MARGARITO/MOSLEY, GOING, GOING, GONE.
It has been reported that earlier today Antonio Margarito has turned down a future date with Shane Mosley. So what was it that suddenly terminated the contract that was pretty much completed? Was the 2 million dollar purse not enough for the man that had just terminated Cotto? Did Margarito view the veteran Mosley as too much of a gamble in leading up to the Cotto rematch? Some think that Margarito was not happy the last time around when Margarito had to face the hard hitting Cintron, while Cotto faced the overmatched ‘’Contender'’ Alfonso Gomez.
So why now should Margarito who beat Cotto have to gamble with Mosley, while Cotto who got knocked out by Margarito once again get the easier task by facing Michael Jennings or Jesus Soto Karass? So will Margarito now place himself on the shelf until June for the Cotto rematch? If Margarito does decide to rest, one must then ask why he would take an 11 month layoff before fighting a very dangerous man who has revenge on his mind, why would Margarito stay inactive for so long?
As for Mosley, to me there are only 2 fights that make the most sense. One would be Paul Williams the man that beat the man, and the other being the man that holds the IBF strap Joshua Clottey, Clottey is also the same man that gave Margarito fitts and also the man that overpowered the man you were supposed to face your last time out, Zab Judah. No doubt about it that Williams would mean more, but strategically Clottey would be a better fit. Andre Berto, who holds the WBC strap will also be there but Luis Collazo may get to Berto first, besides other than the WBC strap what would beating Berto do for Mosley?
If Judah heals quick, Judah may also find himself back into the picture, other than a fun scrap, once again what would beating Judah do for Shane in landing his next big fight? Maybe just maybe Mayweather gets the sudden itch to come back and finds Mosley vulnerable enough to make the fight that never happened finally happen. Don’t hold your breath on that one.
Maybe Mosley should wait 3 more weeks to see how the ‘’Dream Match'’ plays out. If things play out the way most of us see them as playing out and that is a big win for Oscar De La Hoya, and if Pacquiao does stay at 147 after being beaten by Oscar, well then smart money says to enter Pacquiao to the mix. Golden Boy has enough fighters on their roster to fill the spot for the January 24th spot so negotiating a Mosley/Pacquiao fight for a later date shouldn’t be a problem. After all if Pac-Man does stay at 147, how many of us think that Pacquiao will ever fight another welter as big or strong as Oscar? So who’s left in the top ten at 147 that is close to Pacquiao’s height and weight? For starters there is Berto, but Berto will be viewed by Roach as being too young and too dangerous. Then there is Clottey, but Clottey would be viewed by Roach as way too strong for Pacquiao. There is also Cotto, but Cotto by that time would be preparing to avenge his loss to Margarito. So that would only leave Mosley on the table and the last time I checked Mosley was not a bad name to have on your resume, just ask Vernon, Winky, and Cotto.
Posted by: Albert Alvarez