September 24, 2003

Saturday's match-up between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley was hyped as "Redemption", meaning the stage was set for Oscar to avenge his only undisputable blimish on his record. HBO basically was already counting their chickens, because it was no way Shane could duplicate the same performance that carried him to a split decision in June 2000. Oscar and Shane's career's we're heading in two separate ways since that memorable fight.

Oscar rebounded and captured the Super Welterweight title and had a terrific performance against a shot Fernando Vargas. Shane on the other hand lost 2 decisions to Vernon Forrest and a no-decision against journeyman Raul Marquez. What seemed to be clear supposedly was Shane was not the same guy, he's slower, his confidence is shot, he clear doesn't have it any more. On the flip, De La Hoya has Floyd Mayweather Sr. in his corner, the self proclaimed best trainer in boxing, the same Mayweather who's own son dropped him as a trainer. "Mayweather has made Oscar more than just a left hooker" they we're saying. All that coming into the fight made Oscar 2 to 1 over Shane.

In viewing the fight the first time, with the HBO commentators and the HBO punch stat numbers, I thought Oscar was winning the fight early on. What amazed me was, that how Lampley and Foreman we're so quick to say Shane looked confused, slow, and how DLH has carrying the fight how he was dominating with that pity pat jab. They also had evidence to how bad Oscar was beating Shane, the punch stat numbers overwelmingly favored Oscar. The punch stat numbers can't lie.

I never could figure out sometimes how I thought a fighter had thrown more punches and it would come up that he hadn't, according to the punch stat numbers. It's easy to fall into the thinking that someone is getting beat if you are listening to someone's commentary to that effect and they have stats to back it up. To me after reviewing the tape again, the fight was close, DLH seemed to have a better strategy this time around, but in the end Shane was more effective down the stretch. He was clearly breaking Oscar up with the body shots, he was clearly stronger.

Oscar's mad because he felt he was robbed.

All the judges scored the fight 115-113 for Mosley, clearly viewed through their own eyes, so it is subjective. The punch stat numbers favored Oscar, but who controls the punch stat counters, the people that sit around and guestimate when they think they see a punch thrown and landed which is also subjective.

The truth is the fight could have went either way, it was that close, and every fighter at some point has been a victim of a close decision that went against him. Oscar himself has been a beneficary of some questionable decisions, I thought Pernell Whitaker and Ike Quartey beat him, DLH got the decision. I also think Oscar beat Tito, Tito got the decision. All I got to say is.... "Karma is a Motha". What goes around, comes around.