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 "Experts" Make Their Predictions on Mosley vs WrightMarch 8, 2004 Media Report
LAS VEGAS, NV (March 8, 2004) – Who will win the historic rumble between WBC/WBA super welterweight champion SUGAR SHANE MOSLEY and IBF jr. middleweight champion WINKY WRIGHT to determine the 154-pound division’s first-ever undisputed three-belt world champion? Thousands of spectators and millions of television viewers alike will all know the answer on Saturday, March 13 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino or on HBO, beginning at 9:30 P.M. ET / 6:30 P.M. PT. (Tickets for this exciting evening of boxing are priced at $600, $400, $200, $100 and $50, and are on sale at the Mandalay Bay Theatre Box Office and all TicketMaster outlets. To order tickets by phone, call 702/632-7580.) But until then, here are the opinions of the “experts”: “Shane Mosley has always been a great boxer. Mosley looked strong in his last fight against De La Hoya, and didn't seem to lack any of the speed he displayed in other divisions. Winky Wright has been the forgotten guy in the division, but Wright can fight. He's a skillful boxer and can fight with the best of them. He's lacked the marketability that other fighters have enjoyed, but don't let lack of marketability get confused with lack of skill. Mosley I believe will beat Wright to the punch and will be a little too strong for Winky. It will go 12 rounds and Mosley will come out victorious and ready to face Tito Trinidad. Mosley by decision.” Armando Alvarez, MaxBoxing.com / NBC6 "I'm taking Sugar Shane to win a close decision. Winky is a crafty southpaw and will have his moments in the fight, but Shane will be the aggressor and impose his will on him. Shane's speed will probably be the biggest factor." Carlos Arias, Orange County Register “If Winky is serious about this fight, he should be spending a lot of time in front of the TV set during training. That’s right. He should be watching the tapes every moment he has of Vernon Forrest digging a jab in Mosley’s face and then drilling him down the pipe with the straight right hand. If Wright can emulate that style, and take away Shane’s speed advantage, we could have the upset we’ve been talking about. Winky’s been waiting for the opportunity a long time, and I think he’ll make good on it. But I think in the end, he’ll get shorted again (like in the Vargas fight), perhaps by the judges. After all, Winky Wright-Felix Trinidad just doesn’t carry the same clout as Mosley-Trinidad. I’ll take Mosley on points.” Ted Bodenrader, The Ring “I'll pick Mosley by a close decision, but I think Winky will frustrate him and slow the pace down often.” Dave Bontempo, HBO International “Mosley by unanimous decision. He showed Oscar who is the boss.” Ron Borges, Boston Globe “Mosley will be the winner by a close decision. Mosley has more experience against better fighters. However, Mosley may be a little too concerned about the Trinidad fight and it may cost him.” Oscar Borras, 20 de Mayo “Wright wins on points in 12 over Mosley. Winky scores a clear decision win.” Mark Butcher, SecondsOut.com “Main danger for Mosley is taking Wright lightly. Winky seems to have lost some quickness, but his rang savvy gives him a chance if Shane is off his game. But a properly prepped Mosley is clearly superior, and he's also far more accustomed to the center stage. Mosley by lopsided decision.” Dave “The Thermometer” Cokin, Las Vegas Punchline “Mosley by unanimous decision.” Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press “Winky Wright will win a unanimous decision. The key factor is going to be Winky's relentless jabs and attack throughout the fight.” José Duarte, PuroBoxeo.com “Sadly Mosley, I feel, is fighting on borrowed time. He hasn’t scored a stoppage since 2001 and needed a larcenous decision to get by De La Hoya in a fight where Sugar Shane displayed signs of being a ways past his best. Moreover, I believe Wright will grab his one super-fight chance with both hands. I tip Winky to take a close decision in a fight which will be a lot more action-orientated than people think.” Anthony Evans, SecondsOut.com ‘Mosley by majority decision. Another bitter pill for the Winkster to swallow, but he makes it close.” Bernard Fernandez, Daily News (Philadelphia) “Mosley by unanimous decision. Shane has had some potential distractions, including the Trinidad negotiations. In the end, however, Mosley is the stronger fighter.” Norm Frauenheim, The Arizona Republic “Through no fault of 'Winky' Wright's, Mosley's been operating in a slightly higher class of company at world title level. The 'prize' of a likely clash with Felix Trinidad will make sure Shane does just enough to earn the verdict. Shane Mosley by Unanimous Decision.” Scott Fyfe, Sunday Post (Scotland) “Winky will be up for this fight after looking rather flat in his last few. He is a southpaw and knows that it's now or never for his career.” Ron “G-man” Gerrard, American Urban Radio Networks “Winky Wright will be tough, as he always is, for this, the biggest fight of his career. But Shane Mosley is an even more complete fighter, with a devastating body attack, and he's coming off a great victory. Mosley will take chances that will pay off, wearing down Wright and stopping him around round nine or ten.” Ivan Goldman, The Ring / KO Magazines “I believe Winky Wright will win by split decision. He is a bigger, compact, southpaw, and has the great experience. I do not think Shane can knock out Winky who has proved to be one of the toughest fighters of our era.” Ramiro González, La Opinión “Shane Mosley, unanimous decision: Winky Wright might be the most underrated fighter in any division, but Mosley is too talented to lose this matchup. Wright's a clever boxer, yet he doesn't have enough power to surprise Mosley like Forrest did. Mosley will win methodically and easily.” Tim Graham, Buffalo News “Wright - Mosley is an excellent match-up. Both men have a lot to prove. It's a pick 'em fight, but I take Ronald "Winky" Wright to earn Bragging Rights to the 154 pound division.” Elisa Harrison, BraggingRightsCorner.com “Winky has waited a long time for his career-defining fight and I think he will make the most of it, fighting at a level he has never been. Winky by decision.” Michael Hirsley, Chicago Tribune (Making up for picking Dewey over Truman!) “I think Mosley's superior amateur background and big-fight experience will enable him to pull out a close decision victory. Wright may try to bring the action, more than usual, and will move into the range of Mosley, where his southpaw style won't be as much of a factor.” Mike Houser, Nevada Appeal “Shane to win on a hard-fought decision. Winky has a legitimate shot at winning and is likely to have his moments but I think Mosley's body shots and advantage in power will pull him through.” Graham Houston, Boxing Monthly “Mosley by unanimous decision. Winky will fight up to the level of competition and make this a close fight, but Shane is faster and busier. Plus, Winky won't be able hurt Shane.” Keith Idec, Herald News “Winky by decision — if for no other reason than to keep the myth alive in Mrs. Mosley's mind.” Kevin Iole, Las Vegas Review-Journal “In a nip-and-tuck affair, I like Mosley to barely outwork Winky and win a close decision.” Steve Kim, MaxBoxing.Com “Mosley by TKO” George Kimball, Boston Herald “My money is on Winky. I think he's going to out-box Mosley for 12 rounds.” Jeff Lacy, undefeated NABF/WBC-CA/NABA/USBA Super Middleweight Champ “Mosley by TKO 8.” Franz Lidz, Sports Illustrated “Mosley by decision. He has shown the ability to land the harder punches and score with them, even against a slick fighter like Winky Wright.” Thom Loverro, The Washington Times “Mosley by decision. Wright's reach and recent aggression will make this fight exciting, but Mosley's speed is the difference. Wright is the stronger fighter, but he often forgets to go to the body. That flaw in Wright's approach will allow Mosley to stay fresh and use his speed to win rounds.” Franklin McNeil, Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) “Mosley will win on points but it will not be easy because Wright is a southpaw and technically very good. I believe Mosley is physically stronger. Mosley will decide the fight for himself into the last four rounds.” Gunnar Meinhardt, German Press Agency “It looks to me that Mosley's "Big Fight" experience gives him a certain edge. One thing about Wright, he won't lock up and freeze, but Mosley will win it by majority decision.” Larry Michael, WestwoodOne Radio /Ballroom Boxing “It’s a GREAT fight. If Winky rises to the caliber of his opposition and boxes as well as he is capable of doing, I think he will out-slick Shane, despite the fact Shane is the faster fighter. Winky by a close decision.” Sharmba Mitchell, IBF interim jr. welterweight champion “As rock-solid as Wright is from a skills perspective, Mosley, his last few fights notwithstanding, seems to have just a little more dazzle in his game. Mosley by close decision.” Bob Mladinich, Boxing Digest / The Fist “I believe this is going to be a very close decision, with Mosley coming out on top. I believe Mosley will land the more telling blows, and I think that could give him the edge in some of the closer rounds. Winky is a great defensive fighter, and that should provide some problems for Mosley. But that's it. Mosley by narrow decision.” Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News “Mosley by unanimous decision.” Kieran Mulvaney, BoxinginLasVegas.com “This bout is over two years in the making. Winky thought that Shane was coming to 154 back in 2002 before Mosley eventually took on Vernon Forrest for the first time. Since then, Mosley has had two bad losses, a bad no contest and a bad win. Meanwhile, Wright has solidified his standing as one of the premiere super welterweights in the world. This fight means a lot more to Wright than it does to Shane and I feel that Wright has less miles on the odometer than Mosley. The call here is a decisive (yet, surprisingly closely scored) unanimous decision for Winky Wright.” Mike Nosky, RealBoxing.com “Wright by split decision. Wright will be back to his cute, steady as she goes plan, but it will negate any - or most - of Mosley's attempt at taking control on a regular basis. Judges will have difficult time in understanding the ‘thinking man's game’ of a Winky Wright, so scoring will be close.” Jack Obermayer, Boxing Digest “This is a tremendously difficult fight to predict, except to say that it should go to a decision, very possibly a close one. And then, it could go either way. Thus, because the judges gave Shane the benefit of a close decision on his last fight (against Oscar) and because Winky is really more of a junior middleweight than Shane or Oscar, left handed, and a good boxer to boot, my prediction will be Wright by a very close, disputed decision.” Jorge Pérez, El Nuevo Día “The fight will end in a draw.” Santos Perez, Miami Herald “Winky by close decision.” Jason Probst, MaxBoxing.com “Winky Wright by split decision.” Pat Putnam, Sports Illustrated Emeritus “It will be a tactical fight and Mosley may do just enough to get the decision like he did in the De La Hoya rematch. Mosley by decision.” Dan Rafael, USA Today “This is by no means an easy fight for Sugar Shane, taking on a veteran southpaw with a natural size advantage. But Mosley figures to outwork Wright down the stretch, battling through the tough spots to pull out a close – perhaps even controversial -- decision. Mosley by decision.” Eric Raskin, The Ring "Something in my gut tells me Winky Wright will forever be one step behind the elusive superstardom. Something also tells me he's going to be able to control Mosley with his size and jab and wear him down. I'm leaning toward the first instinct. Mosley by decision." John Scheinman, Ballroom Boxing / The Washington Post “Mosley by decision. Winky is not a big enough puncher to slow Mosley down and make him cautious, but he can make it a tough fight to score, and maybe even watch.” Ed Schuyler, Associated Press Emeritus “Good matchup that could go either way. Could be a controversial decision, in a fight that may be tough to score...Winky Wright by split decision.” Danny Serratelli, BraggingRightsCorner.com “Winky is a great fighter and deserves this shot at the big pay day but Shane is at the top of his game and had the guts and confidence to take on Wright. For Winky this is the fight of his life. For Shane it's just another big fight that he should win by decision.” Colonel Bob Sheridan, International Boxing Commentator “Mosley by 12-round decision. He won't be able to get a clean shot against Winky, who’s a slick boxer. Winky will survive, but can't score enough points.” Tim Smith, Daily News (New York) “Winky keeps his hands up high and when Shane starts throwing those looping punches, Winky will catch him down the middle with his own crisp and powerful punches -- perhaps even knocking Shane down -- more than once. Winky wins by decision.” Paul Spadafora, former IBF lightweight champion “This is as evenly a fight as I can think. On the one hand, Winky is a very tricky, crafty southpaw with vast experience and a natural super welter who seemingly has lost half a step. Mosley, is all offense and will need to be at his best to outclass a southpaw (he has only faced two in his career) I think it will be a hard fought draw...but if push comes to shove, I think Winky will win via a very close disputed split decision.” German Villasenor, BoxingGladiators.com “Mosley by unanimous decision.” Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning-News “Wright’s road game could be at its best if he can get inside on Shane. But the latter, long or short, should prevail over the route with his hands and feetshowing superior power and speed. Mosley by decision.” World Famous Jack Welsh, BoxingInsider.com / RingSports.com “My head says Mosley, but my gut tells me Winky is primed for the upset. Problem for Mosley is Winky is not Oscar De La Hoya. How sharp, how motivated will Mosley be? Answer to that question decides the outcome. Winky wins a decision.” John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News “I think Winky will give Shane problems early by punching between flurries where Shane tends to forget about defense. The question is can Winky pack enough sting in his punch to make Shane think twice about letting his hands go? If he can, Shane can be outworked if he can work his jab and break distance properly. But Winky goes defensive too long with his high guard which handcuffs his offense, and has a habit of backing off down the stretch while Shane tends to pick up the pace. Recent history shows Las Vegas judges favor fighters who force the action and finish strong in close, championship fights. Mosley by decision.” Johnnie Whitehead, The Ring / KO Magazines “Mosley by split decision. It will be sweet science at its best.” George Willis, New York Post  Have your say at our ALL NEW Message Board: Doghouse Boxing
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