Predictions For Margarito vs Mosley

You can expect fireworks when current champ, Antonio Margarito takes on former 3 division champ, Sugar Shane Mosley at a sold out Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Tijuana Tornado is a solid favourite to come out on top, but the older man should not be counted out. He's got his own set of advantages over the hard-charging Mexican, and will be looking to make them count in what should be a real battle of wills.

A few of The Boxing Bulletin's writers chose to weigh-in with their thoughts on this significant welterweight showdown, and the result was an interesting mixture of opinions.


Mosley brings a lot of things to the table that will trouble Margarito. He can match Tony in toughness and strength while having a significant advantage in speed. It really comes down to how much Shane has left in his legs for 36 minutes of warfare.

I expect Shane to come out blazing and take the early rounds. Margarito will work his way back into the fight and I see it even after eight.From there both men will dig deep into their unlimited reserves. I really want to pick Mosley as i can see him winning this, but I think age will leave him just short in the championship rounds. Margarito by UD. 7-5 or 8-4 in another excellent welterweight fight.

-Mark Lyons


Margarito will win this fight by UD. I see a score of 9-3. This is really a battle between a grinder and a fast handed slugger. Neither guy has one punch power and both guys have anvils for chins. But it seems obvious that Margarito will win due to his volume punching and his ability to move forward continually. Shane can only fight in spurts these days and when he does he can be effective, but it won't be enough to win many rounds even if the fight is quite exciting. If we're really lucky this might turn into a body punching extravangza. Unless fame has softened Margarito up, I don't see how Shane wins this fight. And I will say Margarito has the kind of style that requires absolute dedication for it be successful, but I don't think he'd risk losing the fame he worked so hard to build up.

-John Vaci


I've always been a Mosley fan. I've cheered for him in all of his fights and will cheer for him again on Saturday night. Only this will be the first time I'll go in thinking he's got almost no chance. He just doesn't have enough left to keep the fight where he needs it to be. He's still got hand speed, but it's one at a time speed, and his legs won't carry him the way they'll need to. He's in with an opponent that brings the kind of relentless intensity that can make an older fighter show his age. As the rounds go by, he'll start getting bullied to the ropes, and he'll slowly get worked. It won't happen immediately, but as the grind of the fight moves into the later rounds, we'll see the battle become gradually more one-sided. I think Shane is tough enough to see the final bell, but he's not winning.

-Andrew Fruman.


I'm going with Sugar Shane, and not just because he's been my guy for over 10 years now. I think he can win this fight. Fights are not fought on paper, but I think some are minimizing Shane's advantages while blowing up Margarito's. The fact is, he's fighting a guy who matches him in many of the key ares Tony can usually count on having the edge, like chin, strength, determination and size. That leaves him as the guy who throws more punches, but I think Shane will stand his ground, which has always messed with Margarito's output.

Tony is a come forward fighter, and if you can disrupt that with the threat of speed and power, as well as clinching here and there, you've have won half the battle. I see Shane's athletic advantage as the decider. He has a pretty potent, offense himself. I see this fight as offense vs offense between to hard men. In this case I'll take the sharper, faster, harder hitter, who can mix it up a bit with some defense.

Mosley guts out a tough fight. His speed and more memorable power shots are the difference to the judges who award him the close decision win. Shane goes 2-0 at Staples.

-Lee Payton