Shane Mosley
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"Sugar" Shane Mosley (born September 7, 1971) is a boxer who has won world titles in three weight divisions and beaten Oscar De La Hoya twice.
Mosley was highly respected Lightweight champion. He defended the IBF Lightweight title eight times, winning all eight by knock out. However, he did not have mainstream recognition until he fought WBC Welterweight Champion Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya was perhaps the most popular fighter in boxing, with only one controversial loss to Felix Trinidad. Mosley-De La Hoya was a 12 round war, which Mosley won by a split decision. De La Hoya, who disagreed with the decision in his fight against Trinidad, did not complain about this decision. He said that when he fought Trinidad he did not feel like a beaten fighter, but when he fought Mosley he indeed felt like he had lost the fight.
After his win over De La Hoya, Mosley garnered a great deal of respect from the boxing world. When Trinidad lost to Bernard Hopkins, Mosley inherited the title as best pound for pound fighter in the world.
He ran a successful string of defenses of his Welterweight title, but against three unheralded fighters. When he finally did step up his competition, it was against former Olympian Vernon Forrest. Forrest battered the undefeated Mosley and won by a lopsided decision, taking Mosley's title. They had a rematch six months later, and although Mosley fought better, he once again lost by decision.
On February 8, 2003, Mosley's bout with former IBF world Jr. Middleweight champion Raul Marquez ended in a no contest when Mosley accidentally head butted Marquez twice in round three, which caused two very bad cuts above the eyes of Marquez.
He and De La Hoya faced each other for the second time on September 13, this time with De La Hoya's WBC and WBA world Jr. Middleweight belts on the line. Mosley defeated De La Hoya by a 12 round unanimous decision, and joined the exclusive group of world boxing champions that have reigned in three or more divisions. Many fans believed De La Hoya won the fight, but most experts agreed with the decision. Mosley was out-boxed by De La Hoya for the first part of the fight, but won the second part of the fight by being aggressive against the tiring De La Hoya.
On January 9, 2004, it was reported that the FBI was involved in an investigation into the De La Hoya rematch. According to the news, the fight's judges that night might have been bribed by outside forces to score the fight for Mosley, something Mosley and his handlers might not have been aware of. This however turned out to be untrue, as no evidence was turned up of any fix, and the reports of this particular fight being fixed were basically started by an unfounded remark by an FBI agent. Mosley was later also mentioned as part of an FBI investigation on athletes using steroids, but again no evidence was turned up of this. Mosley was rumored to be on steroids because he had become much more muscular since he had come up from Lightweight, but Mosley attributed this to lifting weights which he could not do at Lightweight because it would have made him too heavy for that weight. Mosley, who had been on a weight lifting team before he turned pro, continues to come into fights very muscled, but has never been found to be on steroids. It is notable, however, that Mosley was made to testify in front of the committee that investigated the BALCO steroid distribution scandal. While it has generally been accepted that Mosley was a client of BALCO laboratories, it has never been established that he engaged in any improper conduct or violated any rules set forth by any relevant state athletic commissions.
On March 13, 2004, Mosley lost his WBC and WBA world Jr. Middleweight titles in an unification bout with IBF world champion Winky Wright, by a unanimous twelve round decision. Wright, a fighter who like Mosley prior to the De La Hoya fight was widely respected in the boxing community but not a mainstream name, used his great jab, defense, and southpaw stance to confuse and out-box Mosley. Wright, however, appreciated Mosley for giving him a chance to participate in a big fight, and gave Mosley a rematch.
Eight days later, on March 21, Mosley announced that he split from his father, manager and trainer, Jack Mosley, on a professional level.
On November 20, Mosley and Wright had a rematch. Although the rematch was scored much closer by the three judges (115-113 twice for Wright and a 114-114 tie), Mosley, nevertheless, lost by a twelve round majority decision.
Shane Mosley returned to action as a Welterweight, defeating the previously undefeated David Estrada by a ten round unanimous decision at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 23, 2005, as part of the Margarito-Cintron ESPN Pay Per View undercard.
On September 17 of the same year, he beat another previously undefeated fighter, Jose Luis Cruz, by a ten round decision, as part of the Barrera-Peden Pay Per View undercard.
Mosley defeated Fernando Vargas on February 25, 2006 by TKO in the tenth round, due to a massive swelling which closed Fernando's left eye.
Mosley currently holds a record of 42 wins, 4 losses and 1 no contest, with 36 knockouts.