For most, Cinco De Mayo is synonymous with celebration. For Las Vegas, it means another big fight is coming. This year will be no different. On Saturday, May 7th, at the MGM Grand Arena, Top Rank brings you an amazing card for this years big fight weekend.
The main event should be a great one. Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao (52-3-2) will be taking on "Sugar" Shane Mosley (46-6-1, one no contest), for the WBO Welterweight Championship.
Pacquiao is considered the pound-for-pound champ by most boxing writers and fans. He is the only fighter to win a title in 8 different weight classes, and the only one to win 10 world titles. He has fought as low as flyweight (112), and as high as junior middleweight (154). Manny's resume is filled with the best his generation had to offer. From Eric Morrales, to Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez. He has ducked no one. In a stretch of 12 fights from 2003-2008, Manny fought 11 Mexican fighters. He was an impressive 9-1-1 in those fights, earning him the nickname, "The Mexicutioner". In his last fight, Pacquiao took on his toughest opponent to date, Antonio "Tonio" Margarito. The Light Middleweight contest was fought at a catchweight of 150lbs, a weight Manny never even reached. He stepped into the ring 17 pounds lighter than his opponent, and dominated every round, winning the title by unanimous decision.
Pacquiao's opponent on Saturday will be former three division champion, "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Mosley is coming off of two very bad performances. The first was a showdown with self proclaimed greatest boxer of all time, Floyed Mayweather Jr. Shane hurt Mayweather in the second round, and almost finished the fight right then, but Floyd recovered and went on to out box Mosley for the last 10 rounds winning a unanimous decision. His last fight was against "The Latin Snake" Sergio Mora, of "Contender" fame. The fight was a contrast of styles. Neither fighter looked comfortable. The fight went to the scorecards and was ruled a draw. Both of these fights came directly after Mosley looked like the 28 year old version of himself, defeating Antonio Margarito by TKO in the 9th. Mosley too, has never ducked anyone in the sport.
This fight could be a Pacquiao showcase. It has the potential, though, to be a classic. Neither fighter backs up. Both are offensive minded, and like to move forward. Manny has fought a lot of guys with speed. He has fought a lot of guys with power. I don't think he has fought a guy that has as lethal a combination of the two as Mosley has. Even at 39, Mosley is a dangerous fighter. Fast hands, good power, great chin. Pacquiao has all of those things too, and at 32, has something Mosley does not....Youth.
Jorge Arce (56-6-2) will be taking on Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. (19-0-1). I have been to a lot of fights in my life, and none seem to have the electricity of a Mexican vs a Puerto Rican. This fight will be no different. Mosley and Pacquiao are both soft spoken men who seem to genuinely respect one another. Arce and Vasquez took that as an opportunity to liven up the press conferences. On Thursday, during their press conference at the MGM in Las Vegas, Arce said he didn't know what would happen, but that he would win by KO. Vasquez replied, "Arce is talking about a knockout. He is crazy. I'm ready for him." The fight will be for the WBO Super Bantamweight (122 lbs) title, held by Vasquez. Both are action fighters, and should provide some great entertainment early in the evening.
The return of "The Ghost." Kelly Pavlik is coming off of a 13 month layoff in which he spent some time at the Betty Ford Clinic for alcohol rehabilitation. Pavlik is a former Middleweight champion, earning the title by 7th round TKO over Jermain Taylor, then later defending it with a 12 round unanimous decision over Taylor. Saturday, he will be fighting undefeated Alfonso Lopez III (21-0). The fight will be at a catch weight of 171 lbs. This a huge opportunity for both men. Pavlik is looking to show his fans he is back, and that his weight and alcohol problems are behind him. For Lopez, it's a huge step up in competition, and a chance to put a big name on his resume.
If you love to see someone get knocked-out, then Raymond Narh(25-1) vs Mike Alvarado(29-0) is a must watch. The two have a combined record of 54-1. Even more impressive, they each have 21 KO in those 54 wins. Neither man wants to be in the ring too long. The fight will be for the WBC Continental Americas Super Lightweight (140) belt. Narh is a native of Ghana, and looks to follow in the tradition of other great Ghanaian fighters like, Azumah Nelson, and Ike "Bazooka" Quartey. Alvarado has not had a fight go the distance in two years. 11 of his last 13 wins have come by KO. Both of these men have heavy hands, and love to throw them. This is the one fight you have to set your DVR for. Blink, and it may be all over.
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