What score?
Sugar Shane Mosley is currently ranked third by the Ring at 154, while Fernando Vargas is ranked sixth. The championship at 154, according to the Ring, is vacant, but a winner of Mosley/Vargas will do nothing towards settling that score.
Boxing is so starved for meaningful fights that it has managed to create the feeling for itself that this is one of them, which it isn't. It's a money fight between two big-name fighters who were major players five years ago and now don't figure in any way amongst the elite of the sport. Can you imagine either of these guys fighting Floyd or Jermain? Both of them have fought Winky - Mosley's two losses to him should have ended his career, while Vargas got a gift decision over him in 1999 when Vargas was the next big thing and Winky's name was mud. I'm sure Winky would take that rematch in a heartbeat, but it's not a fight we'll be seeing any time soon. Vargas isn't that stupid.
The hype generated from the first fight is overblown. Yes, Vargas grew another head on his eye, and yes, the fight was effectively even when it was stopped. But Vargas has a Gatti-esque history of swelling badly, and it just wasn't that great a fight in the first place. Mosley doesn't have anything on his punches anymore, and he's considerably slower and more leadfooted than in his days as pound-for-pound king. Meanwhile, Vargas is a shadow of his former self - still game as they come, but plodding and way too inaccurate with his punches to get off more than once per exchange. Plus, despite the Vargas mystique, I'm not so sure that he has much pop left either. He landed a lot of clean straight right hands in that first fight, and Shane, not exactly known for his beard, never seemed fazed in the least.
Why doesn't Shane take a crack at Hatton? Hatton is so overrated, Mosley might actually beat him, and either way it would be a money-maker. Or if they really want to prove their manhood so badly, why doesn't one of them fight Antonio Margarito and rescue him from that Winky "too good and not famous enough" purgatory he's in? Christ, Vargas/Margarito has big potential. Vargas would get killed, but it would be a war first, and if he managed a victory, El Feroz would earn eons more street cred than he will fighting Mosley again.
But no. Instead of a fight that might actually tell us something about these fighters, we're treated to this overhyped, bullshit rematch, all because the first bout did good pay-per-view numbers. No Masians, I ask you - do us all a favor and don't buy this fight tonight. Let's spare ourselves the ignominy of Mosley/Vargas III.
Boxing is so starved for meaningful fights that it has managed to create the feeling for itself that this is one of them, which it isn't. It's a money fight between two big-name fighters who were major players five years ago and now don't figure in any way amongst the elite of the sport. Can you imagine either of these guys fighting Floyd or Jermain? Both of them have fought Winky - Mosley's two losses to him should have ended his career, while Vargas got a gift decision over him in 1999 when Vargas was the next big thing and Winky's name was mud. I'm sure Winky would take that rematch in a heartbeat, but it's not a fight we'll be seeing any time soon. Vargas isn't that stupid.
The hype generated from the first fight is overblown. Yes, Vargas grew another head on his eye, and yes, the fight was effectively even when it was stopped. But Vargas has a Gatti-esque history of swelling badly, and it just wasn't that great a fight in the first place. Mosley doesn't have anything on his punches anymore, and he's considerably slower and more leadfooted than in his days as pound-for-pound king. Meanwhile, Vargas is a shadow of his former self - still game as they come, but plodding and way too inaccurate with his punches to get off more than once per exchange. Plus, despite the Vargas mystique, I'm not so sure that he has much pop left either. He landed a lot of clean straight right hands in that first fight, and Shane, not exactly known for his beard, never seemed fazed in the least.Why doesn't Shane take a crack at Hatton? Hatton is so overrated, Mosley might actually beat him, and either way it would be a money-maker. Or if they really want to prove their manhood so badly, why doesn't one of them fight Antonio Margarito and rescue him from that Winky "too good and not famous enough" purgatory he's in? Christ, Vargas/Margarito has big potential. Vargas would get killed, but it would be a war first, and if he managed a victory, El Feroz would earn eons more street cred than he will fighting Mosley again.
But no. Instead of a fight that might actually tell us something about these fighters, we're treated to this overhyped, bullshit rematch, all because the first bout did good pay-per-view numbers. No Masians, I ask you - do us all a favor and don't buy this fight tonight. Let's spare ourselves the ignominy of Mosley/Vargas III.
2 Comments:
more great takes from large.
hatton does have a chin though, at least he could make for a compelling fight.
Oh trust me u.m., I don't think Shane would rout Hatton, not at all. I just think Hatton is over-rated, and even a slowed-down Sugar Shane with less pop might beat him. Plus, Shane should be fighting at 147 anyway. And Christ, I thought Collazo beat Hatton. If anything that bout was a tie. Hatton ever finds himself in the ring with Floyd and it will be another Gatti-style bloodbath.
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