Mosley Shane is a boxer who has achieved incredible heights in sports. He became the world champion in light, middle and first middleweight. Many consider him the best boxer, regardless of weight category. In 1998, he received the title Boxer of the Year from the American Association of Journalists.
Childhood and youth
Mosley Shane was born in California (Inglewood) in 1971. The boy was unbelievably energetic. His mother stated in an interview that his son was always hyperactive. “Kindergarten teachers allowed me to bring Shane's toy car. During a quiet hour, everyone was asleep, and Mosley was playing, ”the woman said. This hyperactivity has not disappeared even after father brought Shane to the boxing gym. Looking at the sparring of his father, the 8-year-old boy was seriously interested in this sport.
Amateur career
Already in his teens, Mosley Shane managed to enter the elite of amateur boxers. When the boy was thirteen years old, he fought with Oscar De La Hoya and won on points. Shane was reminiscent of the legendary Robinson at the last stage of his career in terms of combat, style, stance and speed of strikes.
The young man was shocked in 1987, when his three-year-old nephew died. This blow of fate tempered the athlete, making Mosley stubborn and fearless in the ring.
In 1992, the boxer participated in the finals of the qualifying competitions for the Olympics. Unfortunately, Shane lost to a fighter named Vernon Forrest. This encouraged him to complete an amateur career with 250 wins and 16 losses.
Professional career
At the dawn of his professional career, Mosley Shane signed a contract with promoter Ortiz, who was not very well known. For two years, he chose the boxer extremely weak opponents. The reputation of a promising athlete has suffered greatly. He wanted to terminate the contract, but Ortiz managed to defend his rights through the courts.
After the expiration of the contract in 1996, Shane made a new deal with Cedric Kouchner. Mosley had a hope for a champion belt. In 1997, he entered the ring against Philip Holiday for the title (IBF) among lightweights. Despite feeling unwell, Shane still managed to win.
However, the boxer was taken seriously only after the third defense of the title in a fight with John Malina. When Shane defended the title eight times in a row, he realized the need to move to the next weight category. And again, fate brought him to De La Hoya. The fight was not easy, but Mosley managed to win on points.
First defeat
In 2002, Shane challenged an old rival, who deprived him of a chance to participate in the Olympics. At that time, Vernon Forrest was in second place in the welterweight category. During the first round, Mosley managed to dominate. But in the second, Forrest seized the advantage. As a result, Shane lost on points, and never “avenged” his past defeat. This fight was the hardest in the career of a boxer.
Third meeting with De La Hoya
In 2003, Mosley Shane, whose biography is described in this article, met for the third time at the Oscars De La Hoya, but in a new weight category. Bookmakers considered the chances of athletes to be almost equal. At stake were two titles: WBA and WBC. Shane defeated De La Hoya on points, becoming the new champion.
Another defeat
Mosley's ambitions did not allow him to stand still. He wanted to become an absolute champion. He did not have only the IBF belt, which then belonged to Ronald Wright. Shane called him into battle, believing that he would easily become a champion by betting on power boxing. He was mistaken and lost two belts.
After this disappointing defeat, Mosley decided to change his coach. The new mentor of the boxer was Joe Goossen, who achieved revenge with Wright. The battle was scheduled for late 2004. But now, not the titles were at stake, but the title of the best boxer in their category. Compared to the previous meeting, Mosley fought much better. But this did not help him win. One judge voted for a draw, and two others awarded Wright victory. After that, Shane moved to the welterweight. In subsequent years, he won a number of bright victories. But Mosley fought exclusively with righties, since lefties were too uncomfortable for him.
Mayweather fight
After defeating Antonio Margarita in 2009, Shane challenged Floyd Mayweather to a duel . But the top boxer ignored Mosley. He received an answer only after 18 months.
In 2010, the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight did take place. The first round was held on equal terms. Mosley dominated the second, inflicting several powerful blows to the head on Floyd. But Mayweather managed to recover, left in subsequent rounds in defense and won on points.
In the following years, Shane suffered several defeats and announced his retirement. But he unexpectedly returned in 2013, having fought against Pablo Kahn, who was 18 years younger than him. Mosley confidently defeated the young Mexican in close combat.
Personal life and hobbies
Boxer meets with famous model Bella Gonzalez. He also has a son - Mosley Shane Jr., whom he actively coaches. Among the sportsman’s hobbies are snowboarding, racquetball and basketball, as well as skiing. In addition, the boxer is actively involved in charity work.