Shane Mosley Untangled

Boxing is not meant for everyone. That goes without saying. One point that may not go without saying is that boxing is not meant for most people who take it on as their chosen sport. It may be even less appropriate for 75% of those who take it on as a career. To fight at the top levels of the sport is a physically, mentally and emotionally demanding undertaking. Most men who lace up boxing gloves are getting ready to step through a portal into a world that is so fast, brutal, unrelentingly ruthless and hard that most people cannot even begin to understand it at its roots. It is combat. It is the purest form of sport there can be. One man against another. Each of these men are training day after day with the express purpose of entering the ring and separating the other man from his consciousness... with extreme prejudice... and without remorse.

Boxing is not meant for everyone, but there is something that draws men to it. There is a desire to test one's metal against another's in combat. Most if not all men secretly want to test themselves this way. Only a chosen few would pass the test.

Boxing is for a few elite, gifted athletes or those blessed with a toughness of mind and body that the majority of people will never glimpse within themselves. See the super athlete- Roy Jones Junior, the granite-like toughness of Roberto Duran, and the Consummate combination of the two- Muhammed Ali... All three of these names are in the Pantheon of our sport...

Only one of those names will live forever. We all know which name that is.
Some may ask why- those who know no better- the uninitiated and the uninformed may not know the answer. Unlike in any other sport, in boxing- an immortal comes around once every two or three generations. That is why we who follow boxing can come up with a severely short list when asked to name immortal pugilists. Muhammed Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Lois, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano... and recently a trio of deities in the forms of Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler...

What separates these names from the thousands of other names who decide to enter a boxing gym? The answer is : it is a mixture of extreme athletic prowess, toughness usually reserved for elite U.S. special forces, and a heart anchored in something greater than themselves. No one who has seen the immortals fight understands where the heart comes from, but it must be founded in the spirit of those who have come before us and forged a place for the human condition in a hard world, against astronomical odds, and succeeded. It is for those people we owe gratitude for the birth of our nation. Something of that fighting spirit eludes the majority of humanity... something of that fighting spirit- a heart of iron and steam and stone- finds its way into a few brave warriors. It is that combination of attributes which defines the immortal fighter. It is a rare combination, and that is why the list of those in the Pantheon of boxing is so short.

Many say that cosmic sized purses and a higher standard of living have all but killed the spirit of the immortals. The heart that came with the fighters of the previous generations is dwindling in size each year. That could be the case, or it could be that the world has been inundated with hopeful prize fighters like no generation which came before. Based on a wider range of media with which to follow boxing, it could be that we are seeing more of mediocre fighters than we would have seen twenty years ago. Whatever the case, do not believe the fighter's heart is gone. It is still here. Consider the man at the top of the pound for pound ratings. He fights. He lives to fight. He matches fists with anyone who dares to step in the ring with him. And he will do it on the other fighter's terms if it amuses him. I am not talking about Floyd Mayweather Jr. here, although his niche in the Pantheon exists should he decided to claim it.

I am, of course, referring to Manny Pacquiao- who is possessed of ungodly ability in the ring. He is the most gifted fighter I have seen in 25 years... with the exception of one.

Shane Mosley.

Shane Mosley stands alone when it comes to measuring aspects of the immortal for the previous and current generation.

Shane Mosley has more talent, speed, innate ability, constitution and ring awareness than anyone else I have seen since Sugar Ray Leonard.

The only problem is- it is all trapped in a prison somewhere in his mind.

Over a series of years, Shane Mosley has been increasingly tied in knots and his fluid, unmatched boxing ability has been incarcerated... The jailer is someone close to him- someone who has been speaking for him and standing in front of him at every weigh in for years. The jailer is Jack Mosley.

Shane recently made the admission to himself that some of his best years in the sport were spent with him in shackles. Many of us saw the inner battle Shane was forced to fight over the last seven years as he was dealing with a world-class opponent across the ring. Many of us saw the perplexing fight plans and lack of strategy Mosley carried into the ring with him as he began to move up in weight. We saw him look confused. We saw his footwork become ever more unsure and noncommittal. We saw him abandon his text-book perfect punching technique and take on an exaggerated waist and head turn thrown into a wide slap. This punch definitely showed itself in the second Forrest and two Wright fights.

We also saw a consistent erosion of the brilliant defense Mosley showed in his Amateur and early pro careers. Many experts saw this erosion but could not accept it could happen to such a prodigy so early in a career. Mosley began taking punches. His hands were becoming one dimensional. His feet were becoming tangled, unsure and sometimes stymied. Some experts were wondering if he was shot.

In the corner, between rounds, many times we heard Jack Mosley's voice telling Shane that he was sticking to the game plan and was performing brilliantly. No one knows, to this day, what fights Jack was attending, but he definitely was not watching his son's fights. At least, he was not watching with a practiced, professional, discerning eye. Each time Mosley fought an uncomfortable round, clearly frustrated and flummoxed, knowing that he could do better, he would slump back to the corner to hear his father call round 6 round 4. Mosley looked miserable in the corner. He didn't sound confident when responding to his father's questions. Once in awhile he would protest faintly, clearly feeling he was not deserving of any praise and begging for guidance. He did not get it. It was by the grace of the talent God gave him that he won the fights he won. He did not win because of his father's tutelage. He found a way to win in spite of it.

In watching the most recent episode of 24/7 on HBO, I heard something very telling. Jack Mosley looked into the camera and smiled and said, "I got my glory." when asked about any hard feelings he may have toward Nazim Richardson taking over the training and strategy for Shane. Jack received "Trainer-of-the-year" honors for Mosley's 2000 defeat of Oscar De La Hoya.

What can be gathered from Jack Mosley's statement is that he was very concerned with building a career and legacy for himself, and not (over time) overly concerned with his son's career and legacy. It sounds difficult to believe, but some fathers do resent the youth and success of their sons. Some fathers are genuinely proud and happy for their sons. Other fathers see what they could have been when they look at their sons. They might see the age in the mirror and carry from that vision some resentment toward their very own off-spring. Perhaps it is a resentment born from the inability to regain the time devoted to helping the offspring grow and blossom. Whatever its source, it is a very powerful and negative force which can cause a trusting son to crumble- unable to believe that his own father does not have his best interest at heart.

I saw that dynamic in Shane Mosley. He carried it with him into every fight for the last 7 years- until he faced Antonio Margarito.

Mosley understood he was in knots when he fought Luis Collazo and Miguel Cotto. During the Collazo fight I believe we saw the beginnings of an awakening within Mosley. During the early rounds, it appeared we would see the one dimensional Mosley as he looked unsure of himself and was allowing himself to be out-thought by a good but inferior fighter. As the fight progressed, however, we saw that he was stoic in his corner. Jack Mosley's next to useless observations were being rejected by Mosley's great, instinctive fighting mind. We saw glimpses of the true Mosley. They were only flashes of the brilliance which is Mosley, but they were enough to completely dismantle Collazo.

We saw Mosley begin to find a renaissance once again in the Miguel Cotto fight. Once again, years of Jack's tutelage still had Shane confused and one dimensional. There is no denying that Cotto is an elite fighter- perhaps even a great one. But there is no way he is supposed to be able to tattoo an immortal each time the immortal stepped in to throw a punch. However, that is what happened through eight rounds in that fight. Mosley began to wake from his father induced coma at some point in the ninth round, and his body began to cooperate. Although it was not a performance many who believe Shane is the best would call great, a lot of ringside observers believe he won the fight.

Some may believe it is a little too cynical a point to throw on the table, but I believe that Jack Mosley- early on- saw how brilliantly gifted his son was and decided he would tag along for the ride. Now, there is no reason to believe Jack did not have a large hand in teaching his son basics and helping to hone his technique, but I believe anyone could have looked brilliant dealing with a young Shane Mosley as a pupil.

Shane was blessed with the complete package. He was so fast it was difficult to count his punches when thrown in combination. He had such ring awareness and footwork it was very difficult to touch him, much less hit him flush. And he had (which he has never lost) an indomitable fighter's spirit and heart. These attributes carried him to a perfect record in the lower weight classes. And, he rolled along, believing in himself, while his father waited for a chance to side-step him and bask in Shane's rightful glory. As time went on and Shane decided to move up and test himself against greater and greater competition, his relationship with his father became a cross to bear. Jack became a prison warden due to the fact that his son was afraid to disappoint him.

We saw what many believed to be the dissolution of an extremely gifted fighter over the better part of a decade.

Until Nazim Richardson stepped into the picture. He has Shane's passion. He let Shane know it is OK to unlock the cell and let out all his skill and desire because he, Nazim Richardson really cared about helping Shane understand how to use it.

Richardson sees the greatness in Shane. He has no desire or intention to restrain it. Although it is sad to think of the years it wallowed in prison, it was nonetheless heartening to see Shane's skill, and joy re-emerge against Antonio Margarito. Shane didn't just let it leak out either... he opened the flood gates on Margarito. We could see the single-mindedness of purpose and ruthlessness on Shane's face that night.

The Immortal has returned. I believe we will see him in full glory on May 1, 2010.

Floyd Mayweather, a potential deity himself, had better be prepared for Armageddon.