On Saturday, August 29, “Sugar” Shane Mosley (47-9-1, 39 KOs), from Lynwood, California faces Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga (31-8-1, 25 KOs), hailing from Managua, Nicaragua at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
You can’t take the man out of the fighter, and you especially can’t take the fighter out of the man. Both Mayorga and Mosley have more to prove than just a successful return to the ring. A successful outing will signify a following fight, more money, and maybe, with the amount of alphabet titles available, a shot for a world title.
The loser, however, should retire…again.
Mosley hasn’t fought since November of 2013, having only one victory during his last six outings. Mayorga, on the other hand, is riding a two-fight win streak and has won four of his last six fights. Arguably, Mosley has fought the more significant competition in his last six fights compared to his Nicaraguan counterpart.
The event, named “Grudge Match,” serves its purpose well in describing the rivalry between both men and the issues that have surfaced in order to make the much anticipated rematch.
Scroll through for our complete preview and prediction for Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga 2.
Tale of the Tape
| Shane Mosley | Ricardo Mayorga | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 47-9-1, 39 KOs | 31-8-1, 25 KOs |
| Age | 43 | 41 |
| Height | 5’8 1/2” | 5’9” |
| Reach | 71” | 69” |
| Weight | 159.6 lbs. | 165.4 lbs. |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Hometown | Lynwood, CA | Managua, Nicaragua |
| Rounds Boxing | 417 | 250 |
Both fighters know each other like the back of their hands and statistics should not intimidate either opponent, but for the sake of the fans, here’s the tale of the tape.
Both fighters are virtually identical, with Shane Mosley having both the age and reach advantage. Ricardo Mayorga is a slight half-inch taller than Mosley but it should bring no significant advantage for the Nicaraguan.
Mosley has obtained wins against Antonio Margarito, Fernando Vargas, Luis Collazo, Oscar De La Hoya and a last minute knockout victory over Mayorga in 2008. He also holds notable losses against former world champions and future hall of famer’s Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Vernon Forrest, Saul Alvarez, among other fighters.
On the contrary, Mayorga has fought similar opponents that include two victories over Vernon Forrest, who Mosley lost to twice. He also has victories over knockout artist Andre Lewis and Fernando Vargas. However, Mayorga lost against world-class fighters Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Cory Spinks and Miguel Cotto, among other fighters.
In an unforgettable welterweight division of the early 2000’s that stretched out into the late 2000’s, it was inevitable these two fighters would meet. Although neither man took control early on in the first fight, it was Mosley’s speed and aggression that saw him take control half way in the bout. A perfect left hook on Mayorga’s chin ended their bout in emphatic fashion.
Main Storylines
Don King claimed he held a right to promote Ricardo Mayorga and a breach of contract was made when Mayorga decided to sign the dotted line to face Shane Mosley without Don King’s consent. After weeks of speculation whether Mosley would need to find a replacement or not, TMZ reported Tuesday that the fight was a go.
Regarding Mayorga, the judge stated (via TMZ), “The undisputed evidence is that Mayorga is not ranked, that he is not at the peak of his physical capabilities and that whether he will participate in any future bouts is purely speculative.”
Allowing Mayorga to fight on Saturday night, according to the judge, would not cause any harm to Mayorga’s future bouts as retirement is near.
Mosley and Mayorga won the battle in court–let’s hope it leads to a war in the ring.
Having said that, the main storyline quickly became Mayorga slapping Shane Mosley’s girlfriend’s behind.
Mosley’s girlfriend dropped her glasses after being bumped by Jack Mosley and mistakenly bent over in front of Mayorga. Mayorga took the opportunity presented to give Trista Pisani’s backside a slap, provoking a scuffle that ended quickly.
As I reported during the press conference, scripted or not, it was still hilarious.
Strength for Each Man
Shane Mosley
Shane Mosley has maintained a great physique even before the fight was announced. He publicizes it through his social media accounts, and why wouldn’t he? He looks great.
Having the fortitude to sustain a ripped body after retirement and at the age of 43 speaks a lot about Mosley’s commitment to his comeback in boxing. Come fight night, Mosley’s greatest strength will be his great physical shape.
Mosley has been out the ring for almost two years now and as much as that might be a bad thing, it can also be good. Boxers go through months of excruciating training to prepare their body and mind for a fight, cut weight, then fight up to 12 rounds. Then weeks later, do it all over again.
It might not make sense for boxing fans that a fighter like Mosley is coming back from retirement after losing many of his last fights. But in a sense, he’s rested his body from years of abuse in order to come back a healthier and fresher fighter. A combination of great physical shape and a needed rest can make Mosley a better fighter than he was just a few years ago.
Ricardo Mayorga
The man of many words continues to be as confident as the good old days that have long past by. As the days go by since his last appearance in the ring, Ricardo Mayorga still goes into each and every one of his fights with triumph in mind.
Mayorga’s confidence may be his own worst enemy, but as the late philosopher Baltasar Gracian once said, “A wise man gets more use from his enemies…”
Put aside the antics and wordplay, Mayorga believes he’s infrangible. His confidence will push him to throw hard and wild punches for as long as he can, for as long as possible. It will be his greatest strength in order to come out victorious against Mosley this Saturday.
Weaknesses for Each Man
The obvious weakness for both fighters is their age. Mosley at age 42 and Mayorga at 41, neither athlete is in their prime.
Shane Mosley
As stated before, Mosley has lost 5 out of his last 6 outings and had a longer layoff than Mayorga. Statistically, he goes into the fight older, with a longer layoff, and more recent losses than the Nicaraguan.
Something that will definitely affect the Lynwood native come fight night is the stress of being a fighter and promoter of this event.
A boxing promoter sells the fight to the public to generate money from the event. If you have a marketable fight, for example the upcoming fight between Cotto vs Canelo, the promoter’s job becomes quite easy.
However, the boxing community isn’t buying this fight so much. Quite frankly, ticket sales aren’t looking so good. Mosley testified in court that only 2,000-3,000 tickets have been sold, via Bad Left Hook.
Bad ticket sales, an apparently staged brawl at the press conference, anticipated low PPV numbers, and fighting on the same night as Leo Santa Cruz vs Abner Mares, Promoter “Sugar” Shane Mosley must be worried.
Ricardo Mayorga
Mayorga doesn’t have the healthies daily lifestyle and it’s not expected that at his age he’ll change his ways. Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol does the body no good.
Mayorga’s biggest weakness will be himself. As much confidence he has in “killing” Mosley in the ring within 3 rounds, it will be hard to translate that with the complications smoking and drinking has on one’s body.
Of course one might remember Mayorga smoking his cigarette after his third round TKO of late Vernon Forrest and say he’ll be fine. Problem is, he’s not 29 years old and in his prime anymore.
The Winner and Why
My pick for the rematch between “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga is Mosley by stoppage inside 8 rounds. It’s quite difficult to judge Mayorga’s capabilities at his age with the lifestyle he’s maintained through decades (smoking, drinking, partying, etc.).
Although in a recent interview he stated he won’t drink again until 2020, smoking and alcohol take a toll on the human anatomy through the years.
Mosley seems in great shape and confident going into the rematch. He’s been involved in training his son Mosley Jr. among other fighters, so physical activities are part of his daily routine. There are few videos of Mosley’s recent sparring on social media and for a 43 year old, he’s whoopin’ ass.
Expect a back and forth contest with Mosley getting the better end of the stick. Mayorga will stick through the fight until his smoked-out lungs say “NO MAS CABRON!”
Prediction: Mosley by TKO
