LAS VEGAS, NV - Shane Mosley dumped his father, tightened his defense and became more aggressive but it still wasn't enough to get the better of world junior middleweight champion Ronald 'Winky' Wright in Las Vegas.
Wright used an effective right jab to retain his WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles, posting a majority decision over former champion Mosley.
In the rematch of a fight that Wright won in March, the champion registered a narrow decision over his American compatriot in front of 8,103 fans at the Mandalay Bay's Event Center.
Ultimately it was Wright's southpaw right jab that proved the difference as he took the decision 115-113 on the cards of two ringside judges, Tom Zaczmarek and Duane Ford of the United States. The third judge, Hubert Earle of Canada scored the fight even 114-114.
The fight was somewhat similar to their first encounter, when Wright controlled the action from the outside and won a decision. However this time, Mosley landed well inside against the odds on favored Wright and the fight was very close going into the final round.
"It was a great fight and Shane was a great fighter," Wright said. "Without Shane I'd still be fighting on ESPN. He gave me an opportunity and I gave it back to him."
Mosley gained momentum in the fifth round when a cocky Wright dropped his hands and allowed the former three-time world champ to have a free swing at his unprotected chin that hurt the champion.
The two went back and forth, with Mosley landing well to the body and Wright jabbing him to the head, as both fighters scored heavy punches to the delight of the crowd.
"I wanted to show he couldn't hurt me, that I could take a punch," Wright said. "But it was a heck of a punch."
As the round ended, the two fighters touched gloves in respect over the head of referee Joe Cortez and Mosley then looked at the crowd and pounded his heart with his glove.
Mosley seemed re-energized by the round and rallied, trying to fight Wright inside to negate the advantage Wright had with his right jab.
But even with new trainer Joe Goossen in his corner replacing his father Jack Mosley, Sugar Shane experienced the same problems with Wright's heavy handed jab and straight left cross that proved troublesome in their first fight.
Goossen did his best to urge Mosley on, but Wright kept his hands high in front of his face and matched him flurry for flurry.
"We're going to win this fight if it's the last thing we do," Goossen told Mosley after the seventh round. "It's all a matter of willpower."
Wright had a strong round in the 10th, and Mosley began to look fatigued.
By the 11th round, Mosley began to look frustrated, yelling at Wright as he was warned by Cortez for holding him on the back of the head. However the round proved to be one of Mosley's best as he landed some of his best punches of the fight both to the head and body.
Both combatants hugged each other to start the final round. The round like many others before was once again dictated by Wright, who punished Mosley with his stiff jab and crisp punches.
"Things happen," Mosley said. "He's tough and has a great left jab. He has a great southpaw stance that makes it tough to get inside. I was in there giving it my all, trying to bang with a good fighter, and it just didn't work out."
Despite close tallies on the judges' scorecards, Wright dominated all of the punch stats. He landed 273 to 154 for Mosley, had a higher percentage (41-24) and landed more jabs (138-46).
With a second win over Mosley, Wright who was relatively anonymous since beating Mosley the first time, now hopes to get a shot at either, Felix Trinidad, Oscar De La Hoya or the undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.
"We're looking at Trinidad next," said the victorious Wright after the bout. "But I'll fight De La Hoya, Hopkins, any of them really."
Wright improved to 48-3 (25 KOs), while Mosley fell to 39-4 (35 KOs). The former three time champion Mosley has now just won one of his last six fights.
"I showed the fans tonight when I fight I give 100 per cent," Mosley said. "I banged with him, I boxed with him. I got the better, cleaner shots."
The changes Mosley made to his team and to his diet in-between fights may not have been the secret weapon they had hoped for going into the fight against Wright, but one thing is for sure it did appear to improve Mosley's stamina. He has lacked energy in his past several fights.
This time around Mosley threw and landed more punches, and likely against an orthodox fighter might make for more interesting fights down the line.
"Anyone who wrote Shane Mosley off before this fight will have to reasses that," trainer Joe Goossen said at the post-fight press conference. "Sugar Shane is back. I just can't wait to get him back to the gym and get him in with a right hander."
In other action, Ian Gardner of Saint John, New Brunswick, edged Vancouver native Tokunbo Olajide in a junior middleweight bout with a majority decision. The 23-year-old Gardner claimed Olajide's USBA belt and the vacant NABF title.
One judge had Gardner and Olajide even at 114-114. One judge had Gardner winning 115-112, and the third judge scored the bout 117-111.
Bobby Roy
LA Correspondent
Information from other publications and wire services was used in the compilation of this report.
