Tony Penecale’s Manny Pacquiao Vs. Shane Mosley Preview & Prediction

Posted on | April 28, 2011 | No Comments

PACQUIAO vs. MOSLEY

** In-Depth Preview and Analysis **

By Tony Penecale

There is an old song in the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun titled “Anything You Can Do” in which the lyrics go “Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.” Since 2008, the marquee matchup that everybody wants to see matches two warriors with legitimate claims of being the #1 boxer in the world, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Since negotiations have broken down numerous times between them, they each have participated in the game of trying to outdo the other. Pacquiao destroyed and retired Oscar de la Hoya after Mayweather struggled with him. Mayweather dominated Juan Manuel Marquez, who fought Pacquiao in two close matches. Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton in two rounds, eight less than it took Mayweather.

Now in steps “Sugar” Shane Mosley, once regarded as the best boxer in the sport. Mosley had revitalized his career in January ’09 with an impressive knockout over highly-regarded Antonio Margarito, which he parlayed into a bout with Mayweather. After shaking Mayweather badly in the 2nd round, Mosley was beaten to the punch throughout and ended up losing a unanimous decision. Now Pacquiao is out to prove “Anything you can do, I can do better” as he tries to become the first man to defeat the sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, Mosley, by stoppage. Mosley is out to show the world that he can still pull the rabbit out of his hat and recreate the magic of his prime. We will certainly find out on May 7.

AGE, RECORD, AND STATS

Pacquiao:

Age: 32 years old
Record: 52-3-2 (38 Knockouts)
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 144 1/2 ** Weight for last bout (11-13-10)
Reach: 67”

Mosley:

Age: 39 years old
Record: 46-6-1 (39 Knockouts)
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 154 ** Weight for last bout (09-18-10)
Reach: 74”

RING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Pacquiao:

WBC Flyweight Champion (’98-‘99)
IBF Super Bantamweight Champion (’01-’03)
WBC Super Featherweight Champion (’08)
WBC Lightweight Champion (‘08)
IBO Junior Welterweight Champion (’09)
WBO Welterweight Champion (’09-Pres)
Ring Magazine #1 Rated Pound-4-Pound Boxer (’08-Prs)

Mosley:

IBF Lightweight Champion (’97-‘99)
WBC Welterweight Champion (’00-’02)
WBC Junior Middleweight Champion (’03-‘04)
WBA Junior Middleweight Champion (’03-‘04)
Ring Magazine #1 Rated Pound-4-Pound Boxer (’00-‘02)

STYLE

Pacquiao:

Pacquiao boxes from a southpaw stance, moving forward bobbing and feinting his way in. Once in close, he uses his right hand to find the range and then unleashes his powerful left, either straight or looping, and will often double and triple it to the body and head. Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while moving forward. Has soundly developed under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, developing a decent right hook, either as a lead punch or thrown behind the left. Uses quick head shifts to slip punches while moving forward.

Mosley:

A well-schooled boxer with exceptional speed and power in both hands, Mosley boxes well from the outside, employing a strategy called “power boxing”. Is very effective with combinations and employs a solid body attack when in close. Is adept at controlling the pace, using angles and feints, forcing opponents into mistakes but will sometimes wait too long looking for the perfect shot. Will roll his shoulders and use upper body movement to slip punches and freeze opponents. For most of his career, Mosley was trained by his father, Jack. They have since parted and veteran Philadelphia trainer, Nazim Richardson, most known for his work with Bernard Hopkins, is now manning the reigns in Mosley’s corner.

STRENGTHS

Pacquiao:

* Unorthodox Style – Pacquiao is very unorthodox, even for a southpaw. He moves straight in but is hard to time with his bobbing and head feints. Before most opponents can time his onrushes, he is throwing whirlwind punches from a variety of angles.

* Speed – Pacquiao is quick and agile and his hands are deceptively fast. He throws rapid one-two combinations or multiple left hands and will force opponents on the defensive.

* Stamina – Pacquiao fights just as hard in the last round as he does in the beginning. He applies a lot of pressure and is constantly punching, wearing opponents down in the process.

Mosley:

* Experience – Mosley has been a championship caliber boxer for a decade now, tangling with top names such as Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De la Hoya, Winky Wright, Vernon Forrest, among others. He’s fought guys who are bigger, younger, and harder punchers before. There isn’t a style that he hasn’t faced.

* Versatility – Mosley can switch gears and make adjustments in the ring, being the aggressor and fighting inside or boxing and counterpunching from the outside.

* Durability – Mosley is a solid durable fighter with a good chin. He has been down once in his career and hurt only on a handful of occasions, even though he has faced several heavy-handed punchers.

WEAKNESSES

Pacquiao:

* Trouble with Boxers – Pacquiao is at his best when in against opponents who stand in front of him and try to trade as he usually overwhelms them. But he has had difficulties against good boxers, especially Juan Manuel Marquez, who was able to clearly outbox Pacquiao for extended periods in their two encounters.

* Tender Skin – Pacquiao has contended with cuts and scar tissue throughout his career. He was cut badly by headbutts in his fight with Agapito Sanchez and also in his first fight with Erik Morales. Even in some of his dominant wins, he has shown bruising around his eyes. His fragile skin is always a potential liability.

* Distractions – Pacquiao is a popular celebrity in his native Philippines, involved in the country’s political agenda. He will sometimes leave training camp to appear at fundraisers and other political events. Also looming is the constant talk about superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mosley:

* Sizzle – At times, Mosley’s offense will contain more sizzle than steak. As he has aged, he has adopted a style with more moving and feinting, and while his moves are slick and eye-catching; there is more style than substance which doesn’t score points.

* Age – Mosley is 39 years old and is several years past his prime. Aside from his impressive win over Margarito in ’09, Mosley has been exposed as having lost a few steps over the last several years.

* Inactivity – Along with the fact that Mosley is older is the compelling issue that he has not fought in nearly nine months. It might keep him fresher or could make him rusty against one of the fastest and sharpest fighters in the game today.

PREVIOUS BOUT

Pacquiao:

(11-13-10) Pacquiao pulverized Antonio Margarito over 12 one-sided rounds, dominating the larger but slower fighter with speed and combinations. Had the referee ready to stop the fight on several occasions and sent his opponent to the hospital with a fractured orbital bone and other various facial injuries en route to winning a unanimous decision.

Mosley:

(09-18-10) Mosley fought to a lackluster 12-round draw with defensive-minded Sergio Mora. In a bout with few solid punches and multiple clinches, Mosley landed more punches but was thwarted by Mora’s constant movement. In a difficult fight to score, all three judges disagreed with the final verdict being a split decision draw.

3 BEST PERFORMANCES

Pacquiao:

* Oscar De la Hoya (12/06/08) – It’s hard to imagine now but the consensus at the time was that De la Hoya would destroy the smaller Pacquiao in a landslide. It was a landslide but it was Pacquiao dishing out the beating, ripping De la Hoya apart with both hands. After eight one-sided and brutal rounds, a swollen and bloodied De la Hoya was beaten into permanent retirement.

* Miguel Cotto (11/14/09) – Pacquiao impressively dismantled the larger and physically imposing Cotto. Pacquiao dropped the Puerto Rican superstar twice early and from the 6th round on, had him in a defensive shell, battering him until the referee stopped the bout in the 12th round.

* Ricky Hatton (05/02/09) – Pacquio ran through Hatton in fast and destructive fashion. Hatton, while still an underdog, was expected to provide a challenge with his strength and mauling tactics. Pacquiao unveiled an improved right hook and had Hatton down twice in the 1st round before crushing him with a devastating knockout in the 2nd.

Mosley:

* Oscar De la Hoya (6-17-00) – Mosley had moved up from lightweight only nine months prior, skipping over the junior welterweight division, and challenged on of the sports top boxers. In a thrilling encounter, Mosley rallied down the stretch, out-punching the bigger champion in winning an exciting split decision.

* Fernando Vargas (7-15-06) – The first bout between these two warriors saw Mosley win when Vargas was unable to continue due to damage around his eyes. It was competitive enough to warrant a rematch. Mosley rendered the rematch a mismatch, keeping Vargas off balance, before flattening him with a homerun left hook in the 6th round, setting up the stoppage moments later

* Antonio Margarito (1/24/09) – Margarito was coming off a brutal demolishing of Miguel Cotto who had previously scored a close win over Mosley. Conventional wisdom favored Margarito but Mosley’s speed and ability negated Margarito’s offense and Mosley’s power left him battered and beaten in nine one-sided rounds.

QUESTIONS

Pacquiao:
* How will he react if Mosley stuns him?

* Can he remain focused amid all the outside distractions?

* Will his recent successes leave him overconfident?

Mosley:
* Can he fight a hard, fast-paced fight at his age?

* Will he be intimidated by Pacquiao’s speed?

* Can he recapture the magic of his top-notch performances?

PENECALE PREDICTION

Mosley has traditionally struggled larger, defensive fighters who use movement and limit offensive opportunities like Vernon Forest, Winky Wright, and Sergio Mora. He also struggled the rare time he met a fighter with faster hands and sharper reflexes in Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao will fight in a very aggressive style and there will be counterpunch opportunities for Mosley. But Pacquiao’s combination of lightning speed and destructive power could be devastating if Mosley has truly lost a few steps turning the bout into a carbon copy of Pacquiao’s brutalization of De la Hoya.

Pacquiao will start the bout using his quick feet, moving forward and probing with his jab and looking for openings for his left. Mosley will bounce and feint, using upper body movement to try and set up the perfect shot.

Pacquiao’s workrate will carry the first three rounds. Mosley will try to stand his ground and slow Pacquiao down throwing hard single body punches but will be met with blistering counter punches forcing him to become more tentative.

As the bout drags on through the mid-to-late rounds, Mosley will show signs of fatigue. Clinches will become more frequent as Pacquiao continues to advance. From the 9th round on, Mosley will appear ready to fold, only surviving with his toughness and pride.

When the final bell rings, Pacquiao will be smiling his 1000-watt smile with a few bruises on his face while Mosley is beaten and frustrated, but his pride still intact. The scores will be wide and the winner by unanimous decision is Manny Pacquiao.

In the end, Pacquiao will not have outdone Mayweather on this night. The only way they can settle it for sure is to see who can do better than the other when they meet one-on-one in the ring in the ultimate game of one-upmanship!!!