Why the arrival of Sugar Shane doesn't taste so sweet

 

 

Danny Green thought his crushing win over Roy Jones would launch him into some mega fights in the US.

His next two fights were against Manny Siaca and Paul Briggs, which eventually led to a shot at Antonio Tarver, which was just his second fight in three years.

The reason – The Boxing world knew Jones was done and that the win meant nothing in the larger scheme of things.

Now Anthony Mundine will bring the next superstar to our shores in “Sugar” Shane Mosley. A man who is guaranteed a place in the Hall of Fame, with two victories over Oscar De La Hoya and a World Champion across three weight divisions.

There is no denying Mosley is one of the biggest names this country will have ever seen, but Mosley is well past his prime.

Sure his recent resume makes good reading. Fights with Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez case in point. But looking beyond the names and having seen each fight, Mosley was never in the contest.

Sure he had Mayweather in trouble for a round in their fight, but he didn’t come close to winning another round thereafter.  It was a complete shutout in the Pacquiao fight and whilst he showed heart against Alvarez, it was again largely one sided.

The fact is he was won only one fight in his last five, with a draw against The Contender winner Sergio Mora separating three straight losses.

His only win in those five came in his last fight against Pablo Cesar Cano, who at 26-2 is reputable, but not yet world class.

There’s a similar angle being played here to the one used in the build-up to the Green-Jones fight. Jones defeated an equally done Jeff Lacy to setup the Green bout, with the marketers now able to say that Jones was back.

Lacy in his day was real quality, but after being destroyed by Joe Calzaghe, he rode a steady ride to oblivion. The Super Middleweight fought Jones at Cruiserweight, with Lacy adding the extra mass at the Hot Dog stand and not in the gym. Jones was too fast and looked good in the process, but as we saw in his fight against Green it was all smoke and mirrors.

I wrote in my preview of that Green-Jones fight that you’d have to question the willingness of an aged fighter to get into a war, when they are already guaranteed $1-2 million before stepping in the ring. Why hurt yourself for good when the cheque is as good as cashed?

Mosley’s fights have taken a similar trend in recent times, with the fighter seemingly more interested in self preservation than actually winning.

It isn’t just the Boxing world saying these things; Sugar Shane even decided so himself, retiring earlier this year, before the Mundine offer tempted him out of retirement with a nice big superannuation cheque to go along with it.

A Mundine v Mosley fight will do good business, simply because Mosley still remains a name. The fact Mosley has continued to fight for the last two years despite everyone telling him to give the game away is based on that very fact.

Mosley will sell tickets, something Anthony “The Man” Mundine has never struggled doing either. But Mundine has always been criticised of taking the easy options in his quest for world domination and his decision to take this fight over others will again give writers like me ammunition.

It wasn’t long ago that Mundine turned down the chance to fight Austin Trout for a shot at Miguel Cotto, despite being the WBA No.2 and Trout No.1. Trout would not only go on to defeat Cotto but walk into a fight with Canelo Alvarez, two fights that Mundine has filled newspapers talking about for the past few years.

The easiest way to get noticed in boxing is to pick the hardest fight possible and make a statement. Sometimes your risk will pay off like it did for Daniel Geale, who walked into Germany twice and won and could now be just a fight away from a Middleweight superfight.

 Mundine v Mosley will sell tickets and do well on PPV, and truth be told, I will most likely buy it, but I did buy Fenech v Nelson 3!

The fact is a Mundine win will not do anything more than line his pockets. His credibility won’t rise and neither Alvarez, Mayweather nor Pacquiao will come knocking at his door.

Boxing fans know where Mosley sits in the current scheme of things and it’s the same place Roy Jones sat in 2009.

I’ve seen the story before and I know its ending.

The winner will use the victory to try and make as much noise as possible in the days and months following the fight in the hope that another payday will land in their lap.

 They'll proclaim that they are ready for the biggest and baddest that the boxing world has to offer.

But the best won’t come, because the best left both “Sugar” Shane Mosley and Anthony “The Man” Mundine a long time ago.

Follow Adam on Twitter at - @adamsantarossa

Barker no easy deal for Geale

 

 

Unlike some recent Australian Boxing World Champions no one can accuse Daniel Geale of handpicking his opponents.

Fresh from wins over Sebastian Sylvester and Felix Sturm in Germany and a comprehensive win over Anthony Mundine earlier this year, Geale has decided to take on America and has chosen the toughest opponent imaginable.

“Dazzling” Darren Barker is the man who will stand in the opposite corner from Geale in Atlantic City, with the Englishman looking to prove that he can exist at the elite level of the Middleweight division.

Barker pushed Middleweight King Sergio Martinez all the way in October 2011, despite finally being stopped in the 11^th round.

Barker has bounced back from that defeat with two consecutive wins, and although both Simone Rotolo and Kerry Hope aren't notable in the Middleweight rankings, the way Barker disposed both shows he can be a force. But lose to Geale on Sunday and his cards will be marked and it will be unlikely we will see him on a similar stage anytime soon.

Despite being Champion, Geale still has a point to prove.

 Still largely unknown on the US scene, Geale is hoping an impressive display against Barker will prompt a fight with the heavyweights of the division.

Currently Geale is seen as the least marketable of the Middleweight champions, with Martinez and WBA Champion Gennady Golovkin seemingly on a collision course to fight in the very near future.  

Martinez has reigned in the division for a number of years and Golovkin has been knocking out anything with a pulse in recent time. Geale has stated he will have no issues stepping in with either, but we all know the only thing that guarantees these fights is dollars at the end of the day.

Frankly at this time, not enough people are aware of Geale and his talent to tempt Martinez or Golovkin into the ring with the Australian champ, with the Barker fight the first step to rectifying that.

WBO Champion, Dmitry Pirog may be next in line for Geale, with a second World Title perhaps a further selling point for promoters, fans and potential opponents alike.

 But there are also the ongoing proceedings around current IBF mandatory, Sam Soliman.

The Australian was meant to fight Geale earlier this year, before that fight was scrapped after it was announced that Soliman failed a post-fight drugs test, only for Soliman to be later cleared.

Even a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez could be in the works, with Chavez looking to restore his pride after being suspended for testing positive to Marijuana after his fight with Martinez. Despite being a lacklustre affair for all but the final round, a rematch between the two was set before Chavez’s drug ban, so a fight with Geale might get Chavez quickly back in the mix.

But all the speculation on the future is wasted unless Geale gets past Barker in Atlantic City, which will be no easy task.

Barker and Geale both fight in the same style, with each taking an all action approach, fighting each round bell to bell. Barker has power in both hands and is equally adept at fighting at a distance and can also mix it up in close. Barker is a skilled technician who uses his angles well, and like Geale uses his jab to put his combinations together. Not a single punch thrown by either is wasted.

The styles of both fighters are so similar and it will be interesting to see how Geale settles given the fight will be his first in the US and with so much on the line. In his fights with Sturm and Mundine, Geale has started on fire and it allowed him to dictate the terms from the word go. Geale’s work rate is superior to anyone in the division and that may just be what gives him the edge.

He showed no fear in his two fights in Germany, but this time the pressure is squarely all on his shoulders.

The task isn’t just to retain the IBF Middleweight Champion but prove to the world that he is in fact the Real Deal.

THE PREDICTION – GEALE by decision

THE BET - Whilst Barker will go into the fight the outsider, for those wanting to have a bet I’d consider putting a lazy $5 on the draw at $21. That’s how close I feel this fight could be.

Follow Adam Santarossa on Twitter - @adamsantarossa