The three most-talked-about fighters in the world might be Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley, for obvious reasons.
Mayweather was supposed to have fought Pacquiao this month in a mammoth promotion but negotiations collapsed over drug testing. Mayweather then chose to fight Mosley in what will be the biggest fight of the year. And, if there’s any common sense in the world, the winner will fight Pacquiao next.
Who wins these fights, either real or speculative?
RingTV.com asked four respected trainers -– Joe Goossen, Ronnie Shields, Buddy McGirt and Robert Garcia -- to give their thoughts on the three possible matchups: Mayweather-Mosley, Pacquiao-Mayweather and Pacquiao-Mosley.
Here’s what they had to say.
MAYWEATHER vs. MOSLEY
Joe Goossen: I like Shane Mosley in this fight. He’s quick handed and fast on his feet. Mayweather is quick handed and fast on his feet except he’s half the man Shane is sizewise. Shane Mosley has fought 160 pounders and fared quite well. He beat (Oscar) De La Hoya when he was De La Hoya. He took on a giant Antonio Margarito and beat him at his own game, the inside, Mexican-style game. And no one does that against Margarito. I know everyone thinks Mayweather will win. Well, everyone thought Margarito would beat Shane. I just think Mayweather doesn’t punch enough. He can pop you here and there, move here and there, play cat and mouse and wear you down against a good or very good opponent. But Shane is a cut above.
Ronnie Shields: I think Mayweather is going to win a close decision. Shane will come at Floyd. Floyd won’t have to look for him. Shane has to put a lot of pressure on Floyd to win; he has to throw a lot of punches to try to outwork Floyd. I don’t see that happening. I think Floyd will hold him, walk him around, stand on the ropes, let Shane thrown punches and catch them on his arms and then counter punch him all night long. It might be a different story if Shane moved around the ring like he used to. He’s older now, though; he can’t do that. The only way Shane can catch him and hurt him would be with the left hook and Floyd never drops his right hand. Shane won’t hurt him with his right. It has to be the left hook. And I don’t see him touching Floyd with it.
Buddy McGirt: I go with Mayweather because of his speed. Guys with speed have given Mosley a little trouble. I think Shane will try to come in and try to overpower him. That’s a mistake. Mayweather has a way of getting you to dance to his beat. What happens when Mosley comes in? Mayweather strips and counters. You can’t stand in front of Shane; he’ll kill you if you do that. He has trouble with fast guys, though, guys like Vernon Forrest. If they fought eight, nine years ago, it would be a different ball game. Margarito was tailor-made for him, like me fighting a heavy bag. Shane can still fight. And he has an experienced trainer in Naazim Richardson. I’m quite sure he’ll have very good strategy. Floyd will make adjustments, though. He’s very good at that. He’s just a natural fighter.
Robert Garcia: I like Shane as a person. He’s been a friend of mine since the amateurs. I would love to see him win. But this is a difficult fight. Mayweather is very, very difficult to hit. He’s a great defensive fighter and very quick at the same time. It all depends on which Mosley shows up. The Mosley who fought Margarito looked great. He fought the perfect fight and showed he’s still one of the best pound for pound in the world. The one who fought (Ricardo) Mayorga didn’t look so good. I think he’ll give Mayweather a hell of a fight but I still give the edge to Mayweather. His defense, his speed, he’s awkward. I think Mayweather will win a decision.
PACQUIAO VS. MAYWEATHER
Joe Goossen: Mayweather wants nothing to do with Pacquiao. Certain guys give other guys the willies. I think Pacquiao gives him the willies. He’s Professor Moriarty to Sherlock Holmes. No. 1, Mayweather isn’t enamored with fighting southpaws. No. 2, Manny Pacquiao is very hard to discourage. And No. 3, Manny Pacquiao does not stop punching. He hits you in the arms, the ribs, the hip, anywhere he can. And he’s very accurate. He’s constantly on you, like a barnacle. You can’t get rid of him. No one respects Floyd Mayweather like I do but I call it as I see it. Mayweather can crack but I don’t think his punches come often enough. It might’ve been different when Pacquiao didn’t use his right hand. It’s too late for that, though: Pacquiao has learned how to fight.
Ronnie Shields: I just think Mayweather’s defense is too good. Manny throws more punches but he’s not going to land more punches. This’ll be a close fight either way it goes. Do you go with the aggressor, Pacquiao, or do you go with the guy landing the cleaner, harder punches, Mayweather? I think I’d go with Mayweather. Manny will have to make the fight, to come through Floyd, and that could play right into Floyd’s hands. Floyd will block and counter effectively. Floyd will stand and wait, wait, wait, and when Manny comes in, Floyd will hit him. I think Manny’s defense is a little better than Shane’s. You can’t miss Shane. It’s a pick ‘em fight. It depends what kind of fighter you like.
Buddy McGirt: I think Mayweather will win if he has the right strategy. You gotta punch when Pacquiao punches. (Juan Manuel) Marquez showed the way to beat Pacquiao. If you wait for him to get done punching, he’ll be gone. Floyd is very smart, though; so is Pacquiao. I just think Floyd is better. And he’s very fast. You don’t know how fast until you’re in the opposite corner. I was in Arturo’s (Gatti) corner. His speed is unbelievable. I think Pacquiao would run into counters. And once Floyd gets you to dance to his beat, he’s got you. A perfect example is Zab Judah. Judah won the first four, five rounds. Once Floyd figured him out, though, it was over.
Robert Garcia: I think Pacquiao beats Mayweather. Pacquiao throws a lot of punches. I don’t think he would knock Mayweather out. Mayweather is a good defensive fighter. Mayweather doesn’t throw as many punches as Pacquiao, though. I think Pacquiao will outpunch him three, four punches to one. I don’t think it’ll be like the (Joshua) Clottey fight; it won’t be easy. But I think Pacquiao wins a decision. I think Pacquiao will throw three-, four-punch combinations and move side to side. Mayweather doesn’t throw that many punches. I think there’ll be times he’ll take the combinations and not throw anything back. That should give Pacquiao the rounds.
PACQUIAO vs. MOSLEY
Joe Goossen: That’s a tough one. Mosley can punch. You saw where Clottey landed a couple of left hooks and right hands on Pacquiao. And he may have buzzed him a bit once or twice. Mosley would probably have to beat Mayweather to fight Pacquiao, which means he’d be coming in with a whole new set of confidence. And Shane has had some experience with southpaws, more than Mayweather. Pacquiao wouldn’t overwhelm Mosley. Shane isn’t a shrinking violet himself when it comes to throwing punches and Pacquiao knows it. A big, fast, strong guy like Mosley will be the biggest, fastest, strongest guy Pacquiao has fought and he really fights. Do I pick Mosley? I might if I were assured he hasn’t lost anything since his last fight. I can tell you this: Someone will get knocked out. Who? (Laughs.)
Ronnie Shields: That’s hard to pick. They really have the same style, although one is a southpaw (Pacquiao) and one is right handed. Again, though, Pacquiao’s defense is better than Mosley’s. I would have to go with Pacquiao for that reason. If this were Mosley at 135 pounds, I would say Shane Mosley any day of the week. At 147 pounds and … what is he, 38? … I have to go with the younger fighter because of defense and foot speed. This is a very entertaining fight. These guys both throw a lot of punches. I don’t think there’s a better fight in boxing right now than Manny Pacquiao against Shane Mosley.
Buddy McGirt: I think this would be a great fight. I don’t want to pick a winner. I just want to sit back and watch that one. Shane can still fight. He’s not the Shane of seven, eight years ago, though, so I lean a little toward Pacquiao. Shane is known for pulling upsets, though. So who knows? I know what Floyd does. He tries to out-slick you. Shane is going to bring it, and Pacquiao is going to bring it. I think Pacquiao’s edge is his speed. But if he sits in front of Shane too long, he could pay a price. Great fight.
Robert Garcia: I pick Pacquiao but I think it’ll be very close. Shane fights with his heart. He still wants to prove that he’s one of the best. He’s still hungry. He can stand in front of you, make you miss and then land counters. And Mosley can take a good punch, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mosley pulled it off. I know it’d be the best fight for the fans. It’s a more-interesting fight than Mayweather-Pacquiao, a real fight for true boxing fans.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer
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