WILL MOSLEY PLAY HOLYFIELD TO PACQUIAO?S TYSON?
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 11 Jan 2011
Is history going to repeat itself anew?
Tungod, Inabanga, Bohol ? The year was 1996, month of November. ?Iron? Mike Tyson was widely regarded as the world?s most feared man inside the four corners of the squared circle. Yes, before that fateful evening, he?d lost once, nine bouts ago, to be exact. That lone loss, to an unknown boxer named Buster Douglas may have marked the beginning of the end of Tyson?s legendary boxing career. However, eight bouts later, including a four-year hiatus from the sport to spend time in prison, Tyson remained as fierce and as dangerous as can be. He went on to rack up 8 straight victories that included two heavyweight titles, all but one, not lasting the distance and 6 of which (including a disqualification victory in the 1st round), didn?t even see the end of the 3rd round. Tyson was once again the man. He was the face of the sport.
Standing on the opposite corner was a former champion, then considered as a faded star and many believed was already staring at the twilight of his great career. Known as the ?Real Deal?, Evander Holyfield was coming off a streak of less stellar performances, losing thrice in his last seven and twice in his last four bouts? once via uninanimous decision to Michael Moorer (who subsequently lost to George Foreman via knockout in his first defense) and twice to a fighter he has also narrowly beaten during that stretch in Reddick Bowe.
Although Tyson was used to going up against fighters who dwarfed him both in height and size, Holyfield may have been an exception, particularly because he had the smarts, chin, experience, and confidence to go along with his 4-inch and 7-inch advantages in height and reach, respectively. Eleven rounds later, the ?old man? went on to knock the face of boxing out and had his triumphant hands raised to recapture lost glory. The rest, as what we always say, is history.
By now, you probably have an inkling as to where this article is heading. Fast forward to present time, history now has another chance to repeat itself anew. Boxing superstar Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao of the Philippines is scheduled to face ?Sugar? Shane Mosley of the United States in what many critics believe as an easy money-in-the-bag sparring session in favor of the little guy from the far east.
We cannot blame these people for their blatant dissent for this scheduled faceoff, especially considering the out-of-this-world manner at which Pacquiao has destroyed his much bigger foes inside the ring, and the fact that Mosley is coming off two lackluster performances, not to mention his relatively advanced age of 39. Apart from that, there might be other reasons, business or personal, behind these remonstrations. Honestly, I could care less about them critics. As far as Pacquiao?s, Mosley?s, and my opinion are concerned, this is going to be a great matchup between two great fighters of this sport.
Not so long ago, Mosley was even considered by these same critics as a fighter, apart from Mayweather, that Pacquiao will have most trouble fighting against. A decision loss to Mayweather and a split draw with Mora, however, would later on dramatically change their opinion about Mosley. How quickly could they forget that Mosley had the chance to finish Mayweather off in the 2nd round of that puzzling fight, only to unexplicably disappear in the succeeding rounds? Or the fact that Mora, a very slick and slippery fighter who almost always avoided an exchange, was a middleweight masquerading as a light middleweight when they fought to a stalemate? These are just few of the many reasons why this epic encounter isn?t going to be as easy as the critics would suggest.
Take note that part and parcel of Pacquiao?s amazing feats is his belief that he ought not to take his opponents lightly. He knows that this is a very risky fight and Mosley is a very dangerous opponent. Come May 7th and with all things considered, will Pacquiao beat Mosley easily, as the critics would suggest, or will Mosley play Holyfield?s role in trying to upend Pacquiao?s Tysonic rise to boxing immortality? You be the judge!
Comments are highly appreciated. You may send them to reylanloberternos@yahoo.com.ph Follow me on twitter reylan_l
Hereunder are articles written by the same byline:
Manny ?PACMAN? Pacquiao: Making A Serious Case As The Greatest Of All Time!
Bowling, Billiards, And Boxing: Pinoy Legendary Athletes Nepomuceno, Reyes, And Pacquiao Are The G.O.A.T.s!
The Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao Confessions Part 2: Notes About A Recent Interview On The Congressman In Action!
The Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao Confessions: Things You Might Not Have Heard Or Read Before!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reylan Loberternos.
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