By Allen Hmiel: The 39-year-old Sugar Shane Mosley is fading fast in a career that saw the once world’s greatest fighter, fast as lightning and quicker than a cat with a 46-6 record and 39 KO’s now faces his toughest opponent without the one tool needed to win. A strong reliable Jab capable of keeping an opponent out of range and also a Jab strong enough to actually hurt the on-charging enemy. Fighters without a good jab cannot fight 12 rounds against a talented fast punching foe who continually comes right at you.
Manny Pacquiao has one style an all out barrage of punches from every angle swarming his opponent from everywhere until the bewildered and hurt fighter finally falls into submission. Mosley still has excellent boxing skills faded as they are but he never has developed the one necessary punch -the straight hard Jab-, needed to keep other fighters at bay and off him at critical times during a fight. In his youth, Mosley’s superior quickness and reflexes negated his lack of a strong Jab. But those days are long gone.
As fighters such as Mosley age they need to rely more on their experience as their quickness fades away . A strong Jab enables an aging fighter to maintain proper safe spacing during a fight and helps to counter a hard charging younger quicker foe. Mosley has the trainer, the capable Naazim Richardson, who can help develop a sound plan to beat Pacquiao but does Shane have the tools in the tool box to keep the best fighter in the business at bay? Probably not.
Shane’s short arms and lack of a skillful well placed accurate jab will enable Manny to come forward all night and throw his arsenal at the defenseless and slower Mosley. Mosley will have a fight strategy but will it work? Every fighter has a strategic fight plan until they get hit hard the first time in the mouth.
Mosely’s body cannot take the punishment Manny will dish out in every round. Mayweather proved that superior quickness and a great defense against Mosley would overwhelm the old slower fading fighter. Manny realizes this, as does Freddy Roach and their game plan will enable Manny to swarm Mosley each round until he submits. Shane’s mind is still sharp but without the strong accurate defensive jab to keep Manny away, it looks to be a very long evening for the almost 40 year old Jab-less Mosley.
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