Shane Mosley resumed his ring career with a stoppage victory in the waning moments of the 12th and final round of a junior middleweight bout Saturday night against Ricardo Mayorga.
The former lightweight and welterweight champion improved his record to 45-5, with 39 knockouts. Mayorga fell to 28-7-1 (22 KOs).
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The fight appeared to be heading to the scorecards when Mosley buzzed his foe with about a minute left in the 154-pound bout at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
He rained punches on Mayorga, finally sending him down with a left hook and a right cross. Mayorga got up at the count of seven, but when action resumed Mosley uncorked a left hook with about five seconds remaining in the bout that sent the Nicaraguan down with a resounding thud.
Referee David Mendoza assessed Mayorga's condition and waved the fight off as the final bell sounded, giving Mosley a stoppage win rather than a nod by decision.
Mosley had a one-point advantage on one judge's scorecard and a five-point lead on another heading into the 12th round. Mayorga had a one-point lead on the third judge's card.
CBCSports.ca had Mosley up by four points heading into the final round.
Mosley, 37, had not fought since losing an extremely close decision last November to Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. Cotto has since gone on to lose by stoppage to Antonio Margarito of Mexico — the man Mosley said before Saturday's bout that he was targeting for a 147-pound welterweight showdown.
Mosley had trouble adjusting to Mayorga's awkward style in the early going. He landed a solid right hand on the inside in the first round, but got caught in the late stages by an overhand right that wobbled his legs.
Mayorga continued to bewilder his opponent with aggressiveness in the second, but Mosley began to home in during the fourth and fifth rounds, sending several power shots crashing home.
By the second half of the sixth round, Mayorga was a stationary target. Mosley began to hit him almost at will, and when the mercurial Mayorga motioned with his glove for more, the California native was only too happy to oblige.
Mayorga got some momentum back in the eighth. He didn't land anything overly impressive, but Mosley was clearly using the stanza to take a breather.
Mayorga periodically landed with wild swings in the ninth, but was more than matched by Mosley's more precise shots.
The fight then digressed rapidly with much clinching and wrestling before Mosley's ferocious assault to end matters.
Mayorga had won his last fight, a 12-round decision over the faded Fernando Vargas. Since beating Vernon Forrest twice in 2003, Mayorga has become more known for his pre-fight antics and knockout losses, having tasted defeat convicingly at the hands of Felix Trinidad and Oscar De La Hoya before Mosley.
