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Mosley's debut goes largely unnoticed
It's very rare that I miss a fight. Last weekend, however, a childhood friend put his one good foot in the grave and got hitched. So, while I parked myself at the open bar, threw winks at some dolled up gals, and sipped rare blends of fine whisky, Shane Mosley made his debut at welterweight, knocking out Wilfredo Rivera in ten rounds.
A familiar face from my high school years was bartending and I slipped him a fin. My way of thanking him in advance for the stiffness of my beverages. I lit my two dollar cigar and initiated the conversation, "You a boxing fan?" I asked him.
"Sure man. Did you see the De la Hoya fight?" he asked back.
I looked at him as though he were reminding me of some great burden that awatited me.
"Yeah, yeah, I saw it. What a disappointment."
He nodded.
I continued.
"Mosley's fighting tonight. I'm sick that I'm missing it."
"Who?"
"Mosley, Sugar Shane Mosley."
He shook his head. "Never heard of him. Want another one?"
"Sure."
The conversation had reached a valley as the ginger ale I had with my rye tickled my throat.
"Never heard of him?" I mumbled to myself.
"What's that?" He said, overhearing my incoherence.
"Nothing. It's just that Mosley is one of the best fighters around and I can't believe he's so unknown. I guess with all the hype surrounding the De La Hoya fight, no one really noticed that Mosley was moving into the division. What a thick fog hype can be. It kind of blinds us doesn't it? It's funny, the best fights are never the "big" ones. At least not recently. The two most hyped fights in recent years have been Holyfield vs. Lewis and De La Hoya vs. Trinidad and they sure didn't deliver. No lie, I saw a better fight between two twelve year olds at an amateur card a few weeks ago. These kids were warriors and they didn't rip the public off for millions. I'm excited about Mosley though. From what I've seen he's awesome. Great speed and power. I'll bet ya he takes out De La Hoya if they ever fight."
I could see I was losing him. He just couldn't share my enthusiasm for a relative unknown.
"Hey, Tyson's fighting soon!" he exclaimed with great excitment.
I felt like snatching back my five bucks and butting out my cigar on his forehead.
While all this was going on, Sugar Shane was doing his best to make a statement at welterweight. Proving to the world that he can retain his speed and power despite the jump up in weight, and searching for the big money fights with the likes of Felix and Oscar. Mosley is a fierce body puncher and boasts one of the best knockout ratios in boxing. As a lightweight he knocked out 30 of 32, or 94% of his opponents. His kayos aren't usually of the one punch variety, but rather the result of an accumulation of stinging blows. Like a fine mist that eventually leaves you soaked, Mosley's torso attack is a patient assault, designned to leave once bouncing opponents flat footed and stationary, hands dropping, chins exposed.
The D.J. was playing Ricky Martin when I started feeling nauseous and the room began to spin. I followed the trails of a little dancing boy in a tuxedo. For a second I thought I was reliving a strange, twisted, psychedelic experience and that at any moment I'd be on my hands and knees barking like a dog. I made it to my table and slumped down on the canvas as the referee counted me out...8,9..10!
As I slipped into public unconsciousness I had a vision. Shane Mosley was dancing around, arms raised, hovering over Oscar De La Hoya like a young Ali over Sonny Liston. In reality, he had knocked out Wilfredo Rivera in ten and, unlike the embarassing pool of drool that was quickly accumulating beneath me, no one seemed to notice.
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