Mosley Stops Diaz in Sixth

Shane Mosley may no longer fit Jay Leno’s description as “the greatest fighter you never heard of.” By earning his 36th consecutive victory, a sixth-round knockout of Antonio Diaz, the pride of Pomona made it impossible to ignore him anymore.

Mosley, who made a quantum leap in credibility with his 12-round split decision in June over Oscar De La Hoya at Staples Center, reaffirmed his welterweight supremacy Saturday at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in his first World Boxing Council title defense. Gathering momentum as the fight progressed and using to the same great effect the left hand he used so well in the late rounds against De La Hoya, Mosley knocked down the game but overmatched Diaz in the second round and again in the sixth.

Finally, when an obviously hurting Diaz went down for the third time at 1:36 of the sixth round, referee Arthur Mercante Sr. ended the fight, Mosley’s 33rd victory by knockout. That brought roars from the sellout crowd of 5,149, the first full house since the Garden was reconfigured to create the smaller theater.

“It’s Sugar time,” said Mosley (36-0). “He was very tough. I knew he was coming up from 140 pounds and I felt he was pressing, and i knew my shots would begin to take their toll.

“I was more flat-footed than usual and more willing to take more chances. I thought he was very vulnerable, but he kept punching. I knew it was a matter of time.”

Diaz, of Coachella, hadn’t lost since 1996. But Mosley’s raw power and calculated punishment was too much for him.

“Early in the sixth round he hit me in the back of the head,” Diaz said. “That got me really off balance.”

Mosley hit him so hard, he’s leaving the weight class. “I’m going right back to the 140-pound division,” Diaz said.

Said Lee Espinoza, Diaz’s trainer and manager: “We gave him too much respect. We didn’t put on the pressure we should have.”

Mosley was the winner of every round on the card of judges Tommy Kaczmarek, Sid Rubenstein and Fred Ucci. Mosley connected on 144 of 326 punches (44%), compared with 71 of 293 for Diaz (24%). Mosley also landed more than twice as many jabs, connecting on 55 of 176 (31%) while Diaz connected on 22 of 138 (16%).

Mosley also connected on 59% of his power punches, compared to 32% for Diaz.

“I feel I lived up to my best pound-for-pound rating,” Mosley said, referring to the praise bestowed on him by Ring magazine.

Under the watchful eye of Mercante, who refereed the first Ali-Frazier bout at Madison Square Garden and has now refereed bouts involving Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Shane Mosley, Mosley came out aggressive from the outset. Although he didn’t attempt many combinations in the early going, he landed some telling blows, among them two powerful lefts.

In the second round, Mosley drove Diaz to a knee with a nasty right. Diaz, who makes up in heart what he lacks in technique, got up gamely and kept whaling away. “The first right hand was the hardest shot, and then the second one kind of knocked him down,” Mosley said.

Diaz landed a telling left hook in the third round, but Mosley continued to land hard lefts. Mosley also used his quick footwork to dodge Diaz’s sometimes flailing blows. Mosley had Diaz up against the ropes in the fourth round, but Diaz showed great determination and held on.

The crowd began to chant, “Sugar!” in the fifth round, taking warmly to his quickness, edginess and obvious domination. Mosley, taking strength from the crowd’s support, drove Diaz to a knee less than a minute into the round and again, for the last time, at 1:36 of the round.

“I thought he was very vulnerable in the sixth round,” Mosley said. “It seemed like he was weakening. He was trying so hard to get in there and throw hard body shots and stuff like that.

“I knew it was a matter of time before I’d catch up with him with power punches.”

Before a much-anticipated but long-delayed rematch with De La Hoya, Mosley will probably face Arturo Gatti. Mosley is ready for the fight, which promoter Cedric Kushner said could be Feb. 24 at Madison Square Garden.

“Arturo Gatti puts on like 20 pounds before he actually jumps into the ring,” Mosley said. “He weighs in at 147 and comes in at 167. I come in at 147, probably weigh about 155.

“But I’m not really worried about punching power like that because I’m very strong. And I have the speed to take anyone out that comes into the ring with me.”

In a preliminary bout, junior welterweight Hector Camacho, Jr., defeated Joe Hutchinson by unanimous decision to remain undefeated (30-0, 17 knockouts).

Camacho’s father, former lightweight champion Hector “Macho” Camacho, paced and feinted outside the ring, calling instructions as his son took the initiative in the early going and held on in the late rounds. He won the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth rounds on the cards of all three judges but lost the last round to Hutchinson (18-2-2).

Although Camacho grew up in New York, he was booed by the capacity crowd for his passivity in the last round. “It was a great win for the fans. They got to cheer me and they got to boo me,” said Camacho.

Camacho also said he believes he’s experienced enough for a title fight. “If I get more seasoning, I’ll be more dangerous,” he said. “Am I ready? I’m ready now.”