By Jason Kim: Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KO’s) comes into Saturday’s fight with Manny Pacquiao having not put in a really good performance in at least two years when he stopped Antonio Margarito in the 9th round to capture the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title. You’d have to go back another two years to find Mosley’s next really good performance when he dominated Luis Collazo and beat him by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision in February 2007.

Mosley’s performances since the Margarito fight have been poor resulting in a 12 round decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. followed by a 12 round draw with Sergio Mora last year. Many people now think of Mosley as either being shot or almost shot. This is perhaps why so few people are giving him a chance against the lightning fast Pacquiao on Saturday night.

In an article by AP writer Tim Dahlberg, Mosley said this about his fight with Pacquiao: “It’s an opportunity to show people I’m not washed up.” Mosley says that both his power and speed are still intact and he feels that with this combination he can beat the 32-year-old Pacquiao. However, few fans are going to believe Mosley at his word, because his poor performances against Mayweather and Mora stand out as an indication that Mosley isn’t the same fighter he once was and doesn’t have as much left in the tank as he thinks he does.

He might not be shot, but he’s going to have to prove that tomorrow night by not going into shut down early in the fight like he did in the Mayweather bout early on. Pacquiao is a 6-1 favorite in this fight and for good reason. He’s not been winning his fights, but he’s also dominating them as well. His fights haven’t been close. His trainer Freddie Roach points to how Mosley struggled against Miguel Cotto, losing a controversial 12 round decision to him in November 2007, and then notes that Pacquiao easily dominated the same Cotto. Roach sees this another reason why Pacquiao will beat Mosley on Saturday.