Anthony Mundine has written himself into the history books by becoming the first man to ever stop Shane Mosley, who retired from their much-anticipated bout with back spasms in Round 6, as reported by Paul Kent of FOX News.
Both shared an equal smattering of boos before the action began and were once again well-matched in Round 1. Mosley launched an early attack, but Mundine countered his right hand in an opening three minutes that saw both fighters feel their opponent out.
Mundine came out quicker in the second and placed a couple of jabs on the jaw of Mosley, who failed to throw a significant number of punches toward his taller rival.
The same can be said for Round 3, which saw "Choc" stun Mosley with a strong right after the American caught him with a stinger of his own. A number of accurate jabs may have swung the round in Mundine's favour, his speed and increased work rate troubling the 42-year-old.
Mundine once again countered Mosley's right in the fourth and began stalking his unimpressive prey across the ring. Mosley's movement and power looked shot shortly after this, highlighted by his inability to stop Mundine's jab in Round 5.
The Australian oozed confidence as soon as the bell rang for the sixth and had the air of a man who knew something wasn't right with his opponent. Mosley began complaining of back pain around this point and signalled he was in extreme pain at the conclusion of Round 6.
Mosley retired with back spasms shortly after this incident, with Mundine announced the winner via TKO, condemning his veteran rival to a loss that will be difficult to come back from, especially at his age.
As noted in Michael Chammas' coverage for the Sydney Morning Herald, Mosley confirmed the problem developed during the fight and wasn't apparent before facing Mundine, although this could mean the end of his glittering career:
The referee came to me and he felt my back and I wasn't moving, he asked doc to come over ... I couldn't move. It was something that developed during the fight.
I'll go home and check out the tape and make my decision [about my career] when I get home.
While Mosley's performance never pressed Mundine into performing at the top of his abilities, "The Man" will always be remembered for being the first person to force the future Hall of Famer to throw in the towel.
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