Unable to pull the trigger, Mosley put himself in harms way in an effort to make the fight entertaining.

What we love about Shane Mosley is simultaneously his biggest liability, his bravery. Mosley is a warrior who will stand in the pocket and bang until the end. His warrior ways at the age of 40 put him in the line of fire against a young powerhouse like Canelo. Mosley absorbed devastating body shots, overhand rights-lefts from Canelo that drew sincere concern from HBO ringside analyst and De La Hoya. But Mosley kept coming forward.

But why does he do it?

Why would a future hall of fame legend, at the age of 40, put himself in harms way? Money? Maybe. Love? Possibly. Mosley’s Cinco De Mayo purse was estimated at $675,000. It’s been reported that Shane is may be in dire financial straights as a result of his rough divorce. Reports say Mosley is paying hefty alimony payments to his ex-wife.

Money problems is enough to put an old legend back into the ring. Ask Evander Holyfield. Counting his fight with Alvarez, Mosley is winless in the last 4 fights. He lost to Mayweather in a lopsided showing. Struggled to a draw against Serigo Mora then Mosley was dominated by Manny Pacquiao.

Could it be that Mosley simply wants to go out on top? While it’s difficult for a fighter to accept the reality it’s over, it’s even more difficult for a fighter to retire on a loss. It could very well be that Mosley wants to leave the sport he loves so dearly with a “W”, not an “L”.

No matter his reason, Mosley should retire now. Against Canelo Alvarez, Mosley took the most vicious beating I’ve ever seen him take. It was so alarming, that HBO commentators were concerned for his health. When the fight ended, Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya hurried to the ring to ask Mosley if he was alright.

During the post fight interview with Larry Merchant, Mosley looked depressed and troubled beyond reasons of defeat. In addition to the bruised cheek bones, Mosley’s countenance expressed a realization that his boxing career is over. And it should be.

Mosley have given boxing fans his all. He’s fought the best- without hesitation. And he’s given his best each time he came to the ring. As a fan, my personal advice to Mosley is please retire from boxing.

Coming in to the fight, Cotto nearly a 6-to-1 underdog as many expected Floyd to dominate him easily. Predictions were not far fetched considering Floyd Mayweather Jr’s other worldly combination of physical ability, boxing skill and intelligence. Let’s not forget the 5-inch reach advantage Floyd has over Cotto.

Miguel’s redemptive performance against arch nemesis Antonio Margarito has revived Cotto’s confidence and his new trainer has played an integral role in improving his skill. Going into the fight, Miguel declared he would be prepared for any approach from Mayweather, “if he wants to run, I’ll be ready for that. If he wants to fight, I’ll be ready for the too.”

Balanced preparation was Miguel Cotto’s blueprint for defeating Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Mayweather entered the ring with an escort from Justin Bieber, world famous wrestler Triple-H and close friend Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Mayweather, never one to be shy about fashion, was adorned in what appeared to be ostrich leather trunks and sleeveless jacket with grunge appeal spiked shoulders and hoodie to match. With his musician friends by his side, Floyd Mayweather was in full rock star status mode.

Cotto entered the ring with his usual stone faced focus as he was escorted by his son, trainer and remaining entourage.

From the opening bell, Cotto came out aggressive by trying the jab twice. Floyd immediately responded with quick, evasive footwork instead of shelling up and risking being smothered. Mayweather’s faster hands and boxing skill were on display early as he landed a variety of punches that disrupted Cotto’s rhythm and his established his own.

Rounds 2 nearly became a football game as Cotto ducked a Mayweather straight right hand and picked him up against the rope almost throwing through and out of the ring. Shades of Hopkins-Dawson 1?

Early in the match it was apparent Mayweather was aware of Cotto’s defensive style. Floyd threw medium-high hooks that targeted the outer rim of Cotto’s face near his temple in order to get around Miguel’s face covering guard. Landing with success, Floyd through this punch repeatedly as though to prove a point.

Cotto resorted to what he does best, inside fighting. Floyd obliged with excellent inside counter punching and defensive technique behind his legendary lead left shoulder.

Toward the middle rounds, the fight became more of a closet match. Cotto banging on the inside. Floyd catching the majority of the punches with the exception of a few nice straight left hands from Cotto piercing the Mayweather guard.

Cotto’s best punch came in the 5th round when he landed a left hook on Floyd’s jaw while Mayweather was against the ropes. Floyd took the shot well.

Cotto’s best round against Floyd was the 6th. Miguel landed jabs flush that moved Mayweather’s head back. Floyd took steps back to nod in acknowledgement. Cotto continued and landed good left hooks as Floyd tried to sneak away. By the end of the round, Floyd’s nose was bleeding.

Cotto showed more progress in the 8th round as it may have seemed Floyd took the round off.

The 10th round shaped back into a boxing match with both fighters moving around the ring, picking an choosing their shots. Mayweather landing the cleaner shots and avoiding more from Cotto.

Mayweather closed the show in the 11th and 12th rounds with solid boxing. Moving around the ring and landing uppercuts, cuts, jabs, body shots, Floyd secured a unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto.

The judges scored the fight 117-111, 117-111, and 118-110.

For Cotto, there should be no shame in defeat because he fought the best fight he could against Mayweather. “The judges said I lost the fight; I can’t do anything else,” Cotto said. “I’m happy with my fight and performance and so is my family. I can’t ask for anything else.” Floyd added, “You’re a hell of a champion,” Mayweather told Cotto in the ring afterward. “You’re the toughest guy I ever fought.”

Mayweather believed he had to dig down to win the fight. “He’s a tough competitor,” Mayweather said. “He came to fight; he didn’t just come to survive. I dug down and fought him back.”

Mayweather was guaranteed $32 million plus a good percentage of the pay-per-view buys. Cotto was guaranteed a purse over $8 million.

What’s next for Mayweather? On June 1st, Mayweather begins serving his 90 sentence at a Las Vegas County Correctional Facility. After release, Floyd would like to fight again late fall. We want Pacquiao-Mayweather this fall 2012.

Floyd believes Top Rank boxing promoter Bob Arum is preventing the super bout from happening. “Bob Arum is in the way. He’s stopping the Pacquiao fight. Let’s give fans what they want to see. They want toe Mayweather-Pacquiao.”

If Bob Arum is in the way and Floyd doesn’t fight Pacquiao, who will he face later in 2012?

All boxers are racing against the clock. The luxury of youth comes with bountiful energy, a resiliency to recover from injury and an ability to get away with committing some cardinal nutritional sins.

At 130 pounds, Floyd Mayweather was more spectacular than Roy Jones Jr in his prime. Yes, I said it. Better than Roy Jones Jr in his prime. Not only was Floyd lighting fast, also his superior boxing skills allowed him to pick apart his opponents with regularity and in various ways.

Floyd was harder to hit and he was even faster and more aggressive. In recent years, Mayweather’s plus-minus has been other worldly. He connects twice as much as his opponents connect on him. Floyd rarely gets hit cleanly and is never bloody- unless he’s head butted by Victor Ortiz.

In the Ortiz fight, Floyd was fast and responsive. Ortiz didn’t land a notable punch in the brief stanza with Mayweather. Boxing aficionados who have been around the sport for decades are all eagerly monitoring the athleticism of Floyd Mayweather Jr because they believe the foundation of his boxing acumen is based upon his athleticism- not his boxing skill.

The Mayweather-Cotto bout may have given critics reason to believe father time is catching up with Floyd Mayweather Jr at the age of 35. Though Mayweather defeated Cotto by unanimous decision, Floyd took some good shots from Miguel. More than usual.

We saw rare things saturday night. We saw Floyd Mayweather Jr. taking good jabs from Cotto. And we saw Floyd with a bloody nose.

Mayweather outboxed Cotto at least 8 of the 12 rounds to earn a unanimous decision. Many expected Mayweather to defeat Cotto in more dominating fashion. Cotto deserves some of the credit simply because he’s a great boxer.

With Floyd going into prison on June 1st, the question is can Floyd return to the ring and perform at the top level. Naturally the next question, “if Cotto can pressure Mayweather can Pacquiao have more success against Floyd?”

Is father time catching up with Floyd Mayweather Jr?

The main story in this fight is age. Saul Canelo Alvarez has a 19 year age advantage over Mosley. He’s explosive, fast and powerful. Concerns surround Mosley. Can he take handle the dynamics of a young bull who’s full of fire? Canelo came in weighing 167 and Mosley weighed in at 164 after needing an additional hour to lose the half pound over the 154 weight limit at the weigh in.

Clearly this is Shane’s last opportunity to revive his career. It’s been estimated that Mosley’s purse is somewhere in the range of $657,000- $800,000. Canelo Alvarez is estimated somewhere in the area of $2,000,000- which is unheard of for a co-main event undercard.

Round 1:
Shane tries to jab… continues to alk own Saul. Shane standing in front o Saul. Saul being patient. Shane tries the hook- nothing there. LAavaraez hash ‘t thrown a pucn yet. Canelo throws his first punch after 1:09 seconds. Canelo l ands a jab. Shane takes a jab. Canelo opens up with a 2 punch comb. body hash lands for Cnaelo. Shane comes to the beod, lands nothing. Jab lands for Shane. Jab for Shane. Canelo tries a left hook. Crowd roars with a left hook. Both stand toe to toe in the center of the ring. osletyy slings to hasev no power. overhand right n issues for Mosley. 10-9. Mosley.

Round 2
Jabs lands for Saul. Jabs miss for Shane. Mosley walking down Saul. Mosley pawing with the jab and tries a right hop, blocked. Saul tries a 102. jabs land for Canelo. Accidental head but. Overhand right for Canelo. body shot for Saul. Canelo coming forward. Jab for Saul. Mosley takes a body shot. Overhand right for Saul. overhand rich for Shane. Jabs for Saul. Left hook lands flush for Shane. left hook lans and shane stunned. Body shot for Saul.

Round 3:
Saul comes out feinting. Mosley now stalking Saul. Overhand right misses for Shane. Left hook misses for Shane. Shane looks unstable in the legs. 2 punch combo lands for Saul. Jab for Saul. Uppercut for Saul. Jab for Saul. Straight for Saul. When stand misses, he stables around. Accidental head but causes a cut. Saul is cut and he’s never been cut before. Saul turning it up. Overhand right lands for Alvarez.

Round 4:
Jab lands for Saul. Overhand right nisses for Saul. Right hand lands for Saul. Shane pitty-pattying. Shane not anding anything. Saul smiling at Shane. 2 punches land for Saul. Crowd roars Canelo’s name. Two punches land flush for Saul. jab lans for Shane.

Round 5:
Jab lands for Saul. Shane walking Saul down. Jab for Mosley. Shane tries and overhand right and misses as Canelo ducks. Jabs traded. Overhand right for Shane misses again. Uppercut for Saul. Straight left for Saul and a body shot. Both tree. overhand right for Shane. Canelo lands a body shot. Overhand right fior Shane. Left hook lands for Saul at the bell. 10-9 Shane. 47-48 Shane.

Round 6:
Shane takes a right hand and a jab. camel dances ad misses 3 punches. Body shot for Canelo. 2 ounces land four Saul and a body shot. Shane takes a 2 punch combo. Overhand right a lands for Saul. 3 punch combo lands for Saul. Jab lands for Saul.

Round 7:
Canelo comes out Jabbing. Body shot lands for Saul. Shane scraps inside landing nothing significant. jab for Saul. 2 punches land out of 4 for Canelo. Body shot fore Saul. Canelo is landing bombs. Right hand for Saul. Right hand land for Saul. Shane is missing tremendously wide. He looks completely lethargic.

Round 8:
Jab for Shane. Mosley coming forward again. Saul nudging the body. Ref breaks up the clinch on the ropes. Uppercut lands for Saul. Shane flurries Saul against the ropes. Body shots for Saul. Saul opens up. Straight shots lands for Saul. Shane taking shots. Right hand lands for Saul. Left hook counter lands for Saul.

Round 9:
Jabs traded. Uppercut for Saul. Overhand right lands for Saul. 2 punches land four Saul. Shane looks lethargic and worn out. Body shot fore Saul. Body shot shane. Canelo landing heavy to the body. Left and right for Mosley. Uppercut lands for Shane.

Round 10:
Body shot for Shane. Canelo starts off slow. 2 punches land for Saul. Jab for Saul. Blood is streaming from Canelo’s eye again. Overhand right knocks Mosley back. Uppercuts land for Saul.

Round 11:
Left hook lands for Canelo. Jab lans for Saul. followed by an Uppercut and another. Body shot lands for Canelo. Right hand lands for Shane. Overhand fright for Shane. jab for Saul. Straight right hand misses for Saul. Canelo evades and Shane almost goes throughout he ropes. Right hand lans fir Saul.

Round 12:
inside hook for Saul. Mosley coming on strong. Overhand right for Shane. Left hand for Saul. Overhand right misses for Shane. Saul lands a right hand and body shots. Shane misses a high right hand. 2 punches land fro Saul. Right hand for Canelo. Both trading shots. Crowd roars. Uppercuts land for Saul.

Saul landed 52% to Mosley’s 345 in Total Punches. Power punch percentage for Canelo was 57% to Mosley’s 41%.

Round 1:
Seth comes out with the jab. Witherspoon trying to find his spots. Witherspoon landing the overhand right with frequency. Chazz showing great movement. Overhand right lands again for Witherspoon. Mitchell is being outboxed at this point. Chazz wobble Mitchell with a short right hand. Mitchell is hurt. Mitchell is holding on. :376 left and Mitchell is hurt. Mitchell makes it out of the round- barely. 10-9 round for Witherspoon.

Round 2:
Chazz comes out jabbing. Seth is holding early- he could still be wobble. Chazz landing jabs and backing away. Overhand hand lands for Seth Mitchell. Straight left lands for Mitchell. Chazz seems to be losing steam. Mitchell digging shots to the body. Witherspoon backed to the ropes by Mitchell. 27 connects for mitchell to Witherspoon’s 9 at this point. 10-9 round for Mitchell 19-19.

Round 3:
Mitchell comes out jabbing, so does Chaz. Both tangle u int eh center of the ring. Mitchell lands a hard left hook that sends Chazz to the canvas at the 2:21 mark. Seth tries to land hooks, nothing doing. Left hand lands for Seth- Chazz takes it well. Straight right lands for the Seth. Chazz is hurt. Body shot a lands for Mitchell. Ref calls a knockdown and the ref calls the fight because Witherspoon seemed out on his feet.

At 2:31 in round 3 Mitchell was able too Witherspoon who was out on his feet. It was a good stoppage simply because Chazz was helpless on the ropes. Mitchell landed 80/205 total punches while Chaz landed 60/182. Witherspoon performed well numerically but was physically dominated after the 2nd round.

Seth was crying after the fight from surviving the adversity. “In the heavyweight division it really only takes 1 punch… I’m thankful and blessed to pull it out” said Mitchell. Regarding being hurt in the first round, Mitchell said “I wanted to get him in my grasp to tie him up.”

As for the future, Mitchell plans to set something up in September.

The overhand right gave Seth Mitchell problems tonight. Chazz landed an overhand right cleanly that clearly hurt Mitchell. Seth showed great resilience and an ability to survive. We look forward to seeing Mitchell to fight again later in 2012.

Round 1:
Quick right hand by Bryant. Andrade measuring. Bryan lands a left to the body. Counter uppercut by Bryant. Rowland has power. Andrade looks a step behind Rowland. Librado staying on top of Rowland. Rowland seems to be loading up for big shots. Andrade fighting a rhythm. He’s very active. Solid right and left landing for Bryant. Andrade is cut over his left eye. 10-9 Bryant

Round 2:
Andrade comes out stalking. Bryant hits that right eye and moves away- 1 shot at a time. Long jab for Andrade moves Rowland’s head back. Andrade landing easily on Bryant. Big left lands for Rowland after he takes 3 shots. Andrade is constantly on top of Rowland. Low blow by Bryant. Andrade in control of the round. 10-9 Andrade. 19-19.

Round 3:
Headbutt is ruled accidental. Big left by Andrade. Bryant needs to up his activity. One punch at time effective against Andrade. Both fighters go down- tackle. Fighter resumes. Big right hand buckled Andrade! Andrade is hurt and taking big hooks against the ropes! Ref steps in and calls the fight!

Was the stoppage premature? Some would say yes. I would say no. Andrade was clearly not firing back at Bryant. This lose hurts Andrade’s chances of his fourth title run. On the flip side, I look forward to seeing more from the selectively explosive Rowland Bryant.

Round 1:
Francisco coming out stalking Rafael. Vargas opens up with body shots. Lora and Vargas trade heavy. Vargas seems to be slapping. Rabbit punch from Loara- best warned. Vargas clearly has more power. 10-9 Vargas.

Round 2:
Vargas comes out stalking. Lora missing wildly. Straight right hand lands for Vargas. Lora still slapping. Right-left combo lands for Vargas. Left hook lands for Vasgas. Lora still running and slapping. Vargas clearly in control. Lora hitting to the back of the head too regularly. No warnings. 10-9 Vargas. 20-18.

Round 3:
Vargas bombing with body shots. 5-6-7 punch combos to the head. Lora in full retreat. 1:55 left and Lora has no answer for anything Vargas is doing. Lora has landed 9% of his punches to 44% from Vargas. 72 punch difference as nearly 3 rounds. Fight is stopped. Vargas wins by TKO

Round 1:
Ramos comes out aggressive- landing body shots. Attah retreating early. Ramos Jr. looked strong as he was clearly the aggressor. Ramos Jr imposed his size by bullying Attah around the ring. Att 22/57, 17 to the body. Attah landed only 5 punches in round 1. 10-9 Ramos Jr.

Round 2:
Attah warned for using his head. Ramos Jr. measuring Attah- looking for an opening. Sneaky right hand lands for Attah in a near clinch. Overhand left misses Ramos Jr. but Attah’s head doesn’t. and he goe Ref stops action to check for a cut as a result of the head butt. Counter right hook lands for Ramos, Attah steps back to rethink. Ramos Jr pressing Attah. Attah on the ropes, throws a right and and clinches. 10-9 Ramos jr.

Round 3:
Attah was not productive enough in round 2. Attah lands a right hand- again. Attah is coming in head down, keeping it close. Ramos having trouble breaking the clinch. Overhand left lands for Attah again. The right hand is there for Attah but h’e not landing it with constancy. Ramos Jr lands a left hook and down goes Attah. Attah complains he was hit on the back of the head. Ref calls it a knock down. Attah lands a right big right hand. Ramos Jr. lands a left hook. 10-8 for Attah.

Round 4
Right left hand lands for Ramos- he’s tagging Ramos Jr. Ramos looking hesitant to come in. Uppercut lands for Ramos Jr. Big right hook lands for Ramos as he measures Attah well. He’s adjusting to the duck down technique of Attah. Bight right hand lands on Ramos Jr. Right hook lands again for Attah. Double left hand from Ramos Jr. Ramos is making adjustments and so is Attah. Fight rhythm has settled in. Straight left misses Attah’s chin. Ramos back to boxing in the center of the ring. Attah moves to close the gap and clich and lands a right hand on Ramos Jr. 10-9 Ramos jr.

Round 5:
Fighters come out shoulder to shoulder in the center of the ring. Attah lands more in the clinch. Sharp right hand for Attah. Attah being outscored 4-to-1. Straight left lands for Ramos Jr. Att is simply getting out worked. Uppercut inside for Ramos Jr. Overhand left for Attah. Both slugging it out right now. Punchstats showing Attah is finally stepping up. But still short. Attah’s bending over is costing him the fight. 10-9 Ramos Jr.

Round 6:
Ramos Jr. opens with the jab. Attah fires his own back. Uppercut lands for Ramos as he counters Attah coming in. Right hand hurts Attah. he’ son the ropes. Big left hand lands for Attah- Ramos takes it well. Good left hand by Attah again. Ramos Jr lands two lefts, takes a right hand and keeps coming.10-9 Ramos Jr.

Round 7:
Counter left lands for Attah. Ramos should increase the pace. Attah looks sluggish. He’s clinching very often. Right hand lands for Ramos Jr. Overhand right and left land for Attah. Jabs landing for Ramos Jr. 10-9 for Ramos.

Round 8:
Attah comes out swining with his head down and lands a straight right. Ramos landing hooks on Attah. Attah is worn down. Ramos trying to find a place to land those uppercuts when Attah ducks down. Fighters are shoulder to shoulder- clinching and brawling. Right hook lands for Ramos, now an uppercut. 10-9 Ramos.

Round 9:
Attah walks out slowly. Fatigue setting in. ramos moves Attah to the corner. Ramos has a cut over the right eye. Right hook lands flush for Ramos jr. Attah takes it well. Attah hurt but two hooks. Two more big hooks land for Ramos Jr. Left hand lands for Attah. Ramos walks through it. Attah taking more punches. Ramos turns it up at the end. 10-9 Ramos Jr.

Round 10:
Ramos Jr almost Mayweather’s Attah. Attah is running on empty. Attah flurries with hooks. Uppercut followed by Ramos. Big left hand lands for Attah. Ramos explodes with a 6 punch combination. They are slugging and Attah is holding on. Big right hand lands for Attah. 10-9 Ramos Jr.

Ramos Jr’s performance left a lot to be desired. His lack of power diminishes his chances to dominate the top rank fighters in the lightweight division. Luis makes and exciting fighter. I look forward to seeing him develop.

Mayweather-Cotto was scheduled for May 5th at the MGM grand in Las Vegas for Cotto’s WBA middleweight title. The box office potential for this fight is huge.

Mayweather was set to begin serving an 87-day jail sentence but a Las Vegas judge allowed Floyd to delay his sentence in order to meet his commitment to a May 5th bout. The jail sentence was the result of a domestic violence charge rooted in an altercation with the mother of his children.Mayweather will be eligible for an early release pending good behavior. Ellerbe stated that the new date of the fight could be effected by how much of the sentence Mayweather ends up serving.

With news of this injury one must wonder how this would effect a possible Pacquiao or bout with Sergio Martinez for late 2012.

….. April Fools

badlefthook.com did this to you!

Bert lived, breathed, sweated, bleed, and smoked boxing. He was an author-editor-historian. On March 25, 2012, Bert Sugar lost his battle with lung cancer.

The CBS2 New York website said the Chappaqua, NY-resident Sugar, age 74, was surrounded by family at Northern Westchester Medical Center. Our condolences go out to his wife, Suzanne.

Bert Sugar was inducted into the Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2005. He died today but he wil live forever in our memories. Rest In Peace Bert Sugar.