ScoresOddsPicks.com handicapper Shea Matthews takes a boxing preview.
It's no Mayweather/Pacquiao; no point pretending it is. But we can at least appreciate that this weekend's Floyd Mayweather Jr./Shane Mosley fight is a battle between two of the best boxers of this generation. Let's break down the fight and make a sports betting pick.
Floyd "Pretty Boy" Mayweather Jr. (40-0) vs "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-5)
Saturday, May 1, 11:00 p.m. ET
Boxing odds: Mayweather Jr. -450, Mosley +360
Love him or hate him, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been the most untouchable boxer of the last 15 years without a doubt. His record is perfect and it largely reflects his pretty much perfect technical style. I'm not sure any boxer on the planet not named Manny Pacquiao can match Mayweather's talent and even Pacquiao, who would still probably be favored to beat Mayweather, may not be as technically crisp as Mayweather.
Mayweather has it all – blinding speed and footwork, surgical precision with his punches and, perhaps most importantly, absolutely impregnable defense. It seems no opponent can penetrate and put even the slightest hurt on him. Mayweather is also strong for his size and an extremely hard worker at the gym.
His opponent may be past his prime but is still certainly a quality challenger. Shane Mosley also spent much of the last 15 years mentioned in the same breath as "best pound-for-pound." He brings great experience to the table, having tangled with the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Vernon Forrest and many other huge names over the years.
On paper, Mosley does plenty of the same things Mayweather does. He's fast, he's tough to hit, he's extremely fit and he's an accurate puncher. The problem is that, as well as Mosley does all of those things, Mayweather does them all a little bit better at this stage of his career.
It's not that Mosley doesn't have a puncher's chance, so betting on him at your sportsbook isn't a ridiculous waste. For one, he has the knockout power advantage, having scored an outstanding 39 of his 45 wins via KO. He also has an excellent chin and a more tested chin. We now Mosley can take a punch but can we say the same about Mayweather? It's more that no one can even land a flush punch on him.
Mosley's power and experience should at least make this fight entertaining. But Mosley at age 38 simply won't be fast enough or sharp enough to defeat a fighter with 40 wins and zero losses to his name. It will take a superstar in his prime like Manny Pacquiao to do so.
Today's free pick: Floyd Mayweather Jr. -450
