You might think you are going to find Shane getting hit by a high percentage of punches. What you will find is Forrest landed between 24%-27% of his punches. Is Shane an ATG lightweight? Yes. Some of you might find the above statement controversial, but here is why. I and many other boxing historians will never claim that Shane should be considered an ATG at lightweight due to who he defeated at the weight. Because the truth is there are absolutely no future HOF's on Shane's resume as a lightweight. In fact there isn't anyone close to being a HOFer. At the time Shane was a lightweight, his best competition would have been "LiL But Bad" Stevie Johnston but this fight didn't materialize. But Shane did defeat several lightweight belt holders or former belt holders. His best wins were actually against Molina and Leija, two fighters whose primes were at 130lbs. But both of them went on to be solid lightweights after losing to Shane. Shane is considered an ATG by trainers such as the late great Eddie Futch, because of the talent and skill he displayed in knocking out 31 of 32 opponents at lightweight. Shane further solidified boxing historians view of him as a lightweight by his victory over De La Hoya at 147lbs This content is protected
Bumping this as the big fight is very close. And it is important to put shane's career into proper perspective.
Shane is a legend but like you said he has been slipping for a long time now. I remember betting on Collazo to show that Shane was past it. I was wrong then but it was coming.
Good post...lengthy...but, good analysis. :good I agree that Shane is a legend, and it is quite clear at this point, that the sun has almost set on what was, for the most part, a great career. I expect this to be a VERY tough fight for fight for Shane. Not because Pac is so much better than him (because prime for prime he really isn't)...but, because, Shane is so far from his prime. Pac's movement I think will be a nightmare for Shane, once he loses steam. But, Shane will have flashes of his former self, I think. He is still a better athlete than guys like Margarito and Clottey, and a much smarter fighter than them, as well. Not to mention, he has a better corner than the majority of Manny's opponents at welter.
great analysis. Shane, in his prime, was truly an all around fighter. Unfortunately his career has been underrated and underappreciated
