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Shane Mosley has seen better days. At 47-9-1, with 39 KOs and with 20 years under his belt as a professional fighter, Mosley no longer garners the attention of a top prize fighter.
In fact, Mosley has taken his show on the road, fighting his last two bouts abroad—in Mexico and most recently in Australia, respectively.
After succumbing to Anthony Mundine on Wednesday, November 27, 2013, Mosley now faces an inevitable question. It is a question fans have been asking for a while.
To box or not to box, that is the question.
Does Mosley—a former three-weight world champion—continue fighting an uphill battle against father time?
Should Sugar Shane hold onto a small glimmer of hope that he can once again capture a major title and claim some of the glory of yesteryear?
After losing to Mundine by TKO for the first time in his career, the one-time pound-for-pound king likely stared in the mirror at a swollen face and at the realization that his career is now just as battered and bruised.
Mosley—just 1-4-1 in his last six fights—has many people wondering why he continues to press on.
According to the Associated Press, after losing to Mundine, Mosley was asked whether or not he would fight again.
His answer?
“What’s done is done,” were Mosley’s ambiguous words, meaning we may or may not see him fight again.
We’ve seen this story before, though. In fact, it happens all too often in many different sports.
Mosley isn’t even the only boxer who is currently going through this particular struggle.
Roy Jones, James Toney, and countless others before them have been plagued with the indecision of when to hang ‘em up.
The need to compete, the thrill of capturing glory, and a desire to be great is indeed an addiction, especially for those who at one point in time have dominated their craft.
As a fan of any sport, it is painful to see your favorite athletes look like a mere shell of their legendary selves.
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This is especially true when it’s more than their game that begins to slow down.
Like his reflexes, Mosley’s speech is not as sharp as it once was and at 42 years of age and it’s evident that greatness has certainly come with a price.
Cases like these remind us that in boxing, perhaps more so than any other sport, brutality and beauty go hand-in-hand.
These days, Shane Mosley is willing to take three punches to land one. He hopes that the one shot he does connect with is impactful enough to get him back to the pinnacle of the sport.
The sport he has given himself to for so many years.
As fans, we can only admire that fighting spirit, even when we know his best days are long behind him.
In all honesty, who can blame Mosley for trying to reclaim what he believes is rightfully his? After all, it’s that stubbornness and determination that helped him reach the top of the sport in the first place.
And who among us has ever had millions of adoring fans chant our name as we show off our dominance in the squared circle?
Who has been paid millions of dollars to show off our craft, doing something we were born to do?
Of the small group who are lucky enough to say they have, how many could give it up?
It is hard to grasp the fact that just as fast as things come, they go.
In life, as is the case in boxing, fighters—no matter how stubborn—must listen to their corner.
As a trustworthy ally, the corner provides a perspective from the outside looking in. They let their fighter know that it’s okay to forgo that last round and that doing so is not quitting, it is living to fight another day.
Regardless of if we see Shane Mosley back in the ring ever again, here’s to hoping that he has someone in his corner who is considering his best interest.
Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
