Irishman Jason Quigley hands Shane Mosley Jr his fourth professional loss
On the undercard of Haney vs Linares, middleweight Jason “El Animal” Quigley (19-1, 14 KO’s) defeated Shane Mosley Jr (17-4, 10 KO’s) by way of split decision. The loss snapped a four-fight win streak for Mosley since suffering his 2018 loss to Brandon Adams. Quigley has now won three consecutive matches since his 2019 loss to Tureano Johnson. Two of those three victories have come by third round knockout.
Going into the bout, his first in 16 months, Quigley was ranked #14 (WBO) and #15 (WBC). So there is little doubt he will try to remain more active and continue climbing the ranks. For a brief second, the little known Irishman was considered as a potential opponent for now unified super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. After Billy Joe Saunders bowed out as a potential dance partner, Team Alvarez was scrambling to locate a replacement. In that scramble, Quigley was momentarily looked at. Yet, given his near non-existence on American fans’ radar, he was never a realistic selection.
As for the son of boxing standout “Sugar” Shane Mosley, Mosley Jr continues to struggle as a professional. At this point, it does not appear that he will amount to much more than being a famous journeyman.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The bout began beneficially for Mosley Jr who started aggressively and scored well throughout the first three rounds. In third period, Mosley Jr suffered a low blow that temporarily slowed his offense. Despite the brief foul, Junior was largely able to control the action with his jab and a bevy of wide hooks. Quigley was returning fire and landing his own punches here and there but not enough to carry many rounds.
With the coming of the sixth, Quigley began enjoying a bit more success. The period opened with him throwing hard shots, yet El Animal landed a right hook that got Mosley’s attention. The Irishman attempted to control the rest of the round with his movement and feints. His success bled into the seventh as Quigley peppered Mosley with jabs and strafed him with notable hooks throughout.
Over the course of the final two rounds, the bout devolved more into an open brawl. El Animal was no longer bouncing on his toes but standing flat foot trading hard shots with bad intentions. Each connected with a substantial amount of hard right hooks. When going to the scorecards, the bout appeared to be extremely close. When the cards were read, Quigley dropped to his knees in joy upon hearing the ruling. One judge ruled it a draw while the other two awarded Quigley a narrow win.
By: Bakari Simpson
