Shane Mosley tko's Ricardo Mayorga

“Sugar” Shane Mosley defeated rugged veteran Ricardo Mayorga by TKO in Carson, CA on Saturday night.  And he did it with one second to spare.  After 11 rounds where neither fighter appeared seriously hurt, Mosley went on the offensive in the final minute of the fight.  In the closing seconds, Mosley sent Mayorga to the canvas and when he got up sent him right back with a short left that forced referee David Mendoza to wave off the fight at the 2:59 mark of the 12th round.

Mosley had trouble throughout the fight with Mayorga’s rough—some would say ‘dirty’—tactics and was unable to find much of a rhythm.  At the time of the stoppage, the judges’ scorecards indicate that he would have won a decision victory but it was much closer than the TKO denouement would suggest—Mayorga led by a point on one judge’s tally and trailed by a single point on another.  Mosely wouldn’t be the first solid boxer that Mayorga’s unorthodox style has caused trouble for—Mayorga holds two victories over Vernon Forrest.  Forrest, meanwhile, handed Mosley two of his five career losses.
The frequently antagonistic Mayorga was very complimentary of his opponent after the fight and offered no excuses when speaking through a translator:

"I was proud of the way Shane came to fight. He didn't run. I thought I was doing well, and I came out to win the 12th. But he caught me. I will tell you one thing -- he hit harder than I thought he would." Mosley’s next move is unclear.  While he’s anxious to fight the top names in the division—Antonio Margarito and a rematch with Miguel Cotto—they already have plans for the immediate future.  As a result, Mosley will likely take on any legitimate opponent he can.  Mayorga himself was sort of a “plan b” opponent, as Mosley was originally scheduled to fight Zab Judah earlier this summer.  Judah injured his hand in a freak accident with a broken shower door, and the fight had to be scrapped.

On the Mosely/Mayorga undercard, Andre Berto retained his WBC welterweight title and remained undefeated with an easy unanimous decision victory over Steve Forbes.  The fight was competitive for a few rounds, but in the middle stages of the fight Berto’s superior speed and technical skills took over en route to the victory.