A quarter-century ago, on June 17 2000, Southern California has crowned a new king, as Shane “Sugar” Mosley out-hustled, out-bounded, and out-muscled Oscar De La Hoya over twelve mesmerizing rounds at the then-new Staples Center. The first-ever boxing event in the downtown venue gave the city an amazing 20,744 fans and the end of an unforgettable L.A. weekend where Shaq and Kobe had clinched their first NBA title by playing on the same floor.
Pre-fight wisdom said that the much larger, more experienced De La Hoya would win, and by the time the opening bell rang, Mosley had gotten as high as 13-5 betting odds, on top of his local celebrity and welterweight title reign. Mosley was an unknown at 147 lbs and untested in that class, having made the debilitating run from lightweight. However, from the first exchange in the opening round, Mosley's hand speed told a different story. It seemed that Mosley, despite some back pains that tightened as the fight went on, won the early feel-out rounds, deferred some momentum in the middle of the fight to De La Hoya, before winning the championship rounds with bunches of punches and quick footwork that left the "Golden Boy" swinging at ghosts.
Watch fight highlights here: Watch
All three judges agreed that Mosley had a decisive surge in Round 12, with two of them giving him, 115-113 and 116-112, to take Oscar's WBC belt and also share possession of 1/2 of pound-for-pound status. Ringside in Hollywood was a star-studded affair, with Muhammad Ali, Denzel Washington, and Jack Nicholson, among others. Mosley's after-party that night on Sunset Strip would include revelers Will Smith and Chris Rock. "It was like a movie, unreal," Mosley recalled.
The upset catapulted Sugar Shane into crossover stardom and spread the pathways before them into two different directions: De La Hoya flirted with retirement and then found himself at 154 lbs, and Mosley rattled off a 2-year run of knockouts until Vernon Forrest stopped him in his tracks. Their controversial 2003 rematch - another Mosley victory - never touched the excitement of that first night when California's backyard bragging rights were on the line.
Now, at 53 years old, Mosley is still fighting exhibitions and credits that June night for his initial pathway to "king of California." Twenty-five years later, the fight still serves as a template for prime-time matchmaking: local rivals in their prime, at a new arena eager for firsts, and twelve rounds of boxing that justified every A-lister ticket in the arena.
Image Credit: DAZN