Mosley is a 42-year-old future Hall of Famer who is past his prime, but before the delay of the first bout with Mundine, he did win his last fight against Pablo Cesar Cano in May. Mundine is no spring chicken at the age of 38. He's also looking to extend his glory days, though his best accomplishments don't compare to Sugar Shane's heyday.
The two veterans will battle for the vacant WBA International light middleweight title. It is just another belt that is part of the alphabet soup of titles in the world of boxing, but the fight is about more than a relatively meaningless title. To a large degree, it's about money.
Mosley walked away initially over $700,000 of unpaid fees from the original promoter Vlad Warton, per the Herald Sun. How bad does Mundine want—and apparently need—this fight? The Aussie and his manager Khoder Nasser have agreed to pay out $1 million to Mosley to get him back down under for the bout.
Both aging stars are looking to regain or maintain some level of respect in the sport. It should be an interesting fight. Here's how you can watch.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 3:30 a.m. ET
Where: Allphones Arena, Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
TV: PPV in Australia on FoxTel
Why so Desperate?
Mundine has long been a respected fighter in his weight region. He's been fighting professionally for 13 years. The Man owns wins over Daniel Geale, Sam Soliman and Danny Green. He's been in the ring with the likes of Mikkel Kessler as well.
Despite his experience and moderately impressive resume, Mundine hasn't attained the type of worldwide acknowledgement he craves. One major reason is because he's yet to score a win over a major American fighter. Mundine obviously sees Mosley as his ticket to a Western audience.
At 38 years old, he is running out of time. Can Mundine grab the attention of boxing fans stateside?
Still Going Strong or Just Still Going?
Any normal boxing fan has to wonder, why is Mosley still fighting? He must love the sport, but judging by his decision to leave Australia based on the business side of boxing, he loves the dough too. Who could blame him?
Mosley is still boxing at least seven years past his prime, but his chin and boxing acumen have allowed him to stay competitive against mid-tier talent.
Bernard Hopkins' success has undoubtedly encouraged Mosley to continue his career, but all fighters are not created equal. Hopkins has been able to protect himself and succeed past his 48th birthday without ever really getting beaten up in the ring.
Mosley has taken his lumps. See the Manny Pacquiao mismatch, both Vernon Forrest fights, one of the Winky Wright clashes and the rout at the hands of Canelo Alvarez.
He's never been stopped in his career, but one has to wonder if his skills will erode to a point that will prevent him from even holding on to that distinction.
Prediction
Mundine is not a great puncher, but his power can't be completely dismissed. He's stopped 26 opponents in his career. He stands 5'11" while Mosley is just 5'8.5". Reach may not be a major factor because of Mosley's long arms. He boasts a 71-inch reach which is actually one inch longer than Mundine's.
Even though Mosley has the longer arms, Mundine understands how to fight tall and capitalize on his height. The jab is a key weapon for the Aussie. He has a very good chin in addition to being rather difficult to reach with power shots.
In 49 professional fights against solid competition, Mundine has only been stopped twice. Even if Mosley is able to avoid Mundine's jab, he may find it hard to counter with enough power shots to hurt him. Based on comments like this one from the Herald Sun, Mosley is looking for the KO.
"I like (Mundine) as a person, but in the boxing ring we're enemies. And I've come here to knock him out."
Even in Mosley’s prime, taller fighters with solid jabs like Forrest and Wright have given him fits. Sugar Shane is nowhere near as fast as he once was which would lead you to believe the jab could be even more effective against him.
Mundine won't become the first man to stop Mosley, but he will be the next man to defeat him. He will get his money's worth by earning a close, but clear decision win over Mosley.
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