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THE BREAKDOWN: Saul Alvarez-Shane Mosley

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Saul Alvarez-Shane Mosley:
at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on HBO PPV
12 rounds, for Alvarez's WBC junior middleweight title
No matter how you slice it, things do not look promising for Shane Mosley as he heads into his bout with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. At nearly 41 years-old, Mosley 46-7-1-1 {39 kos} has shown severe signs of decline lately. Each of Mosley's seven career losses have taken place within his last seventeen fights – three of those losses, along with one draw, have occurred during in his last six bouts. Mosley's last win -a stunning knockout of Antonio Margarito back in 2009 – was the last time Mosley resembled anything close to his former great self. The sweetest days of' Sugar Shane 'appear to be long gone.
Saul Alvarez 39-0-1 {29 kos} on the other hand,seems to be entering his prime. At 21 years-old, Alvarez is one of boxing's brightest stars.His popularity among his countrymen,along with his no nonsense style of fighting – not to mention his unusual look for a Mexican – have made him a marketing dream. So as the remaining breed of boxing superstars begin to die out, it would seem that Alvarez is in the right place at the right time, especially as a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather could be on the horizon. But first, Saul Alvarez must take care of his opponent at hand, future hall of famer, Shane Mosley.
It's alot easier to talk about Mosley's past, rather than his current state. There was a time when Mosley was considered – along with Roy Jones and Felix Trinidad – to be the very best fighter, pound for pound, in boxing.During his lightweight prime, Mosley was a rare mix of speed, power and aggression. His speedy combinations, heavy hands and ferocious body punching made him arguably the most dominant lightweight since Pernell Whitaker. This however, is not the fighter who will be facing Saul Alvarez. These days, Mosley is not the chilling finisher he used to be, nor is he as fast – time has not been as kind to him as it has to Bernard Hopkins. (Side note: Look at the older fighters who have prospered.George Foreman, Archie Moore, Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Roberto Duran and Juan Manuel Marquez……The commonality among them is relaxation. Mosley is the polar opposite. Even in his prime he was all jittery and herky jerky, never the most relaxed of fighters. Watch tomorrow after Alvarez nails him with a jab. You will see what I mean. What did Mosley say after the Mayweather fight? I was all wound up and tight. Merchent asked him why, with all his experience. Truth is, Mosley has always been like this, it's just he's now at an age where it shows up more. Too much nervous energy for an aging fighter.) Shane Mosley has now suffered three consecutive lackluster performances. Ok, so two of them were against the best fighters in the world, but they were eye openers.
Last time out against Manny Pacquiao {almost a year to the day on Saturday night} Mosley fought to survive in a fight that, quite frankly, he could have won. After the Mayweather fight,many thought Shane was done.I thought that Mosley had just simply lost to a slicker, better technician – something Mosley has always struggled with. Yes, his speed and reflexes had eroded a bit, but nobody could dispute his punching power remained – his right hand reduced Mayweather's legs to doing the funky chicken in round two. Not long after, against Sergio Mora, Mosley looked even worse against a far less formidable opponent. After the fight, while I thought Mosley had slipped even more, I still did not think that he was finished as a fighter, even though what I witnessed suggested otherwise. Yet again, I put Mosley's poor showing down to another bad style match up – Mora is an underrated defensive fighter,who fits perfectly into the same unaccommodating style bracket as Vernon Forrest, Winky Wright and Floyd Mayweather.
Admittedly, upon hearing the news that Mosley had signed to fight Manny Pacquiao, I thought Shane Mosley had been given a tremendous opportunity to redeem himself against a fighter who would accommodate a faded Shane Mosley's style.
Mosley, despite the 'Sugar ' moniker,has never been anything like what the pseudonym suggests. Mosley has never really been a boxer. He has never really possessed a good jab, he has never really utilized much head movement and he has never really boxed well on his toes or moving. I've always felt that Mosley performed well as a slugger – toe to toe, there was not much better than Sugar Shane. I believed that Pacquiao's southpaw aggression and defensive lapses would play straight into Mosley's power slugging style, and in particular, his left hook – I consider the left hook to be just as effective against a southpaw as a straight right hand. As Mosley was the owner of one of the best left hooks in boxing, I thought that if there were to be any signs of a gun slinging contest between the two, with his great chin and durability, Mosley may have been the last man standing and pulled off the upset. How wrong I was.
Rather than fight to his strengths – hard power punching against a fighter who was right in front of him – Mosley and Nazim Richardson decided to counterpunch. From the moment Mosley's tactics became apparent, I knew I had got it wrong. Not only about the nature of the fight, but also about Mosley's future as a relevant fighter. The fact that Shane Mosley opted to fight a defensive fight against a fighter who obliged his A game told me everything I needed to know about Mosley's current status – Richardson and Mosley knew that Shane is no longer capable of fighting in his most productive manner. Afterwards, many pointed to Marquez' counterpunching blueprint as the tactics that Mosley employed.I agree, Mosley did negate a lot of Pacquiao's attacks, but he did so by disengaging. The fact that Mosley didn't throw one left hook, his signature punch and best chance of winning the fight proved that Mosley can no longer pull the trigger. This is why I give Mosley no chance against Saul Alvarez.
If this was the Shane Mosley who nearly decapitated Antonio Margarito, I would have given him a great chance against a fighter who will not be moving laterally a great deal, and who does not move his head an awful lot.Mosley's direct aggression and power could have proven to be too much for the untested young Mexican. However, the 2012 version of Mosley, could in fact prove to be the perfect 'look good' opponent for Alvarez, so much so, that I believe that Mosley will be lucky to see the final bell.
Shane Mosley will be facing the hardest hitter he has ever faced on Saturday night, at a time when his reflexes appear to be at an all time low. Alvarez's left hook, thrown to head and body, are very nasty to say the least. At lightweight, Shane Mosley often enjoyed a physical advantage over his opponents, particularly his reach. At junior middleweight, Mosley is on the small side, whereas Alvarez is huge for the division – his strength could be his greatest asset. Alvarez's hands are also alot quicker than he is given credit for.
Throughout his career, Mosley has always struggled against fighters with a good jab. While it is not a cobra-like jab like that of Larry Holmes, Alvarez is the owner of a ram rod – a Sonny Liston of a jab -that is not only used to control the distance and tempo of his fights, but to inflict damage upon his opponents also.Although Alvarez is more of an accumulative puncher, he is starting to show inclinations of a knockout artist. There is no doubt that Alvarez is one of the hardest punchers in boxing – his devastating knockout of the normally durable Carlos Baldomir speaks volumes about his punching prowess.More worryingly for Mosley may be Alvarez's gradual defensive improvements. Alvarez now employs decent head movement along with underrated defense, which makes him a far more elusive target than looks suggest.
If I was forced to make a case for Mosley, I would point to the opposition of both fighters. Mosley has fought a who's who of modern greats throughout his career, while thus far, Alvarez has been facing a who's that?quality of opponent. Also, any fight fan will tell you that the last thing to go in an aging fighter is his power, should he possess any. So if Alvarez becomes careless in there, Mosley might be able to land something worthwhile and make an interesting night of it. That is what I would like, not what I expect.
What I expect is that Saul Alvarez is going to surprise a few people and outbox Shane Mosley behind his jab. I have a feeling Alvarez will show a lot of early respect for Mosley, who's experience in big fight situations cannot be ignored. However, Alvarez will soon realize that Mosley has nothing left in the tank but heart and reputation and I think by the middle sessions, Mosley will be in the same state of mind that he was in against Pacquiao – his physical erosion and diminished punch resiliency lead him to believe that Pacquiao was the hardest hitter he had ever faced – and will be in full on survival mode. The problem here though, is that Alvarez, while he may look like a plodder, is extremely adept at cutting the ring off. I'm not sure that Mosley will be able to avoid heavy fire the way he managed against the more forgiving Manny Pacquiao, as Alvarez looks to take out an opponent once he has them hurt. I don't think Mosley will be seeing stars on Saturday, but I do think Alvarez' size and intent will encourage Nazim Richardson to do something he threatened to do against Mayweather, and that is throw in the towel.
That's the way it is now; taking advantage of a great name when the body that owns that name is no longer capable of doing great things. This has become almost a ritual in boxing.
Prediction: Saul Alvarez by technical knockout by around the 8th round.
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Biyarslanov TKOed Mimoune at Montreal; Jalolov Conspicuous by his Absence

It was a cold and snowy night in Montreal, depressing the turnout at the Montreal Casino where Camille Estephan’s Eye of the Tiger Promotions presented a six-fight card that aired in the U.S. on ESPN+.
The match-up that had the most intrigue, although not the main event and not expected to be remotely competitive, centered around heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov who would be returning to the professional ranks after an absence of almost 14 months during which he fattened his extraordinary amateur profile. But the Montreal Commission nixed the match, ostensibly because Jalolov took sick after the weigh-in.
Main Event
The main event was a 10-round junior welterweight contest between well-acquainted southpaws Arthur Biyarslanov (pictured) and Mohamed Mimoune. The Toronto-based, Russian-born Biyarslanov, nicknamed the Chechen Wolf, had no trouble with his 37-year-old French opponent, taking Mimoune out on the second round.
Mimoune did not appear to be badly hurt after Biyarslanov knocked him to the canvas, but he had no antidote when Biyarslanov swarmed after him. With nothing come back Biyarslanov’s way, the referee sensibly waived it off. The official time was 2:16 of round three.
Biyarslanov (18-0, 15 KOs) looks like he can make some noise in the talent-rich 140-pound division. Mimoune, who had been stopped five times previously, declined to 24-7.
Co-Feature
Albert Ramirez, a 32-year-old Venezuelan, ranked in the Top Five by all four relevant sanctioning bodies, moved a step closer to a title fight with a third-round stoppage of Marco Calic.
As an amateur, Ramirez, who improved to 20-0 (17 KOs), defeated Cuban stalwarts Erislandy Savon and Julio Cesar La Cruz in 5-round fights. Tonight, he put his opponent away with a fusillade of punches. After rising from a knockdown, Calic got a brief respite when Ramirez was warned for an illegal punch behind the head, but Cacic’s body language informed us that the end was near.
The official time was 2:10 of round three. A 37-year-old Croatian making his North American debut, Calic lost for the second time in 17 starts.
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In a match-up between former Olympians contested at the catch-weight of 178 pounds, Montreal-based Mehmet Unal, who represented Turkey in the 2016 Games, scored a third-round stoppage of Ezequiel Maderna. The final punch was a looping right hand that knocked Maderna off his pins, leading to what some would argue was a quick stoppage. The official time was 1:41 of round three.
It was the second knockdown scored by Unal, the first coming in the previous round, a knockdown that was more of a push. But Maderna was holding his own in what was an entertaining fight for as long as it lasted. Unal, although rough-around-the-edges, is undefeated (12-0, 10 KOs) as a pro. Maderna, a 38-year-old Argentine, saw his ledger dip to 31-14.
Fast rising welterweight Christopher Guerrero scored the best win of his career with a fourth-round stoppage of Swiss journeyman Dennis Dauti. A two-time Canadian amateur champion, born in Mexico, Guerrero channeled Julio Cesar Chavez and ended the bout with a left hook to the body. Dauti made it to his feet although he was in obvious pain. Guerreo then tossed him to the canvas (officially a slip) and the referee waived it off before Guerrero (13-0, 8 KOs) had the opportunity to land another punch. The 31-year-old Dauti (25-6-2) hadn’t previously been stopped.
Super middleweight Moreno Fendero who has drawn comparisons with stablemate Christian Mbilli, had an easy workout with Edison Demaj, stopping the German-Albanian trial horse in the third round.
The 25-year-old Moreno, a former member of the French Army, scored three knockdowns before the match was halted at the 1:36 mark of the third round. The final knockdown was a looping right hand that landed high on Demaj’s temple. He beat the count, but the referee waived the match off with the approval of Demaj’s corner. Fendero improved to 9-0 (7 KOs). The overmatched Demaj falls to 13-4-1.
In the TV opener, lightweight Avery Martin-Duval, a local product, advanced to 13-0-1 (7) with an 8-round unanimous decision over French import Keshan Koaly (6-1-2) The scores were 77-74 and 77-73 twice
From Nice with roots in the French territory of Guadalupe, Koaly knocked Martin-Duval to his knees in the second frame with a jab to the midsection. Two rounds later, the local lad landed the best punch of the fight, staggering Koaly with a counter right hand that immediately caused a purplish welt to develop under his right eye. From that point on, Martin-Duval controlled the action.
Upsets are extremely rare on Eye of the Tiger events. Tonight was no exception.
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Bakhodir Jalolov Returns on Thursday in Another Disgraceful Mismatch

How good is Bakhodir Jalolov? Some would argue that in terms of pure talent, the six-foot-seven southpaw from Uzbekistan who has knocked out all 14 of his opponents since turning pro, is better than any heavyweight you can name. Others say that this can’t possibly be true or his braintrust wouldn’t keep feeding him junk food. Jalolov has been brought along as gingerly as Christopher Lovejoy who was exposed as a fraud after running up a skein of 19 straight fast knockouts,
One thing that’s indisputable is that Jalolov was one of the best amateurs to come down the pike in recent memory. A three-time Olympian and two-time gold medalist, Jalolov won 58 of his last 59 amateur bouts. The exception was a match in which he did not compete which translated into a win by walkover for his opponent, countryman Lazizbek Mullojonov.
The circumstances are vague. Was Jalolov a no-show because of an injury or illness or a technicality? Amateur boxing, save in a few places or in an Olympic year, is the quintessential niche sport. The mainstream media does not cover it.
What we do know, thanks to boxrec, is that Jalolov caught up with Mullojonov in May of last year in the Russian Far East city of Khabarovsk and won a split decision. And Mollojonov was no slouch. He too won a gold medal at the Paris Games, winning the heavyweight division to give the powerful Uzbekistan contingent the championship in the two heaviest weight classes.
Jalolov, whose late father was a champion free-style wrestler, has answered the bell as a pro for only 35 rounds. The Belgian-Congolese campaigner Jack Mulowayi came closest to taking the big Uzbek the distance, lasting into the eighth round of an 8-round fight. But when Jalolov closed the show, he did it with a highlight reel knockout, knocking Mulowayi into dreamland with a vicious left hook.
The KO was reminiscent of Jalolov’s most talked-about win as an amateur, his first-round blast-out of Richard Torrez Jr at a tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, in 2019. Torrez, knocked out cold with a left hook, left the ring on a stretcher and was removed to a hospital for evaluation.
This was the first AIBA-sanctioned international tournament in which pros were allowed to compete and WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was incensed, calling the match-up “criminal” in a tweet that was widely circulated. (Jalolov then had six pro fights under his belt.) They would meet again in the finals of the Tokyo Olympiad with the Uzbek winning a unanimous decision.
Perhaps there will be a third meeting down the road. When Jared Anderson was roughed-up and stopped by Martin Bakole, Torrez Jr (currently 12-0, 11 KOs) vaulted ahead of him on the list of the top home-grown American heavyweights. But Torrez Jr, a short-armed heavyweight who overcomes his physical limitations with a windmill offense, would be a heavy underdog should they ever meet again.
Bakhodir Jalolov’s last bout before heading off to Paris was against the obscure South African Chris Thompson. His match on Thursday at the Montreal Casino in Montreal pits him against an obscure 33-year-old Frenchman, David Spilmont.
Spilmont’s last two opponents were the same guy, an undersized Lithuanian slug who has lost 36 of his 41 documented fights. It seems almost inevitable that Spilmont will suffer the same fate as Thompson who was KOed in the first round.
There’s talk that Jalolov doesn’t really care how far he advances at the professional level; that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles where he would have an opportunity to become only the fourth boxer to win three Olympic gold medals, joining the immortal Teofilo Stevenson, Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp, and Cuban standout Felix Savon. Were he to accomplish the hat trick, they would build monuments to him in Uzbekistan. But, if that is his mindset, he’s skating on thin ice. There’s no guarantee that boxing will be on the docket at the Los Angeles Games and, if so, the powers-that-be may choose to roll back the calendar to the days when the competition was off-limits to anyone with professional experience.
While it’s true that Jalolov needs to work off some rust, a pox on promoter Camille Estephan and his enabler, the Quebec Boxing Commission, for not dredging up a more credible opponent than the grossly overmatched David Spilmont.
—
Jalolov vs. Spilmont is ostensibly the co-feature. The main event is a 10-round junior welterweight clash between Movladdin “Arthur” Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KOs) and Spilmont stablemate Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KOs). Undefeated light heavyweights Albert Ramirez and Mehmet Unal will appear in separate bouts on the undercard. The Feb. 6 event, currently consisting of seven bouts, will air in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT.
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Claressa Shields Powers to Undisputed Heavyweight Championship

Claressa Shields blasted her way to the undisputed heavyweight championship and nearly knocked out challenger Danielle Perkins in the final seconds, but settled for a win by unanimous decision on Sunday.
Yes, she can punch.
“I just feel overwhelmed and so happy.” Shields said.
Shields (16-0, 3 KOs) proved that even the super athletic Perkins (5-1, 2 KOs), a true heavyweight, could not stop her from becoming an undisputed world champion in a third weight division at Dort Arena in Flint, Michigan, her home town.
In the opening round it was easy to see the size difference. Shields calmly measured Perkins long right jabs then countered with rocket rights through the guard. The speed was evident in Shield’s punches. Perkins used jabs to work her way in but was caught with counters.
“That girl was strong as hell,” said Shields describing Perkins.
Perkins, a southpaw, was somewhat confident that she was the stronger puncher and the stronger fighter overall. But when Shields connected with 10 rocket overhand rights in the third round the power moved Perkins several feet backward.
Suddenly, Perkins realized that indeed Shields has power.
Perkins became more cautious with her approaches. Though the true heavyweight was not frozen in fear, she was wary about getting caught flush with Shields rights. But bullet jabs and lightning combinations still rained on Perkins.
Finding a way to nullify Shields speed was crucial for Perkins.
The former basketball player Perkins continually proved her athleticism with agile moves here and there, but Shields just was superior in every way.
When Perkins became focused too much on the right, a Shields left hook caught the New York native flush. Suddenly there was another Shields weapon to worry about.
Many critics of Shields had focused on her lack of knockouts. But in her previous fight against another heavyweight, the two-time Olympic gold medalist surprised Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse with knockout power. It’s the same power Shields showed Perkins as if firing a fast ball by powering her right with leverage by using her left leg to produce momentum and an explosive punch.
In the 10th and final round Shields and Perkins exchanged blows. Perkins was looking to connect with one of her power shots when suddenly Shields countered with a perfectly timed right to the chin and down went Perkins with about 10 seconds remaining. She beat the count to finish the round.
“I showed I was the bigger puncher and better boxer,” said Shields. “I knew I could do it because I’m really strong at heavyweight.”
All three judges favored Shields 100-89, 99-90 and 97-92.
It was another convincing performance by Shields. So what is next for the best female fighter pound for pound?
“I want to fight Franchon Crews, Hanna Gabriels,” said Shields also naming a few others. “Flint, (Michigan) I love you all so much.”
Other Bouts
A heavyweight clash saw why there is a rule against holding. Brandon Moore (17-1) and Skylar Lacy (8-1-2) punched and held throughout their eight rounds. Referee Steve Willis finally disqualified Lacy when he tackled Moore and took him through the ropes and on to table below.
No, holding and clinching is not part of the fight game. Now you know why.
Moore was ruled the winner by disqualification due to unsportsmanlike conduct by Lacy at 1:35 of the eighth. No need to describe the fight.
A battle between undefeated welterweights saw Joseph Hicks (12-0, 8 KOs) stop Keon Papillon (10-1-1, 7 KOs) at 1:35 of the seventh round. Hicks stunned Papillon at the end of the sixth, then unloaded in the seventh round to force a stoppage.
Joshua Pagan (12-0) out-battled Ronal Ron (16-8) over eight rounds to win the lightweight match by unanimous decision.
Samantha Worthington (11-0) defeated Vaida Masiokaite (10-27-6) by decision after eight rounds in a super lightweight bout.
Featherweight Caroline Veyre (9-1) out-boxed the shorter Carmen Vargas (5-3-1) to win by decision after six rounds.
Super bantamweight Asheleyann Lozada (1-0) won her pro debut by unanimous decision over Denise Moran (3-1) in a four-round fight.
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