Mosley-Mayorga II Preview

When former world champions Shane Mosley and Ricardo Mayorga entered the ring to do battle in September 2008 both fighters were looking to position themselves for a potential world title shot in either the Welterweight or Jr. Middleweight division. In what was a competitive and close fight from start to finish both fighters were able to have periods of effectiveness. It was Mosley however, who was able to score a dramatic knockout in the final second of the final round to win the fight. Mosley would go on to defeat Antonio Margarito for the WBA Welterweight world championship in January 2009.

Mosley’s victories over Mayorga and Margarito solidified his status as a future Hall of Famer in the sport. Following his victory over Margarito however, Mosley would begin to see what some may argue was a gradual decline in his career. Mosley would go on to lose to the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Saul Alvarez, and Manny Pacquiao. In between those fights Mosley earned a draw against former WBC Jr. Middleweight world champion Sergio Mora and a victory against longtime contender Pablo Cesar Cano in May 2013.

In his last fight in November 2013 Mosley would suffer the first knockout loss of his career when he was stopped in seven rounds by former world champion Anthony Mundine in Sydney, Australia as the fight was stopped due to an injury to the lower back of Mosley. Some readers may recall my coverage of that fight in saying that it was my opinion that the loss to Mundine appeared to be the end of a great career for a fighter who has won five world championships in three different weight classes. Mosley would announce his retirement one week following his fight with Mundine.

The forty-three year old Mosley will return to the ring on Saturday night August 29th at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. Mosley’s opponent for his first fight in nearly two years will come in the form of a fighter whom Mosley knows all too well. Former two-division world champion Ricardo Mayorga.

Following his loss to Mosley in September 2008, Mayorga would score a ninth round stoppage of Michael Walker in December 2010. This would lead Mayorga to his battle with then WBA Jr. Middleweight world champion Miguel Cotto in March 2011. The always “Game” Mayorga was stopped by Cotto in the final round of what was an entertaining fight. Following the loss to Cotto, Mayorga opted to walk away from the sport of Boxing to try his hand at the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

After four fights as an MMA fighter in which Mayorga compiled a record of 0-3, with 1 no contest, Mayorga returned to Boxing in September of last year stopping an over matched journeyman named Allen Medina in just sixty-three seconds of the first round. Mayorga would score a second victory in his comeback in scoring a fifth round knockout of Andeik Saralegui in December of last year. Although Mayorga has scored two victories in his comeback thus far, it is important to note that the combined record of his two opponents was 16-24-1, with 7 Knockouts.

Even though Mayorga’s recent opposition can best be described as lightly regarded, it is important for fighters who are attempting to come back after a significant absence from the sport to be active and hopefully get some wins under their belt before taking on higher level opposition.

The rematch between the two however, was nearly halted by Mayorga’s longtime promoter Don King, who attempted to stop the fight from happening by seeking an injunction against Mosley in court. Mosley, who is also promoting the card headlined by himself and Mayorga however, was successful in getting the go-ahead for this fight to take place as scheduled.

The legal battle between Mosley and King has for the moment been put aside as Mosley turns his attention to his battle with Mayorga. The two fighters, who have a strong dislike for one another got into a well-publicized scuffle at the final pre-fight press conference earlier this week. Whether the scuffle was a result of legitimate bad blood between the two or something that was meant to help promote the fight is a subject for debate.

The question that I have going into this fight is what versions of the two fighters will show up. At his best Shane Mosley is a fighter who has a good mix of hand speed, punching power, and the ability to execute his offense in combination. Mayorga meanwhile, has only one objective and that is to turn his fights into an all-out war. The forty-one year old Mayorga has never been the most technically sound fighter, but he is always dangerous due to his unorthodox brawling style which has caused many an opponent difficulty throughout his career including Mosley.

An argument can be made that the winner of this fight will likely move on in their comeback, while the loser will likely be sent back into retirement. Perhaps the more intriguing question however, will not be who wins this fight, but rather how well this card does both in terms of attendance as well as on television.

The fight, which will headline a pay-per-view broadcast will face competition as it will go head-to-head against a card televised by ESPN, which is taking place at the nearby Staples Center headlined by a Featherweight bout between former world champions Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares as part of the popular Premier Boxing Champions series. Although we live in an age where there are digital video recorders and other advances in technology, it is logical to assume that Mosley, who is promoting the card under his promotional company Sugar Shane Mosley Promotions could face an uphill battle.

Although some might say that both Mosley and Mayorga are past their peak at this stage in their respective careers, the rematch is nevertheless an interesting fight between two fighters who have been more than willing to take on all comers throughout their careers. Whether or not the rematch will resemble anything like the first encounter remains to be seen. After a legal battle that threatened the fight, and a scuffle at the final pre-fight press conference, this observer hopes that the end result will be what Boxing fans love to see. A great fight between two fighters who are attempting to resurrect their careers one more time.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

Mosley-Mayorga II takes place Saturday, August 29th at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. The card will be televised on a cable/satellite pay-per-view basis in the United States and Canada for $49.95. Contact your local pay-per-view provider for ordering information. The card will be available in the UK and Ireland on BoxNation. Check local listings.

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Mosley-Mayorga Rematch To Go On As Scheduled

It has been announced that the rematch between former world champions Shane Mosley and Ricardo Mayorga, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday at the Forum in Inglewood, CA will take place as scheduled.  The announcement comes following an attempt to stop the fight from taking place by longtime Mayorga promoter Don King who sought an injunction. King claimed to have Mayorga under an exclusive promotional contract and could prevent him from fighting under a different promotional banner.  

A court ruling on Tuesday in Miami, FL however, allowed the fight to go on stating that any future efforts of promoting Mayorga by King would not be negatively impacted by the scheduled rematch with Mosley.  Mosley, who is also promoting the card had stated in an interview with Fox Sports that the card would go on with or without Mayorga.  Mosley claimed to have a substitute opponent in place if Mayorga was pulled from the fight.  

Mosley-Mayorga II takes place Saturday, August 29th at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. The card will be televised on a cable/satellite pay-per-view basis in the United States for $49.95. Contact your local pay-per-view provider for ordering information.

We will have a preview of the fight that will be released on Thursday. Stay tuned.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

Update:

We want to let our readers know that new material will be released on Tuesday August 25th. Stay tuned.


“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”


The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.



Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison

The Potential Options for Chazz Witherspoon Following Victory Over Guivas

A recurring theme recently here at The Boxing Truth ® has been to take a look at fighters who are attempting to reestablish themselves as contenders in their respective divisions. One such fighter who has been working his way up the ranks is Heavyweight contender Chazz Witherspoon. Witherspoon carried a three-fight winning streak into his fight against prospect Nicholas Guivas on August 15th at The Playground in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The story of this bout as this observer said prior to the fight was whether or not Witherspoon, who entered the fight with a record of 33-3, with 25 Knockouts, could continue to build momentum on his comeback and if he were successful whether a victory could lead to a fight against someone who is rated in the top fifteen in one of the sport’s respective sanctioning organizations. Although one might argue that the thirty-three year old Witherspoon was in a “Must Win” scenario in regard to his future as a contender, he did have a significant experience advantage over the thirty-six year old Guivas, who entered the fight with a record of 11-2-2, with 9 Knockouts.

What impressed me about Witherspoon’s performance in this fight was the measured way he approached his attack of Guivas. Witherspoon patiently awaited his opportunities to execute his offense and was able to capitalize on those openings when Guivas would leave an opening. Witherspoon’s jab and right hand were particularly effective in allowing him to more or less pick his spots.

Although Guivas was quite “Game” and was willing to engage with Witherspoon, he simply could not establish a rhythm in this fight. Witherspoon was able to drop Guivas with a right hand midway through the second round. Even though Guivas was able to survive the round, he was unable to land anything to discourage Witherspoon from continuing his attack. The systematic attack by Witherspoon would continue into round three before the fight was stopped at 1:07 of the round.

As I stated prior to this fight if Witherspoon were to look impressive his storyline of a fighter looking to get back in the mix could be one that will continue to generate buzz. Witherspoon simply did what was expected of him in this fight and dominated a “Game”, but overmatched opponent. Now with four victories in his comeback, all coming by way of knockout under his belt, the question is what is next for Chazz Witherspoon?

Whether or not Witherspoon will face a fighter who is ranked in the top fifteen or top twenty in either of the sport’s five major sanctioning organizations in his next fight remains to be seen. One potential opponent that this observer believes would be an interesting fight would be an encounter between Witherspoon and Heavyweight contender Travis Kauffman. Kauffman, who recently scored a first round knockout over Richard Carmack on August 14th, is a fighter who much like Witherspoon is trying to reestablish himself as a contender in the Heavyweight division.

Kauffman has only lost once in thirty professional fights and has been undefeated since 2009. A fight between Kauffman and Witherspoon could offer both fighters the chance to get into position to potentially fight for a top ten ranking. Both fighters have career knockout percentages of 70% and based on the styles of the two fighters I believe this could be a good fight if it were made.

Other possibilities for Witherspoon could be a potential rematch with Chris Arreola who defeated Witherspoon in 2008. Arreola, who last fought in July and earned a draw against Fred Kassi is not currently rated in the top fifteen of any of the sport’s five major sanctioning organizations and could view a rematch with Witherspoon as potentially a way to elevate his standing in the rankings.

With several fighters either ranked in the top fifteen of a sanctioning organization’s respective rankings and other fighters all looking to elevate their standing in the division with the ultimate goal of challenging either unified IBF/WBO/WBA/IBO Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko or undefeated WBC world champion Deontay Wilder, the Heavyweight division is one that is very much open and if Witherspoon can continue to win regardless of who he fights next, it is not difficult to envision him possibly being a top contender in the not too distant future.

Chazz Witherspoon however, should be considered a fighter to watch and it will be interesting to see what is in store for the next chapter of his comeback.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

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Is Lucian Bute Back In The Mix?

Former IBF Super-Middleweight world champion Lucian Bute has certainly earned his distinction as one of the stars in the sport of Boxing. Bute, who won the IBF world championship in the Super-Middleweight division in October 2007 with an eleventh round stoppage of Alejandro Berrio ruled as a dominant champion for nearly five years, successfully defending his championship nine times.

Along the way the Romanian born Bute was able to garner a significant following in his adopted home country of Canada. After nine successful defenses of his world title, Bute carried an undefeated record of 30-0, with 24 Knockouts into his fight with Carl Froch in May 2012. On that evening Froch’s power was simply too much for Bute as he was able to stop the previously unbeaten world champion in the fifth round.

Prior to this defeat most would argue that the closest Bute had come to defeat was in his first fight against longtime contender Librado Andrade in October 2008. Bute outboxed Andrade  and had the fight won on points before being caught by the challenger in the closing seconds of the fight. Andrade knocked Bute down with a barrage of punches. Bute however, was able to beat the count due in large part to Andrade being warned by the referee to get in a neutral corner. The referee halted his count of Bute while warning Andrade, allowing the champion more time to recover. The controversy notwithstanding, Bute was able to retain his title and silenced any doubts in his rematch with Andrade in November 2009 in scoring a fourth round knockout.

Following the first loss of his career at the hands of Carl Froch, Bute moved up in weight to the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division. After successfully winning the North American Boxing Federation (NABF) championship with a twelve round unanimous decision over Denis Grachev in November 2012, Bute faced former WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal in January of last year.

Although Bute would rally late in the fight against Pascal, he would come out on the losing end for only the second time in his career. Following that fight, this observer stated that it was my opinion not only based on his performance in his fight with Pascal, but also his performance against Denis Grachev that Bute did not have the same confidence that he once had. Whether or not his tentativeness to let his hands go against Pascal was attributed to any effects he may have suffered in his fight against Froch is a subject as I said following his fight with Pascal that could be debated. I also stated that although there may have been some who may have been of the opinion that whomever lost that fight may well have been finished on the top level sport that perhaps with time to reflect on his career Lucian Bute could find himself back in the discussion of top fighters in either the Light-Heavyweight or Super-Middleweight divisions.

This observer also alluded to the possibility of Bute taking more of a gradual approach in his comeback rather than jumping right back in against top level opposition. The first step in Bute’s comeback following his loss Pascal came on August 15th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada against current European Super-Middleweight champion Andrea Di Luisa.

In some ways Di Luisa, who was moving up in weight for this fight turned out to be the perfect type of opponent for Bute, who was coming off of a nineteen month layoff. Di Luisa was able to provide some resistance in the first two rounds of this fight and showed that he intended to give Bute a test in his first fight back.

Bute was provided with an opponent who much like himself has the ability to execute his offense in spurts and was more than willing to engage with him. Bute however, would bring an end to the fight in the fourth round dropping the “Game” Di Luisa with a left hand and causing Di Luisa’s corner to throw in the towel to save their fighter from further punishment following a follow- up barrage from Bute. Although there is not much one could say about this fight, it was still an impressive performance by a former world champion who was looking to get back in the win column.

The question coming out of this fight is did this victory put Bute back in the mix? It is important to remember that the only two fights that Bute has lost as a professional came against two world-class fighters, both of whom were world champions. The question of whether or not Bute is back in the mix is one that will probably be answered when he gets an opportunity to face a fighter who is ranked in the top fifteen in one of the sport’s respective sanctioning organizations.

The most important thing in this observer’s eyes will be whether or not Bute can remain active. If he can stay busy and more importantly if he continues to win it is logical to assume that Bute will be back in the discussion of top Light-Heavyweight contenders in the not too distant future. This victory over Di Luisa however, did serve a purpose in perhaps beginning the process of restoring the former world champion’s confidence. It will be interesting to see where Bute goes from here.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison