Fight Night: Chaos & Order

In boxing, defense is a mechanism of control, while offense an invitation to chaos.

The more aggressive a fighter becomes, so too the more exposed. The more defensive he is, the greater he can feel to guide his own fate, whether in victory or defeat.

For forty fights, Floyd Mayweather has found few moments in the ring that he could not control, with fewer still resembling the chaos that has accompanied him outside the ropes.

The odds for the fight continue to slim down, as yesterday Mosley weighed in, looking a healthy 147 lbs. Mayweather came in at 146 with a glistening six-pack that appeared to have been oiled for the occasion.

Prior to the weigh-in, the final press conference, and the grand arrivals, these two men had spent eight weeks in ferocious preparation for 12 three-minute rounds.

Beyond runs, jumping rope, mitt work, and sit-ups, reports from camp are that Mosley sparred rounds 4:10 in duration with 30 second breaks for eight rounds every other day. It underpins a Herculean work ethic that Mayweather's own dwarfs: the undefeated 33-year-old spars  rounds 6:00 in duration with 10 second breaks for five rounds or so - every day.

It is all part of a mystique that Mayweather has cultivated and of which Mosley is devoid. The rumors and questions overheard run the gamut on Mayweather:

"Who's the seven-man bodyguard protecting him from?"

"Does Mayweather really call himself 'The Bone Collector' because of his collection of white cars, including a Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari 599GTB, SLR McClaren, Rolls Royce Phantom, and a Brinks armored truck?"

"Is it true he is a clean freak who showers four times a day?"

"So he just plays pick-up basketball with whoever is at the 24-Hour Fitness he shows up at?"

"Despite loving having people around him, does Money Mayweather live alone in his 23,000 sq-ft $17-mil house?"

"Inside the house, does he have a trove of Swarovski crystals?"

"While running red lights, will he really say out loud, 'It's ok! I'm Floyd!'?"

"He really eats Popeye's fried chicken and Mike and Ike candy while in training?"

"When his Cadillac Escalade is outside a casino, is he gambling daily on the NBA?"

"Are those his four children or just props for the 24/7 show?"

Speculation on Mosley's tranquil life generally crescendoes with, "Is it true the song always playing in the gym is R. Kelly's 'Birthday Sex'?" (Apparently, Earth, Wind, and Fire's "Reasons" gets plenty of airtime as well.)

While questions about Mayweather seem to belie a life at times in disarray, they share in a formulated system.

Were these rumors true about his meticulousness in collecting, cleaning, and gambling, they'd together reveal a portrait of a man obsessive compulsive not only in his training.

After the opening bell, all rumors outside the ring are laid to rest with the putting on of hands. Tonight will be a test to see if Mosley can infiltrate Mayweather's elegant boxing calculus, infect it with disorder. Shane Mosley's challenge against Floyd Mayweather will be one of the patient aggressor, hoping to control the chaos that he invites.

Today, Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley's trainers held round table discussions. Unsurprisingly, each has picked his fighter to win on Saturday. In interviews with three of boxing's other elite cornermen, Floyd Mayweather emerges the clear favorite among the expert strategists.

Mayweather makes some basic mistakes - like when he sticks his chin out and puts his hands down- but none of it matters because of his speed. -- Freddie Roach

FREDDIE ROACH
(Trainer of Manny Pacquiao and four-time Trainer of the Year)

I see Mayweather winning this fight by decision. I like Shane as a person, but I just don't think he'll be able to catch Mayweather. Floyd's just too quick -- too elusive. Mosley's power is best applied by getting Floyd on the ropes or in the pocket -- but neither of those things will happen. It isn't in Mayweather's character to do those things in this situation.

Mayweather makes some basic mistakes - like when he sticks his chin out and puts his hands down- but none of it matters because of his speed. He uses the shoulder roll a lot obviously. While he seems to use it more defensively than offensively, he really uses it as a trap: He'll lure an opponent into thinking it's only a defensive move, and that's when he'll roll and throw his right. It's what he did to Oscar [De La Hoya], and caught him a couple times with that shot in the second half of the fight.

I respect Naazim Richardson and his track record. He knows boxing, but let's face it: Shane knows more about boxing than all of us. He's experienced enough to know the strategy of the fight. He'll probably try to cut the ring off and set traps. He won't follow Mayweather. But if he goes in too aggressively, he might get knocked out.

Floyd is not a power puncher, but he knows how to use your own power against you. It's like Hatton, right? Ricky charged him, and Floyd knew how to use his own movement to land a shot to knock him out.

Shane will be looking to land power shots, but in this fight he'll be a step behind. Mayweather has great defense, but he's also been hit before and proved he can take good shots. He knows in this fight to move constantly to keep Shane chasing him. He won't stand still all night.

These are two technically strong fighters, but Floyd has more natural ability and that wins out over textbook boxing almost any day.

KEVIN CUNNINGHAM
(Trainer of current junior welterweight unified champion Devon Alexander and former undisputed welterweight champion Cory Spinks)

I'm going with Floyd by decision. Shane's knockout of Margarito was great. I was happy for Shane and like him a lot, but in this fight I think Floyd's going to be too smart, too crafty, and too quick. We're not getting the Shane of the mid-90s or the late 90s, and Floyd is still in his prime.

Shane may be able to catch Floyd in some exchanges, but to do that with impact he needs the speed he had seven or eight years ago. This is why the Pacquiao fight is so intriguing, because there you got a fighter who's fast and has pop and throws lots of combinations.

I think Floyd's not going to be that committed to hurt Shane. He likes catching guys jumping in with shots they can't see. But Shane's not getting knocked out. Neither is Floyd, since he won't be committed to trading shots, so much as pot-shotting Shane all night long.

It will be another Floyd Mayweather boxing lesson, and as the fight goes on, each round is going to keep looking the same with Mayweather coming out with the decision.

DON TURNER
(Former trainer of champions Larry Holmes, Aaron Pryor, Evander Holyfield, and 16 other world champions)

I pick Mayweather, though I don't know how he'll win. He could knock Shane out, if Shane makes him fight hard as he should. As skillful as Floyd is, he wouldn't knock nobody out with one punch, but he'd surely beat them up.

People don't like Floyd because he's brash, but you ain't never going to catch him out of shape. Same for Shane, but Shane gets hit easier. Floyd's whole thing is movement. He'll fight like he fought Corrales, which was his last great fight.

Wednesday - Press Conference

"It's a big fight. That's why you're all here eating for free."

Floyd Mayweather's uncle and trainer Roger was addressing a well-fed corps of journalists at Wednesday's final press conference at the MGM's Hollywood Theater. His nephew's welterweight bout against Shane Mosley (46-5) was three days away. The undefeated Mayweather (40-0) stood a 5-1 favorite this morning, though an MGM employee assured the media to begin the event that odds had tightened, reducing Mayweather's advantage to a mere 4-1, a fact which no member of the press appeared to write down in honor of its insignificance.

On Saturday, Mosley will attempt to redefine his legacy, as Mayweather attempts to cement his own. This fight may be a decade in the making, but looked increasingly unlikely as Mosley progressed in years and Mayweather in dominance over the sport.

This resurrection of Mayweather-Mosley came through a combination of triumphant and tragic events whose confluence defied all probability:  Mosley knocked out a heavily-favored Antonio Margarito in January 2009; negotiations for the fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fell apart in early 2010 over drug testing; and an earthquake rocked Haiti last January, causing Haitian national Andre Berto to withdraw from his title unification bout against Mosley.

Today 38-years-old, Mosley has an 8-5 record in his last 13 bouts (although 7-1 in his last eight). Mayweather is 33, and undefeated, an accomplishment which has not escaped his notice and of which he won't shy from reminding you in case it has escaped yours. It is a feat to daunting to Mayweather's posse that his advisor Leonard Ellerbe attempted to say it at the podium, but ended by blurting that Mayweather is the "only elite undefighted feater," a linguistic achievement of equal note to being 40-0.

As Floyd Mayweather proselytizes the gospel depicting himself as the greatest fighter of all time, the question arises as to how a man who knows the science of boxing so well could be so ignorant of its history.

His 40-0 record may be cherished, but losing his 41st fight would find Mayweather among a  respectable pantheon:

Sugar Ray Robinson was 40-0 when he lost to Jake LaMotta.
George Foreman was 40-0 when he lost to Muhammad Ali.
Felix Trinidad was 40-0 when he lost to Bernard Hopkins.

(Shane Mosley was 38-0 when he lost to the late Vernon Forrest.)

Retiring undefeated is no proof of a man's greatness. Some may say, it is proof of knowing one's limits. Others would just call it lazy: a decision not to show up for work. Many undefeated fighters lost their first bout far after their 40th.

Jimmy Wilde was 92-0-2 before losing to Tancy Lee.
Willie Pep was 62-0 before losing to Sammy Angott.
Larry Holmes was 48-0 before losing to Michael Spinks.
Julio Cesar Chavez was 89-0-1 before losing to Frankie Randall.

It has been said that Aileen Eaton as the  early promoter of Cassius Clay initially coaxed him to use the moniker, "The Greatest" - after his initial reluctance. Mayweather seems to lack the hesitation to a degree bordering the delusional. Perhaps Saturday night, his victory will be so convincing he will give the world no choice but partake in his delusion.

The press worries over Mayweather's greatness. Many wish not to see him achieve the stature he believes he already has. Until he proves them wrong or right, they will enjoy his big bouts and the free food.