The difference between Mayweather and Mosley

Mayweather comes to win the boxing match, and Mosley comes to win the fight.

All this that I was reading about how Shane Mosley isn't a true boxer and wouldn't be able to hold Mayweather's jock strap when it comes to skill was pure bull****.

The thing that many people on this board are confused with is what boxing skill is.

It seems that in order to be considered a great boxer, you have to be a guy that fights defensively, and is a master at going backwards.

So the impression left in my mind is that, according the majority of this board is that if you come foward, you are not a boxer.

If Shane didn't prove this theory wrong on Saturday night against Margarito, I don't know what will.

Boxing is about angles and establishing the jab. Sure it's about hit or be hit, but at the heart of it, it's a fight and in the words of Joe Frazier, "It's a hurtin' sport."

Mosley has the speed, the self belief, the stamina, the tallent, the power, and the will to go into a fight thinking that he's not going to leave a fight to the judges, or often popular opinion about who SHOULD have won the fight, but to take the fight away from his opponent by knocking him out.

Mayweather, on the other hand seems to have these attributes as well, but even when he is comfortably ahead, (Baldomir) or his opponent is ripe for a knockout, (De La Hoya), Mayweather appears to be comfortable letting the judges make the decision for him.

I didn't add Hatton in this fight because Hatton, being shorter than Mayweather, and having an average jab, is an opponent Mayweather would be best suited to fighting in his typical style and letting the knockout come to him. While Baldomir is somewhat similar to Hatton in physical aspects, Hatton is a much better fighter and the fight was closer than the one with Baldomir in which Floyd was winning every single round.

One has to wonder, given that Mayweather doesn't do what he says he's going to do to his opponent, which for instance in Baldomir's case was, "to leave his opponent on his ass, face, or waving the white flag," is does Mayweather have the self belief that he can actually do the things that he says he can in the ring against his opponent.

Certainly, Mosley cannot be accused of this because both his fighting style, age, history of his fights, and his choice of opposition should make it obvious that Mosley believes in himself in the ring.

On the other hand, Mayweather has been accused of ducking several opponents, compiling more than 30 minutes of documented evidence against one particular fighter who was just vanquished by Mosley. He retired when he was PfP #1, in his prime, in the limelight and at the peak of prosperity concerning his income, and was beggining to develop a strong fan base.

You would think that a man who says he's greater than SRR and publically disrespected SRL, would continue to fight to prove his legacy.

If Mayweather chooses to stay retired, instead of fighting Margarito who he promised he would give a fight, Mosley or Pacquiao, his legacy will be one of a fighter who possessed the skills to be great, but didn't accomplish enough to be considered an ATG. He will be dismissed a guy who's often blindly loyal fanbase believed he could do more than Floyd actually believed himself to be capable of.

 

I suppose I should have clarified it more, although what you said also could fall under Mayweather's choice of opposition, but I also understand that Mayweather had some notable victories against guys where he was the aggressor, Corrales being the greatest of course.

Anyway, I meant Mayweather in the welterweight division, but I know you already knew that so stop playin.