De La Hoya put up a very smart fight in the Mosley rematch, but fell short on points. (Photo by Chris Polk/Getty Images)
Opinions varied on this battle of modern boxing legends.
On September 13, 2003, Sugar Shane Mosley scored a 12-round unanimous decision over fellow Californian Oscar De La Hoya to lift the Ring, WBA and WBC junior middleweight titles at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. All three judges scored the fight 115-113.
Mosley had already annexed world titles at lightweight and welterweight. His coming out party was a 12-round split decision victory over De La Hoya at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 17, 2000. It was a sensational performance that catapulted the Pomona star to pound-for-pound supremacy. .
De La Hoya recovered to win a junior middleweight title from Javier Castillejo and unified by stopping his nemesis Fernando Vargas. Despite point losses to Felix Trinidad and Mosley, “The Golden Boy” was now a five-weight world champion and remained the biggest draw in the sport.
Having lost two decisions to old amateur rival Vernon Forrest, the 32-year-old Mosley was in serious need of a big win. There was still no bigger opponent than De La Hoya.
While the first encounter was a fierce shootout, the sequel was a more tactical affair. De La Hoya worked the jab, unleashed quick bursts and used the rim. Mosley chased, applied pressure and occasionally landed a big punch.
However, the pendulum swung in favor of the challenger in the ninth round. Having hurt De La Hoya to the body, Mosley went all out for the finish, nailing his foe with some fabulous head shots. He didn’t put De La Hoya down, but it was his biggest round by far.
Both men had their successes down the stretch, but body language at the final bell suggested a De La Hoya victory was in store.
The judges went the other way.
