It was all set up to be the potential fight of 2009. Antonio Margarito vs. Manny Pacquaio. A potential mega-million dollar bout between arguably the two best pound-for-pound fighters alive.
Shane Mosley put an end to that talk on Saturday night. The 37-year-old pulled quite the upset at L.A.’s Staples Center, backing Margarito into his own corner early in the ninth round with a flurry of punches that caused Margarito’s trainer to throw in the towel. Referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight 43 seconds into the round. Mosley was a 3-1 underdog on WagerWeb.com but is now the WBA welterweight champion, the fifth world title of his career.
“I went into the fight thinking that my speed would be a factor,” Mosley said. “My speed was just too much for him.”
Margarito, who had beaten Miguel Cotto six months ago in a great performance, lost every round on one of the judge’s scorecards, all but one on another, with the third judge giving him two rounds.
“It was my strategy, my focus, my game plan,” said Mosley. “It was a tough fight, but it was a great plan. It was my left hook.”
The 30-year-old Margarito dropped to 37-6 with 27 knockouts, while Mosley moved his record to 46-5 with 39 knockouts.
“I just kept getting caught,” Margarito said. “I just kept caught over and over.”
Margarito trainer Javier Capetillo knew something was wrong with his fighter from the start.
“Something happened in the first round,” he said. “We were too slow. I didn’t think he was reacting properly. It was frustrating to watch because he kept getting caught with overhand rights.”
So now what? Before the fight, Margarito’s promoter, Bob Arum, was talking of a rematch with Cotto in June and a bout with Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, in December.
Afterward, Mosley said he wanted Cotto next — though Cotto has a scheduled fight with Michael Jennings in March first. Cotto outpointed Mosley when they met in November 2007.
“Cotto is the next biggest fight. I want to fight mega-fights,” Mosley said, while also allowing for the possibility of a rematch with Margarito.
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