Mayweather v Mosley: Creating History

Floyd Mayweather is preparing for what could be his toughest fight yet as he gets ready to face the experienced and powerful Sugar Shane Mosley on Saturday in Las Vegas.

This is set to be a classic fight that could go down in history as one of the greatest - should it be as exciting as it looks on paper.

Two fast-punching fighters going toe-to -toe - one with the tactical know-how to pick apart any opponent, the other with the power capable of knocking out anyone at his weight - is more than enough to whet the appetite of any sports fan.

However, while some fights that have the potential to be classics they don’t always turn out to be, but this bout is sure to go down in history for a another reason at least.

Mayweather against Mosley is the first professional boxing contest to include US Olympic style drug testing in the run-up and aftermath of the fight.

That means both boxers have been subjected to random blood and urine testing during their training camps and any failed test from either fighter will automatically mean the cancellation of the event.

Mayweather was keen to introduce the testing, claiming there are too many fighters dying in the ring due to ‘cheating’ and it led to the breakdown in talks between his promoters, and the representatives of Manny Pacquiao when they tried to set-up a super fight between the pair.

Pacquiao was reluctant to take the blood tests, deeming them likely to weaken him during his training but many questioned his stance, and questioned again if he was using steroids.

However, he would have put himself at risk as if he lost people would have claimed he can’t win without drugs, not everyone but some.

Mosley has no such worries apparently, he is confident of beating Mayweather and he is out to prove he doesn’t need drugs to succeed.

The WBA World Welterweight Champion spoke at the high-profile Balco case and admitted he took, unknown to him, performance enhancing substances.

More videos have emerged in recent days with Mosley admitting he did know he was taking EPO but this is irrelevant for this fight, there won’t be EPO and Mosley can put all that behind him IF he beats Mayweather.

It’s a brave decision by Mosley he is putting himself out on a limb as, like Pacquiao, even if he has been clean, a loss would raise questions.

If for some reason on the night he feels tired, lacks the power we have seen before or does not look like the Shane Mosley who has knocked out 39 of his 52 opponents then people won’t just question his age but also his honesty.

However, Mosley deserves respect for agreeing to the demands of Mayweather’s camp, albeit probably being slightly tempted by the huge pay cheque that comes with facing the self-proclaimed ‘biggest name in boxing’ being part of it.

Hopefully this will set a precedent in boxing and open the eyes of the sport’s authorities and they will enforce more stringent testing in the future.

That remains to be seen but one thing for sure is that Floyd Mayweather Jr against Shane Mosley will go down in history, for one, if not two reasons.

Hatton plays the game wrong against Pacman

So I stayed up into the early hours of Sunday morning to see five minutes and 59 seconds of boxing action which might seem not worthwhile but it certainly was worth ruining my sleep pattern for.

What was seen was one of the greatest boxers of this generation, as Manny Pacquiao dismantled Ricky Hatton with unbelievable ease.

Never before have I seen the right hand jab of a southpaw used with such ferocious precision, Hatton seemed to miss them though because he got caught flush with 80 per cent of them.

I knew what to expect from the Philippine, having been first introduced to the 'Pacman' when he blitzed Marco Antonio Barrera back in 2003. You know he's going to come out throwing shots faster than the eye can see.

However, that was the shock for me because Hatton didn't seem to know what was going to happen and despite all his pre-fight talk of using his jab, having composure and moving his head to work his way in, the Hitman approached the fight as if it was like he was back in the MEN five years ago, fighting some other journeyman that Frank Warren pulled off the street.

With his head down and hands low he went at Pacquiao time and time again, in the aggressive nature that Freddie Roach had predicted, and planned for.

Right from the opening bell Hatton flew at his opponent and right from the opening bell Pacquiao landed his jab straight down the middle.

Hatton kept coming in a straight line, head still and just looking for the power shots. It would have been harder for his opponent to miss.

The British boy brought the crowd but he didn't bring his pre-fight tactical plans to the MGM Grand which, I imagine, will make Floyd Mayweather Sr decide to step down as his coach if he wasn't going to already.

Whoever thought in the Hitman's camp that the Philippine did not have the power or the ability to maintain his ferocious speed at the light welterweight division, should also quit.

He just destroyed one of the legends of the ring in Oscar De La Hoya, and even if the Golden Boy was off colour or past it, that was at welterweight, why could he not do the same at a lower weight?

In fact I would have been more worried that Hatton would not have the power after yet another draining training programme to make the 10 stone limit.

Let's not take anything away from the pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao was superb.

He and Roach got the tactics spot on and used Hatton's over the top aggression against him.

It was Roach's words after the fight that signified the simplicity in their preparations.

"Every time Ricky throws his left hand he pulls it back and cocks it and he's wide open for a short right hook on the inside from a southpaw stance.

"I knew it was over because it seems like Ricky doesn't have the ability to adjust.

"He fights the same way over and over again. I've watched him for the last two-and-a-half months. I know him pretty well."

It may seem obvious to watch the tapes and find the weaknesses but in the professional game with all the hype, money and pressure for excitement, it's sometimes forgotten.

The way that the tactics were employed, worked to utter perfection. It could not have worked any better.

It typifies Roach, a pure perfectionist that makes sure his fighters are ready for whatever lies ahead.

He took on Pacquiao as a decent slugger and turned him into a boxing master who's record of beaten opponents now reads like a Hall Of Fame list.

Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, De La Hoya and now Hatton are just some of the greats he has beaten.

In my opinion he should only fight once more before calling it a day as a true ring legend and turning his attention to the world of politics.

With the winner of Floyd Mayweather Jr versus Marquez in July getting the privilege of facing the Philippine to decide who really is the true pound-for-pound champion and probably the greatest fighter of the last decade.