Is Mosley too old to beat Floyd?

[Taeth]

I'm not sure about Shane having a reach advantage I tend to look at arm length rather than wingspan for reach, it's more linear in relation to how far you can extend your arm. I also think oscars jab is far superior to mosley's, and that it only bothered mayweather for a couple of rounds and then he adjusted with counter right hands. The thing that really got tonfloyd qas consistent, calculated pressure, Oscar fought without making many mistakes and forced floyd's hand which he doesn't like when he is countering. I think using that same against pacquiao who is more offensive totally backfired on odlh.

[Master]

Age will not be a factor but speed may be.

[THE THIRD MAN]

Mosley has not fought since January 24th 2009, inactivity and age will see him lose a rather lop sided decision against Floyd. Mosely is 39 in September! Nothing against Sugar Shane Mosley, i love the guy. I just think he will be well outboxed in this fight.

[Lefty]

It aint just age, its a combination of things. Floyd pretty much beats Shane in every department.

[Taeth]

Wow this isn't fair at all, people say they want Floyd to fight a real test, and now he is and he still isn't going to get any credit for it because in the end no matter who he fights he is suppose to win anyways. I mean he didn't fight in 17 months before facing Marquez and look how sharp he was. Mosley hasn't had a real fight in over a year, but he was just about to face Berto, and the sharpness regardless of being in a fight or not was attained in preparation for that fight. He for all intents and purposes got in fighting shape less than two months ago. For a young guy actually having that fight would mean something, but for a veteran who has been in so many big fights just getting that focus back, which he did, is what's important.

In terms who has the advantage, I see Mosley being bigger and much stronger than Mayweather, but also just as fast. I think Floyd obviously has advantages in skill and timing, but age won't be a factor because Shane will be in fantastic shape and he will be pushing the pace of the fight. If anything Floyd will be slowing down the pace of the fight.

[DaxxKahn]

It all depends really...I mean if we are leaving out the whole...Style wise debates and stuff then only talking age then No I don't think so...Yes in the lower divisions age takes a higher toll due to those divisions depending more on speed and the stamina...But again it depends a lot on the fighter themselves and the type of career they have had...

Mosley has not been a fighter who has taken an over abundance of abuse in his career.....

Style wise TBH it is a hard call, all depends on who can make the other fight their fight....Mosley is not looking to survive, he is not looking to be competitive he is looking to beat Floyd...Mosley has a great camp, Richardson is top notch and will have a gameplan going in Mosley will execute it.....IMO if Floyd looks to counter all night and lay back it will be the worst thing for him....Mosley is no Hatton, JMM and will not fall to abundance of punches, Mosley has been in the ring with far harder hitters then PBF......

It is a tough call for anyone to say either way who will win and for anyone to say either way one will dominate the other is sadly mistaken

[RozzySean]

I'm still not sure why Floyd is such a "matchup" problem for Mosley. The classic matchup nightmare for Shane has been fighters who live off the jab and control distance.

What exactly does Shane Mosley do well?

Mosley is a "mid-range" fighter. It's not the most conventional style. His head movement and defense aren't great, but he can use his feet to to his range and create good angles. If his opponent's jab can't dictate distance, he will live in the zone you don't want him. He's so strong that he can push off in-fighters to get off his shots, then step back catch them on the way in, push them off, punch, repeat. His feet are fast enough to step inside the power of a Mayorga or Margarito. They don't have the jab to keep him from doing it.

Mosley has a extremely fast hands, granite chin, a good workrate, good (not great) power in both hands. Although he doesn't have dominating jab, he has used it more effectively lately, especially to screen his movements in and out. Good counterpuncher, he throws is right effectively as a cross, an overhand, a short hook from different angles. He is at his best against brawlers and fairs well against slicksters. Boxer-punchers are nemesis.

What about Mayweather?

He eats conventional fighters for lunch. Are you a guy who wants to work off the jab. Good luck. His right counter is so fast you'll stop throwing it half way through the fight. He's a master of in fight adjustment. He's perfectly content to fight a tactical fight and win on the cards. He's great staying on the outside throwing potshots, and he's great rolling and countering on the inside.

What has been most successful against him - in the short term, a good jab or straight right, but over the long hall, strength, intelligent pressure, chin, volume, and awkwardness are more effective. You also need foot speed to catch him. ODLH got split decision against, albeit a bad SD, but that shows way to beat him. Oscar was at his best when he was throwing the jab, but he got countered so much he stopped throwing it. He roughed him up and threw volume.

Floyd has a very good jab, but I'm not it's the kind of strong, punishing jab that will keep Shane at the right distance. Shane's lack of commitment to the jab could work to his advantage because he won't be eating right counters over it all night. He has the foot movement to cut off the ring. He throws his right from different angles. He's the strongest guy Floyd has every faced.

Floyd may win, but it won't be because it's a bad matchup.

[Taeth]

Mayweather doesn't have a snapping Larry Holmes type jab, but how he thrusts it out allows for him to get a lot of "push" behind his jab. Also most guys land their jab in glancing fashion where as Mayweather usually lands it square on his opponent which also makes it very hard for someone to move in on, especially when he jabs to the body. Its hard enough that you can't move forward though it.

You say the nightmare matchup for Mosley is a guy who lives off the jab and controls distance. That sounds like Mayweather to a tee when he isn't facing neanderthal opponents or guys so slow he can get away with anything against them. Watching Mayweather against Corrales, Castillo(especially the second fight), Oscar De La Hoya, and JMM you will see that he uses the jab a lot in these fights. You won't see it as much against Hatton because Mayweather was on his heels too much and he really likes to lunge in when he jabs which a less aggressive Mosley will allow him to do.

[ruthless rocco]

Somebody please tell Mosely not to dress like Apollo Creed again!
What a moron.

[Majesty]

All these age things and etc didn't surface when everyone was picking Mosley to knock out Berto...

[Truth]

Shane at any age couldn't beat Floyd.

[zhubin]

Styles make fights...and Shane, especially at this point of his career, does not have the right style to beat Floyd. To be have a chance against Floyd you have to possess a great jab...Shane doesn't have one. On the flip side, Floyd has a very good jab...and Shane doesn't like technical fighters who can keep him at a distance. A PRIME Mosley could have had a much better chance...because he was an awesome combo of speed and power. Sure, Shane is still in no slouch in the athleticism department...but he is not at this point of his career a slicker and faster fighter than Floyd. Floyd is great at adapting. I see this fight being exciting for the first few rounds...but by the middle...Floyd will have figured Shane out and win on points.

[Master]

Shane wants this more.
Shane has the intensity to fight full 12 rounds.
Shane is a legitimate welterweight.
Shane has enough power to trouble Floyd.
Shane has enough experience to adjust to anything Floyd will try.
Shane will not be denied.

[DaxxKahn]

Somebody please tell Mosely not to dress like Apollo Creed again!
What a moron.

Yes we will get right on it....Who here has Shanes number...Ruthless Rocco wants him to stop with these outfits of his

[RozzySean]

Mayweather doesn't have a snapping Larry Holmes type jab, but how he thrusts it out allows for him to get a lot of "push" behind his jab. Also most guys land their jab in glancing fashion where as Mayweather usually lands it square on his opponent which also makes it very hard for someone to move in on, especially when he jabs to the body. Its hard enough that you can't move forward though it.

You say the nightmare matchup for Mosley is a guy who lives off the jab and controls distance. That sounds like Mayweather to a tee when he isn't facing neanderthal opponents or guys so slow he can get away with anything against them. Watching Mayweather against Corrales, Castillo(especially the second fight), Oscar De La Hoya, and JMM you will see that he uses the jab a lot in these fights. You won't see it as much against Hatton because Mayweather was on his heels too much and he really likes to lunge in when he jabs which a less aggressive Mosley will allow him to do.

Mosley has better feet than all of those guys. Floyd can control distance against fighters who have average/conventional feet. I don't think Mayweather did a great job of controlling distance in the early rounds against Judah or Hatton. Hatton was getting in on him the whole fight, but Floyd was able take advantage of Hatton's aggression and poor defensive. Either way, Hatton is a conventional inside fighter and Judah is a conventional boxer-puncher.

Shane has trouble right fighters with EXCEPTIONAL jabs. Floyd has a good jab. Yes, Cotto has an exceptional jab.

I don't know where people come up with the notion that a jab is the answer to Mayweather. Other than a few rounds from Oscar, the most trouble he has been given has been by a swarmer (Castillo), a southpaw (with a straight left, a more powerful punch and harder to time and counter cleanly with a cross), and an awkward fighter (Augustus).

To be clear again, I still pick Floyd to win. The more accurage statement this: Floyd is not an ideal matchup for Mosley, and Mosley has looked his best in the last few years againsts fighters who are very good matchups for him (Vargas, Mayorga). This casts doubts as to whether Shane can beat a great fighter when the style matchup does not clearly favor Shane. Shane has never faced anybody who presents the challenges of Mayweather, and he has lost to lesser fighters.

That being said, Mosley, unless he has gotten old in the last year, he offers a combination of challenges to Mayweather that he has yet to face. He has never fought somebody with the size, strength, speed, power, style, and mental toughness of Mosley. You can't even reference the JMM fight, because as great as JMM is, he is slow and stationary and makes his living counterpunching aggressive fighters. On top of that he's much smaller than Floyd.

Mayweather has fought two real WW's - Baldy and Oscar. Baldy has feet in cement. He was an idea matchup. Oscar gave him a close fight (but a clear win for Mayweather), but Oscar does to have Mosley's speed and he fights in a more conventional way.