After announcing his retirement from the sport almost 12 months ago, "Sugar Shane" Mosley stepped back into the ring this weekend and emerged with a unanimous points decision over Pablo Cano.
Now, the 41-year-old Mosley needs to step back out and into retirement once more.
He's ended his four-year losing streak and seemingly justified himself once more as a boxing winner. And should he head back into retirement now, he can bow out a winner—which is probably what the legendary boxer wanted from the moment he first stepped into the ring 19 years ago.
A former champion in three divisions, Sugar Shane made quick work of the 23-year-old. Cano controlled the opening few rounds of the fight, but with his experience and strengths kicking in, Mosley started to up the tempo and pull away from his opponent in the final few rounds of the fight.
All three judges scored the fight 115-113 for Mosley.
The win marked the first time that Mosley had won a fight since defeating Antonio Margarito in 2009, with heavy losses to Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Saul Alvarez in recent years crippling his status in boxing's elite and eventually bringing him to the point of retirement.
After all, he is 41 years old.
It's definitely understandable that he wants to come back and end that losing streak and finish his career on a positive note given all the success he's had before.
However, it's time for Mosley to give it up for good.
His best years are well behind him, and as Sports Illustrated's Bryan Armen Graham highlights, that's shown most clearly in the demise of his professional record.
Sugar Shane's reflexes aren't the same, and his skills have slipped also.
His mentality might be the same and his durability still strong, but there comes a point when Father Time starts to catch up with every boxer, and that time has seemingly come for Mosley.
He is but a shadow of what he once was, and in order to protect the great legacy that he built for himself over the years, he needs to give it all up now.
After all, what would he rather be remembered for?
Would he rather his reputation remained as one of the most talented lightweights of all time and a superstar who won multiple world titles in three weight classes?
Or would he rather be remembered as they guy who couldn't let go?
It's for Sugar Shane to make that call.
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