Revenge eluded Oscar de la Hoya as Shane Mosley scored a narrow but unanimous 12-round decision to capture the WBA and WBC super welterweight championships. De la Hoya threw and landed considerably more punches but lost 115-113 on the scorecards of all three judges at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
As in their first meeting in June 2000, Mosley was the aggressor in the later rounds and did enough early to impress judges Duane Ford, Stanley Christodoulou and Anek Hongtongkam. You never know what is going to happen when it is handed to the judges. Anything can happen, Mosley said. De la Hoya is a great warrior. I thought it was a close fight.
All three judges gave the final four rounds to Mosley, who landed more telling blows. De la Hoya, 30, was hoping to avenge one of his two losses as a professional but instead was left with memories of the other defeat - a controversial 12-round setback to Felix Trinidad in September 1999 that cost him his WBC welterweight belt.
The rematch was more tactical than the first bout, with de la Hoya (36-3) controlling the tempo early and using his jab to keep Mosley at a distance. In the fourth round, an accidental head butt opened a cut at the edge of de la Hoya's right eye.
"The head butt bothered me a bit," de la Hoya conceded. "I didn't get dazed, I was just surprised. I was never hurt and I have never been hurt in a fight, other than maybe when I got dropped by (Ike) Quartey (in 1999)."
Mosley said afterwards: "You never know what is going to happen when it is handed to the judges. Anything can happen. De la Hoya is a great warrior. I thought it was a close fight."
Filed by Shane Murray
