Oscar De La Hoya vs Shane Mosley 2

‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley defeated Oscar De La Hoya for the second time, taking a unanimous 12-round decision before a sell-out crowd of 16,268 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Judges Stanley Christodoulou, Duane Ford and Anek Hongtongkam each scored the contest 115–113, awarding Mosley seven rounds and De La Hoya five. Both men weighed the light-middleweight limit of 154lb, and referee Joe Cortez supervised a match for De La Hoya’s WBA, WBC, IBA and Ring championships. There were no knockdowns, although Mosley hurt the champion during the later rounds and finished strongly enough to overcome deficits on the official cards.

The return had been sought since Mosley outpointed De La Hoya by split decision at welterweight in June 2000. Their circumstances had changed considerably in the intervening three years. De La Hoya had moved successfully into the 154lb division and entered with a record of 36–2, having stopped Fernando Vargas and Luis Ramon Campas in his two previous contests. Mosley, 38–2 with one no-contest, had lost consecutive decisions to Vernon Forrest and had not recorded a victory for more than two years. His only previous appearance at light-middleweight had ended after three rounds when accidental head clashes caused a no-contest with Raul Marquez. De La Hoya was therefore a two-to-one favourite and appeared to possess the advantages in size, recent form and experience at the weight.

The opening rounds were careful rather than spectacular. Mosley attempted to close the distance with quick advances, but De La Hoya kept him occupied with the jab and moved laterally before the challenger could assemble combinations. The champion’s left hand was his principal weapon. He doubled the jab, occasionally brought it downstairs and used it to prepare the left hook, while Mosley looked for single rights and hooks delivered in sudden bursts. Mosley remained the more purposeful aggressor, but much of his early work fell short or struck De La Hoya’s gloves.

The pace increased after an accidental clash of heads early in the fourth round opened a cut beside De La Hoya’s right eye. Blood continued to appear for the remainder of the contest, although the wound did not seriously obstruct his sight and his corner kept it under control. De La Hoya boxed effectively through the interruption, landing repeated jabs and using his greater reach to prevent Mosley from settling at middle distance. By the end of the fifth, caution had been discarded for longer periods. The fighters exchanged at close quarters, Mosley attacking with both hands and De La Hoya answering with compact hooks and straight punches before moving away. Mosley’s father and trainer, Jack, complained that his son had allowed the champion to take the fifth with a late rally.

At the halfway point, De La Hoya led on two of the official cards and was level on the third. He had been the more accurate boxer and was winning rounds with his jab, but he was not maintaining the same rate of work for all three minutes. Mosley pressed in brief, rapid attacks, throwing the harder-looking punches even when De La Hoya landed more frequently. The champion often tried to secure rounds with flurries in the closing seconds, a method that left considerable room for disagreement among the judges. Mosley’s corner urged him to increase the pressure rather than risk another narrow verdict.

The contest changed during its final third. Mosley began moving forward with greater conviction, making quicker entries and reaching De La Hoya with the right hand. His best round was the ninth, when several forceful punches rocked the champion and made him hold or retreat. De La Hoya remained upright and answered when he could, but the authority of the punches had plainly shifted. Mosley also avoided much of the left hook which had accounted for Vargas and Campas, either moving outside it or stepping close enough to prevent De La Hoya from obtaining full leverage. Two judges awarded Mosley each of the last five rounds; the third gave him the final four.

De La Hoya continued to score with the jab but appeared increasingly weary as Mosley maintained his pace. The challenger’s father nevertheless told him before the 12th that a knockout might be required, and Mosley attacked accordingly. The fighters met in the centre and exchanged almost continuously through the opening minute. De La Hoya stood his ground more often than he had previously, throwing left hooks and right hands, while Mosley answered with quicker combinations and the heavier single blows. Neither man came close to falling. They continued at a fast rate until the final bell, then embraced before awaiting the decision.

The verdict was received with surprise and some hostility from De La Hoya’s supporters. CompuBox recorded the champion landing 221 of 616 punches, compared with 127 of 496 for Mosley. De La Hoya also held a commanding advantage with the jab, landing 106 to Mosley’s 33, while the power-punch totals were closer at 115 to 94. Statistics alone did not settle the question, for Mosley’s harder blows and stronger finish influenced the officials. The Associated Press scored the match 116–113 for Mosley, while HBO’s unofficial scorer had De La Hoya ahead 115–113. A poll of 28 ringside writers produced 16 votes for Mosley, eight for De La Hoya and four for a draw.

De La Hoya announced that he would protest the decision, maintaining that he had won clearly, but the Nevada authorities found no grounds to disturb the verdict. The result remained a unanimous decision for Mosley, who became recognised as the leading light-middleweight after a performance which restored his position following the Forrest defeats. The judgment has remained disputed, particularly because De La Hoya landed more punches and appeared to control much of the first half, but Mosley’s success in the championship rounds gave all three judges the same narrow total.

The contest took on a more serious dimension several years later through the investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Mosley acknowledged using substances supplied through BALCO during his preparation and admitted under oath that he had injected himself with the blood-boosting drug EPO before the fight, while maintaining that he had not knowingly taken prohibited drugs. He did not fail a test in connection with the contest, and no athletic commission overturned the result. The official record therefore continues to show Mosley as the winner, though the later evidence placed an enduring shadow over an already controversial decision.

I was a big admirer of both men and could never separate which one I preferred watching. Their first fight was the better contest, with Mosley’s speed and late surge earning him a close decision. By the rematch, Shane had lost twice to Vernon Forrest, while De La Hoya looked settled at light-middleweight after beating Fernando Vargas.

I thought Oscar got the rough end of the deal here. He controlled long stretches with the jab, moved intelligently and kept Mosley from setting his feet. Shane landed the harder eye-catching punches, particularly in the ninth, but he worked in bursts and surrendered too much of the early contest.

All three judges scored it 115–113 for Mosley. I had the same margin for De La Hoya. It was close enough that I wouldn’t call the verdict a robbery, but Oscar landed more clean punches and dictated where most of the boxing took place.

The later BALCO revelations put a further dullness on Shane’s victory. His admission that he had used EPO before the fight, while maintaining he did not knowingly take banned substances, cannot simply be brushed aside. That was a shame because Mosley was a magnificent fighter who did not need that stain on his career.