Preview of the Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley Fight

The welterweight division remains the most exciting division in boxing but entering 2009 there are still some questions that need to be answered. After Antonio Margarito’s destruction of Miguel Cotto, there is still no clear number one man in the division. That’s because Paul Williams recently beat Margarito, and no rematch has taken place or looks to be on the horizon. While that’s the fight most fans would like to see Margarito in, a match with Shane Mosley is not just a tune-up fight.

Shane Mosley is still a tough competitor and a formidable opponent, even if he is no longer at the very top of the division. He narrowly lost to Miguel Cotto, but despite a good performance, it was viewed as a fight that a younger Shane Mosley would have won. In Antonio Margarito, he is facing a larger, more active and sturdier fighter than Miguel Cotto, so Mosley will truly need a performance for the ages to best the champion.

Can Shane Mosley beat Antonio Margarito?

The short answer is yes, the more difficult question is how will he be able to pull it off? Mosley was always a come forward fighter who never cared much for defense. He had great offense that he could attack with first and he has one of the best chins in the business protecting him when he did get hit. However, walking straight in and trading shots with Antonio Margarito is a recipe for disaster, and Mosley has not been able to maintain the activity level for all three minutes of a round that he used to.

What Shane Mosley will need to do is to use his superior hand speed to fire three to four punch combinations and then take a quick step to the side and circle Margarito. In the early rounds, this tactic should be sufficient to keep Margarito from landing his own powerful – but slow and looping – shots. Once Margarito adjusts however, Mosley could be in trouble. As we saw in the Margarito/Cotto fight, Margarito can be seemingly battered for an entire fight and be left no worse than he started. His chin and stamina are excellent, as is his ferocity and work rate. Mosley will need to be able to continue getting his shots off first and circling his man, hoping that Margarito doesn’t catch up.

> Be sure to check out The 1-2 Punch's interview with Antonio Margarito from November 2008 and buy boxing gear & training equipment online!

Unfortunately for Mosley, he’s just a bit too long in the tooth to pull off that strategy against Margarito. Margarito is going to be able to catch up to him and land his own bombs. Once those three to four punch combinations change to one or two shots at a time, Margarito will be able to wade in more effectively. While it’s hard to envision Shane Mosley being knocked out, I can see him taking a fair amount of punishment en route to a close decision victory. The early rounds will go to Mosley, after which Margarito will come on strong and make a late push against the tired, and aged, Mosley.

Antonio Margarito obviously needs to win this fight to continue establishing himself as the best welterweight in the world. But only one fight can truly hand him that lofty position, and that’s a rematch with Paul Williams.

By Jake Emen
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer