Boxing Highlights 2010 Part 1

Should Mayweather vs. Mosley be for the lineal welterweight title?

Do you know who the last lineal welterweight champion was?

Well, it was none other than Floyd Mayweather.

Who is, arguably, considered the No. 1 welterweight?

Sugar Shane Mosley.

With that in mind, should Mayweather vs. Mosley be considered a legitimate fight to fill the vacant lineal welterweight champion void?

I’ve decided to present the case for it and the case against it.

The Case For It

• Mosley is considered the No. 1 welterweight by several respected boxing experts.

• Mosley can arguably be the best welterweight out there.

• Mosley defeated the then-unofficial No. 1 welterweight: Antonio Margarito. (Unfortunately, Mosley hasn’t fought since, but he still remains No. 1.)

What about Mayweather?

• Indeed, Mayweather left as the lineal champion undefeated—and there was never a lineal champion after his departure.

• His return was marked with a dominant performance against Juan Manuel Marquez. His return can reasonably rank him No. 3.

• No. 1 vs. No. 3 can fill the vacant void.

• So, we would have a No. 1 vs. No. 3 that could be considered a legit lineal vacant fight.

The Case Against It
• Mayweather hasn’t defeated a real elite welterweight since his departure—and ranking him No. 3 is an exaggeration.

• Mosley vs. Manny Pacquiao should be the real lineal fight

• Pacquiao is the No. 1 welterweight by some boxing pundits, who have Mosley right behind—especially after outclassing Joshua Clottey.

• Others believe Mayweather vs. Pacquiao should be the real lineal fight because Mayweather was the last lineal champion and Pacquiao is the undisputed pound-for-pound champion.

What do you think?

Fighters at the cusp of being All-Time Greats

This week, FFF is starting a new series on fighters at the cusp of of being all time greats. These fighters without a doubt were elite, hall of fame fighters. However, they were shy of being all time greats.

This week we take a look at Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, and Joe Calzaghe.



Oscar de la Hoya
Notable wins against hall of fame opponents: Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Notable losses against hall of fame opponents: Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao

Notable accomplishments: Champion in five weight divisions.

Analysis: Oscar De La Hoya is an all time great in PPV sales, but fails to be an all time great. He never defeated an elite hall of fame opponent. Do Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga really count? Indeed he defeated legends such as Whitaker, Camacho, and Chavez. However, they were past their prime fighters. Don't get me wrong, those fighters were stepping stones for De La Hoya, he just failed to follow up after those victories. He did face the best but lost to the best, his popularity and box office power covered the fact that he never won the big one and lost to the best fighters of his generation

Verdict: Shy of being an all time great

Felix Trinidad

Notable Wins against hall of fame opponents: Hector Camacho, Pernell Whitaker, Oscar de la Hoya,

Notable Losses against hall of famers: Bernard Hokins, Ronald Wright, Roy Jones Jr.

Notable accomplishments: Champion in three weight divisions

Analysis: Trinidad achieved three championships in three different weight divisions. He defeated fading legends such as Whitaker and Camacho, then followed up by beating an elite, in his prime fighter; De La Hoya. However, his first defeat led him to retirement and he never successfully came back.

Verdict: (Close but not enough) Needed more HOF wins

Joe Calzaghe

Notable Wins against hall of fame opponents: Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr.

Notable losses against HOF: None

Like I mentioned, records can be deceiving. You can argue Calzaghe defeated a lot of bums throughout his career, including Eubanks, who was good but past his prime. He defeated Lacy and Kessler, but are far from being elite fighters. He did manage to beat Hopkins and Roy Jones Junior but they were both past their primes. Unfortunately, he took way too long to establish his name and never defeated an elite in his prime fighter. As a result, Calzaghe was a very good fighter, with incredible speed, with hall of fame credentials. However, unfortunate events such as a lack of competition and late match ups leave him shy of being an all time great.

Verdict: Waited too long to make a name for himself and his record is very deceiving.