by Thomas Hauser, Top Rank

There was as time when Shane Mosley was viewed by those in the know as the future of boxing. To paraphrase Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, he was young, handsome, fast, and couldn’t possibly be beat.

Mosley won his first 38 fights; 35 of them by knockout. He defeated Philip Holiday to win the lightweight championship in 1997 and dominated the division with eight successful title defenses. Then he moved to welterweight and dethroned Oscar De La Hoya to claim the 147-pound crown.

Shane and Roy Jones Jr were the top two fighters on virtually every pound-for-pound list. No less an authority than legendary trainer Eddie Futch said that Mosley would have been competitive against Sugar Ray Robinson in his prime.

On January 26, 2002, everything changed. Mosley and Vernon Forrest entered the ring at Madison Square Garden as the two best welterweights in the world. Shane was an overwhelming favorite. But he had the habit of pulling straight back when moving away from a foe.

When a fighter pulls straight back against a taller athletically-gifted opponent, he gets hit.

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