I like Shane Mosley, but even if I close my eyes on this PED story, there is nothing "sweet" in his performances to call him Sugar. What was special in SM that he got his nickname? I personally think he never deserved this nickname.
I disagree. If you get number 10 in soccer/football or number 23 in basketball, this sets certain expectation on your performance. Same for sugar nickname
Sugar Shane just flows nice. But he is not of the ilk of Leonard and deffinately no Robinson. Leonard probably should not be called Sugar either but..he lived up to the weight of it...but not the style that caused the original to earn that moniker. Side note: IMO, and this is not all that serious, 23 should be retired in all major American sports. Whenever I see the number in any context I think Jordan. No other number is that connected to one player in my mind. With 42 I think of Ronnie Lott first.
If there was ever a nickname that should be retired it is the name Sugar after the great SNV claimed the moniker. seriously, if you saw SSM fight @ 135 you would see why they called him Sugar, the guy was a beast and perhaps one of the most talented ever at that weight . . . and thats saying a lot given thee storied history of the LW division. The sugar was not as sweet when he jump 140 to chase money and Oscar. when he Beat ODLH it came at a cost . . . he was now a naturally smaller man in this weight-class. Not being a big draw he probably was being pressured to fight the likes of Vernon and Winky, guys who stylistically were a nightmare for him. Long story short, I think SSM would have eventually go to the WW-JMW divisions but he should have stuck around 135 longer and progressed through 140 (Floyd was pursuing a fight with him he could have fought him at either weight . . . but the lure of Oscar and big bucks was to much). If he did we may not question his right to be called Sugar.:bbb
Sugar Ray Seales... Sugar Ray Hammond etc i suspect there are quite a few who used the Sugar Monikar who should be queried before SSM - as stated at 135lb he was far from a disgrace to the Sweet Title.
Robinson was a wife beater and caused miscarriages. Nothing sweet about him either. Valuev on the other hand
:happy good point and the title of sugar is basically decided by the fans. sugar shane is sugar shane because the name stuck. we still use it long past his best because we the fans feel he's earned it. if ****ed billy dib started calling himself sugar we'd laugh it off
I said from the start his nickname should have been "Walker Smith" Shane Mosley ... but nobody likes my ideas.
In his prime his movement resembled SRR quite a bit, particularly the way he stepped into his jab and turned so violently into his hooks & overhand rights.
Yup. Mosleys style looks a lot like Robinsons. Albeit he is much less talented. Not so much a knock on Mosley as a tick for Robinson. Also don't tell me the beating he put on Margarito immediately after he tried to load his wraps wasn't the sweetest thing you ever saw. I love the moments where Margarito complains to the ref. Shane had his soul from the very start.