On July 28^th 2008 I was in complete awe of Antonio Margarito’s winning performance over Miguel Cotto. I was in such awe I pronounced him the new welterweight king. I called out Floyd Mayweather Jr. on his behalf daring Floyd to come out of his then retirement and face the welterweight monster that is Margarito.

             Now fast forward to January 24^th 2009, I am attending a boxing card in Hinkley, Minnesota, in which Roger Mayweather is helping work a corner. In between fights I run into Roger and start talking boxing. I became a sponge, absorbing all the information he was giving me.

             Roger starts the conversation asking me and a few others where the best fighters in the world come from; which is really a loaded question because the answer will always change depending on who is asking and/or answering the question. Roger continues to school me on why the best fighters in the world hail from the Midwest. Every time he makes a point he gives me a light poke in the chest as if I were a fighter getting instructions between rounds. I then asked him who he liked in that night's fight between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley. Roger quickly said Mosley, and just as quickly I stopped being the sponge absorbing the information and became a rock letting the water simply wash over me. Picking Shane Mosley to beat Antonio Margarito?? Did Roger not see Margarito’s incredible performance against Miguel Cotto? Before I could ask Roger why he would pick Shane Mosley to win he beat me to the punch. "Styles make fights," he said, "and Shane Mosley has the right style to beat Antonio Margarito. Not only does he have the right style, he has far more experience against some of the best fighters of his era." Roger added that "Shane Mosley was the best fighter today, not including Floyd Mayweather, of course."

             Twenty minutes later I received the results of the Margarito Mosley fight. And sure enough Mosley did win the fight. I was finally able to catch a replay of the fight a few days later and this time it was Shane Mosley’s performance I was in complete awe of. I had never seen Mosley look so dominant before. He turned back the hands of time, Shane Mosley had never looked so good. Everything Mosley threw at Margarito seemed to land flush. Cracking straight lefts, rights, hooks , uppercuts, slammed against the head of Margarito. Unlike in his fight against Cotto, Margarito wasn’t able to throw his usual high volume of punches, he wasn’t able to pressure Mosley and wear him down. In fact, Mosley had turned the tables on Margarito. It was Mosley adding the constant pressure; it was Mosley who was wearing down his opponent, breaking his spirit with each passing round.

             Margarito wore a mask I had never seen him wear before; the mask of a completely beaten fighter. Mosley out gunned Margarito from the inside and outside. It was honestly a masterful destruction. Going into the 8^th round Mosley had racked up the points winning every round but winning the rounds was not good enough for “Sugar” Shane Mosley on this night.

             Late in the 8^th round Mosley really added pain to his punches, finally sending Margarito to the canvas with only a few seconds remaining. Margarito was able to beat the count and walk back to his corner on unsteady legs. The 9^th round would be the last, as Mosley continued his assault, forcing the referee to step in and stop the beating. Shane Mosley did what I gave him no chance to do. He not only beat Margarito, he stopped him.

             I learned two things from that fight night. 1) Never stop being a sponge, always soak in the information when talking to a man who clearly knows more about the game than I ever will. And 2) always expect the unexpected in this great sport of boxing.