He never said die, even when he was beaten effortlessly in two fights against Vernon Forrest. He never gave up, even when he was twice again soundly defeated by Winky Wright. He never said enough, even when he lost a disputable decision to Miguel Cotto in front of a hometown crowd. He never said goodbye, even after being battered by Floyd Mayweather Jr last May. Shane Mosley is a man on a mission, and that mission is to be remembered as one of the best fighters of this or any era, and even though he's won titles in three weight classes and has fought some of the best fighters of this era, he is still moving towards completing that mission. This coming Saturday, Mosley will be facing off against former champion Sergio Mora in a Super Welterweight bout that will either serve as his road back on his quest, or a bitter exit from the grand stage.
All Mosley has ever wanted to do was fight the best and be recognized for doing so, and with an exciting style and a likable personality, he had all the tools to really become a superstar. Unfortunately, he surrounded himself with people who made all the wrong decisions for him. Decisions like passing up $10 million for an immediate second rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in favor of a measly $300,000 payday to lose to Winky Wright. Decisions like fighting Vernon Forrest instead of pursuing a mega-fight with Felix Trinidad. And decisions like rematching both Forrest and Wright after being thoroughly dominated by both them. Mosley accepts his past faults, but now, at the age of 39, he's trying to capitalize on a name that should've been on boxing's A-List years ago and he's running out of time to do so. Case in point, if Oscar De La Hoya were to have fought Mora this weekend in place of Mosley, then less people would be shaking their heads and questioning the validity of making this a pay-per-view.
Mosley seemed ever so close to that path multiple times, but fell off the map long enough to keep him out of the big fights he believes he deserved. Last year, Mosley defeated Antonio Margarito in eight rounds to win the Welterweight title and the world was at his feet following the tremendous performance. Instead of taking lower profile fights against Zab Judah, Joshua Clottey or Andre Berto, he held out, waiting for Manny Pacquiao to give him a call. Mosley was so desperate for a fight with Pacquiao following his victory over Ricky Hatton, he actually offered to drain himself down to 140 to face the Filipino superstar, which probably wouldn't have turned out so good. When a fight with Berto did materialize, Berto had to pull out to attend to the disaster in Haiti, but Mosley found himself in the ring with Floyd Mayweather. Unfortunately for him, Mosley himself faced his own disaster as Mayweather easily handled him despite taking a few shots early in the fight.
Now Mosley is back where he started, with little time to regroup.
A victory over Mora will put Mosley back into the mix and would more than likely lead to a fight with Berto that's a long time coming. He could also pursue a rematch with Cotto and Margarito, and maybe fight at Middleweight against Sergio Martinez. While he'd still be a long shot, Pacquiao might want to add one more Hall of Fame scalp if he thinks Mosley is vulnerable enough. A loss to Mora, however, will end everything for Mosley and all he would have to look forward to is his eventual enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. While Mora isn't a bad fighter, the general perception is that he's nowhere near Mosley in terms of overall caliber, which would make a loss that much more devastating, yet in turn, make their fight so much more important.
Either way, when it does end for Mosley, his accomplishments will not be forgotten and he will be remembered as one of the best fighters of this generation. What Mosley does do from here, however, will determine if he truly is worthy of the moniker "Sugar."