Sep 28, 2008 - 3:04 AM
0 shoutsLOS ANGELES (Ticker) - Shane Mosley recovered from a slow start to show he is still a force in the light middleweight division.
The 37-year-old figured out Ricardo Mayorga's wildness and scored a 12th-round knockout on Saturday at the Home Depot Center.
Mosley (45-5, 38 KOs) was getting caught with chopping right hands during the early rounds but started to find his range in the fifth.
"Mayorga is a tough fighter, he took some good shots," Mosley said. "But I wore him down during the fight. I wanted to give the fans what they deserved and that's a knockout."
Starting to score more with combinations and his own right hands, Mosley and Mayorga traded punches in an action-packed sixth round, which "Sugar Shane" got the best of.
Mosley was clearing wearing down Mayorga by round eight as the Nicaraguan started to clinch more and more.
Ahead on two of the three scorecards, Mosley finished the bout strong, rocking Mayorga with a combination and knocking him down with a right hand with 17 seconds left in the fight.
Bravely climbing to his feet, Mayorga (29-7-1) beat the count but was sent down to the canvas again as Mosley delivered an emphatic left hook. Referee David Mendoza stopped the fight at 2:59 of the final round.
"I was proud of the way Shane came to fight," said Mayorga, who verbally attacked Mosley during the build up to the fight. "He didn't run. I thought I was doing well. 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."
A three-time world champion, Mosley was coming off a tough decision loss to Miguel Cotto in November but may be in line for one last title shot with the victory.
Mosley landed 144 of 397 punches, according to CompuBox stats, while Mayorga connected on just 73-of-588 shots.
