1. Oscar De La Hoya
After winning an IBF title as a lightweight, Mosley jumped to welterweight, skipping junior-welterweight altogether, in order to secure a money-spinning bout against former amateur team mate Oscar De La Hoya in June 2000. The superfight was won by ‘Sugar’ Shane after 12 action-packed rounds.
2. Antonio Margarito
Mosley was considered on the slide and Margarito a monster around the time they met in January 2009. Yet Mosley somehow turned back the clock to outbox and outfight Margarito, eventually stopping him in the ninth round of what was a virtuoso performance.
3. Phillip Holiday
Mosley had raced to 23-0 as a pro by the time he got his first shot at a version of the world title in August 1997. His opponent was Phillip Holiday, undefeated in 31 fights, and he conquered the Australian over 12 rounds to become the new IBF lightweight champion.
4. Ricardo Mayorga I
Four months before beating Margarito, Mosley had to deal with the awkward, heavy-handed Nicaraguan Ricardo Mayorga, who had famously defeated Vernon Forrest twice. The fight was close going into the final round, but Mosley made sure the scorecards were unnecessary when he knocked out Mayorga with one second remaining.
5. Fernando Vargas II
In 2006, Mosley fought Vargas twice within a five-month period and won both by stoppage. The first one, which ended in round 10, was the more competitive of the two, while the second, won by Mosley in the sixth round, was a whitewash.
6. Oscar De La Hoya II
The rematch between Mosley and De La Hoya arrived three years after their first encounter and was this time at super-welterweight and much closer. Some felt De La Hoya deserved the nod after 12 rounds, but it was Mosley who went 2-0 in their series with a unanimous decision win in 2003.
7. John John Molina
Molina, a former long-reigning IBF super-featherweight champion, was Mosley’s first real test during his run as IBF lightweight champion and was a test he aced in the form of an eighth-round stoppage in 1998.
8. Luis Collazo
When Mosley and Collazo clashed in February 2007, Collazo was coming off a close defeat to Manchester’s Ricky Hatton in a fight some felt he was unfortunate not to win. Mosley, though, left no doubt, dominating the New Yorker to take a wide decision.
9. Antonio Diaz
Mosley and Diaz met in a WBC welterweight title fight in November 2000 and Diaz had earlier that year claimed the scalps of Micky Ward, Omar Weis and Ivan Robinson. The step up to Mosley was too much, however, and the champion retained his belt with a sixth-round stoppage.
10. Jesse James Leija
Mosley defended his IBF lightweight crown against Leija, a former WBC super-featherweight champion, in November 1998 and would end up flooring the game Texan in rounds six, eight and nine. In the end, Leija was unable to answer the bell to begin the 10th.
