LET'S DO IT AGAIN By Jeff Mayweather

September 13th in Las Vegas Nevada's MGM Grand Convention Center marks the rematch of one of the biggest fights in a decade. Rematches are always so unpredictable because if the first fight was too grueling, the second time around will lose some of the luster and appeal that demanded the rematch in the first place.

In the last three years boxing certainly has had its share of rematches. Some of the most notable have involved Paulie Ayala against Johnny Tapia and Bones Adams as well, Mayweather against Castillo, Lewis against Rahman, Morales against Barrera, Mosley against Forrest, Mayorga against Forrest; but one of the most anticipated is that of De la Hoya against Mosley. Only in two of those before mentioned rematches was the outcome different. Lewis and Barrera came back to avenge their previous defeat; so the odds are with the previous winner.

One part of this equation that has yet to be considered is that most of these fights were immediate rematches, with the exception of Barrera, who went on to even greater challenges, at least on paper. When Barrera conquered Prince Naseem Hamed he catapulted his status as a prizefighter to another level; then he went back to try an avenge his loss to Eric Morales, which was very controversial in the first place. Barrera went on to win a very close decision.

I make this point because when Shane Mosley fought Vernon Forrest the first time and lost I thought he needed a tune-up just for the sake of his confidence. Instead he went for the immediate rematch and fell prey to Forrest again. Forrest would then turn around and make the same exact mistake against Ricardo Mayorga. When fighters take immediate rematches, they are most of the time thinking with their egos rather than acknowledging the fact that they might need a little more time to be better prepared for a particular challenge. Well, Oscar de la Hoya played it a little differently, simply because he can afford to when others can't.

Oscar is by far one of the biggest attractions in boxing period, and even in defeat can make demands that very few fighters can. Mosley did nothing to enhance his market value even with his victory over De la Hoya. So he played the 'I beat you' game 'so I get this and you get that.' Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. The "Attraction" is the attraction and it is the attraction who sells the tickets and fills the arenas. If it wasn't a personal vendetta, and Oscar never fought Shane again it wouldn't matter, nor would it hurt his mass-appeal, nor would it stop him from being considered one of the great fighters of his era. The harsh reality is that Oscar doesn't need Shane. I have the utmost respect for both fighters. I think that this fight taking place on September 13th at the MGM Grand will be very competitive since these are two very proud young men, who really are resting their place in boxing history on this fight.

In two years so much has changed between these two fighters. Shane has lost twice and had a No Contest, he is no longer considered pound for pound the best fighter in the world. The last victory he holds is that over De la Hoya. Can that be motivation enough to help him find himself or at least the Shane that emerged victorious over De la Hoya on the night of September 13th? Or could his confidence now be in question without a significant victory in over two years? Oscar -on the other hand- has gone on to win two World Titles at a higher weight-class and has vastly improved under the tutelage of Floyd Mayweather, Sr. He's in a higher weight-class and appears as though moving up better suits his frame, since he stands close to six feet tall. De la Hoya appears to be a bit more elusive, a lot looser in his movements; he is making more use of the torso and side to side motion, and his right hand has improved tremendously. Most importantly, he appears to be rejuvenated about fighting again; with Boxing now getting his full attention and coming off one of the more defining victories of his career, Oscar's confidence has to be soaring.

This fight will come down to desire and who can find that something special which will separate their talents and will allow their mind to take control and run with it. I lean toward Oscar because of the weight and because he has done things to improve himself. Shane -on the other hand- has to be fighting within his inner-self. He beat Oscar, yet he gets no respect for it; it's like that fight never really happened. In addition, another loss would throw Mosley's career into complete turmoil, although there are still other significant challenges besides Oscar at that weight or even at the next higher weight class. Winning this fight would once again makes him a star in the sport, a shinning light.

Oscar has made it clear that if he loses he will call it a career; with that in mind Shane has a lot on his plate. What a difference a day makes! It seems only yesterday the boxing world was in complete awe of Shane Mosley ... the next Ray Robinson, the next Ray Leonard. With the win over De la Hoya his stock should have gone through the roof, instead he went on to tarnish that night, making it an after thought with the two loses to Forrest and the no contest against Marquez. He appears to be a forgotten man unless you're a pure boxing enthusiast. Both guys have the motivation needed to put on the performance of their careers.