LAS VEGAS -- Shane Mosley took a $10 million gamble and
lost.
Winky Wright outworked Mosley over 12 rounds Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The 5-to-2 underdog took the fight to Mosley and scored the bigger punches to win a
unanimous decision and become the undisputed 154-pound champion.
Though the arena was not sold out, the 8,000-plus spectators got their money's worth as Wright got the biggest fight of his career. The unheralded Wright consistently beat the speedy Mosley to the punch, ruining his planned $10 million megafight with Felix Trinidad later this year.
There were no knockdowns, but the fight was fast-paced from the
opening bell as the two champions went after each other. Mosley,
though, was never able to get inside and Wright, reports Maxboxing.com's Doug Fischer, seemed to have the answer by keeping his opponent outside his southpaw jab and throwing hard, straight lefts to his head and body.
Judges Dave Moretti and Chuck Giampa scored it 117-111, while
Paul Smith had it 116-112.
"[Mosley's] fast but I tried to keep him away with the jab, and it worked," Wright told Maxboxing.com after the fight. "He's a very strong fighter but I got my chance and I proved
it. If everybody wants it, we can do it again."
Sensing he was behind, Mosley came out in the final round
throwing everything he had. But Wright responded, and the two fought
toe-to-toe as the crowd stood and cheered.
As the final seconds ticked down, Mosley swung so hard with a
right hand that he fell down as the bell sounded. He got up and the
two fighters embraced.
Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in his last fight to win the
WBA and WBC titles, was the odds-on favorite against Wright, who held the
IBF title but had been largely shut out of big fights in his
career.
"For some reason when I came into the ring I felt like I was
dehydrated," Mosley said. "I couldn't move. It was a monkey on my
back."
There was a rematch clause in their contract, according to Maxboxing.com, and Mosley's promoter Gary
Shaw says they plan to exercise it. But unless Mosley learns how to deal
with a tall boxer who knows how to utilize his jab and time counter punches over the former lightweight's wild hooks and crosses, there doesn't seem to be any point to holding a return bout.
Wright will likely repeat tonight's masterful performance.
Mosley came out quick in the first round, but it soon became
apparent that Wright was landing harder punches, and he began
controlling the pace of the fight.
"If you box him like this, it will be an easy fight for you,"
Wright's trainer Dan Birmingham said.
Wright heeded his trainer's advice and began piling up the
rounds, relentlessly going after the shorter Mosley, who tried to
counter him by moving about the ring.
"I always felt I was the better fighter," Wright said.
After the sixth round there was a growing urgency in Mosley's
corner, where his father and trainer, Jack Mosley, urged his son
on.
"The rounds are going by quickly," Mosley told his son. "You
have to do the right things to win this fight."
Mosley (39-3) was fighting at 154 pounds for only the third time
in a career that began as a lightweight. Wright (47-3) fought his
entire career at the weight, and seemed both bigger and stronger
than Mosley.
Punch stats showed Wright landed 250 punches to 166 for Mosley.
After 14 years in the business and 50 pro fights, Wright's undercard days are finally over. He's a major player in the game, and nobody recognizes that more than Mosley.
"This fight was great for fight fans. It showed them that there are a lot of great fighters out there right now," said Mosley. "It's not just Sugar
Shane, Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad; now we have Winky Wright."
Mosley said he took the fight with Wright to make history by
unifying all three titles. But he was also looking for a big win to
set up a possible November fight with Trinidad where both fighters
would make at least $10 million.
"It was not a mistake. I have no regrets," Mosley said. "I
wanted to find out who was the best in our division. I was fighting
for history."
Mosley earned $2.1 million, while Wright was paid $750,000.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.