Shane Mosley did not fare well when stepping in with opponents standing six feet tall, and there was one towering all-time great that \u201cSugar\u201d would have steered well clear of altogether.<\/p>\n
One of the finest lightweights of the 1990s, Mosley\u2019s ambition carried him through to welterweight and super-welterweight, where he secured the defining victories of his career against Oscar De La Hoya<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those triumphs were life-changing, but a year before the rematch Mosley ran into the 6ft Vernon \u201cThe Viper\u201d Forrest, a fighter who had previously beaten him at the 1992 Olympic Trials.<\/p>\n In 2002, Forrest battered a man widely regarded at the time as the world\u2019s best boxer, scoring two knockdowns en route to a points victory that ended Mosley\u2019s two-year reign as WBC welterweight champion.<\/p>\n The rematch proved closer, but Forrest again prevailed to make it 3-0 against his rival. Eight years later, Mosley fought to a drab draw with another six-footer, Sergio Mora, at super-welterweight.<\/p>\n So when the topic of fantasy match-ups arose, \u2018Sugar\u2019 was asked how he would have fared against the formidable, big-punching 6ft 1in \u201cThe Hitman\u201d Thomas Hearns. His admission was refreshingly honest<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to fight him. I\u2019d rather fight Sugar Ray Leonard and [Roberto] Duran than fight Tommy Hearns.<\/p>\n \u201cTommy Hearns back then\u2026 6\u20191\u201d, 6\u20192\u201d, long arms and the way he used to land. No.\u201d<\/p>\n Mosley, who stood 5ft 8\u00bdins, was only half an inch taller than Pipino Cuevas \u2014 the man Hearns demolished with a thunderous right hand to win his first world title, the WBA welterweight crown, back in 1980<\/a>.<\/p>\n