Quote Originally Posted by CFH View Post
Quote Originally Posted by ClubberLang View Post
Quote Originally Posted by CFH View Post

That was one of the smartest things he ever did IMO. The only way he was winning that fight was by ko, which was pretty much impossible. People slagged him off (and still do) for that decision, but it led him directly to a LMW championship and legitimacy. If he had fought Taylor and lost (as he almost certainly would have) he would have immediately because completely irrelevant (even more so) and marginal; that fight would have effectively ended his career.
It's easy to say he was smart in hindsight, but at the time he left a shot at the undisputed middleweight title and a $1 million payday on the table with no assurances that a similar offer would ever present itself. Then he had that dreadful draw that by all rights should have ended any hopes he had of getting an important fight. He got lucky with the Forrest fight as far as I'm concerned (maybe not with his performance but definitely that it was offered).
It's not just smart in hindsight, it was smart at the time. Mora knew he had no way of winning that fight, he wasn't going to stop Taylor and he wasn't going to beat him convincingly enough that he could win a points decision in his backyard. He loses that fight and his career is effectively over or at least severely retarded. Was turning down 1 million dollars a gamble? Absolutely, but it was one that paid off and Mora made the right decision.

As for him getting lucky with the Forrest fight, perhaps. However, the Contender people have long shown a willingness to sell out their charges by throwing them in against champs and very good fighters looking for an easy victory. I'm sure Mora knew that.
It was dumb because Sergio was riding at the heighth of his popularity from the Contender and you have to strike while the iron is hot. He had no way of knowing if he would keep winning and remain popular enough to get another lucrative opportunity for a legit title. In fact, he had that draw against a nobody that I thought was a gift and should have been a loss, and that could have easily been the end of him. I think he got lucky with the Forrest fight, and although he won don't forget his payday was about half what he would have made against Taylor. Manfredo's loss to Calzaghe did not end his career, I doubt losing to Taylor would have hurt Mora too badly since no one thought he'd win anyway.