MOSLEY, SUGAR SHANE-RONALD "WINKY" WRIGHT HBO POSTER (2004)

HISTORY: On March 13, 2004 at Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas in a world junior middleweight title unification bout Sugar Shane Mosley and Ronald "Winky" Wright met in the main event. Wright, an adept boxer, won a unanimous 12 round decision and the titles. Wright unifies three 154-pound titles ESPN.com- March 14, 2004-LAS VEGAS -- Shane Mosley took a $10 million gamble and lost. Winky Wright outworked Mosley over 12 rounds Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The 5-to-2 underdog took the fight to Mosley and scored the bigger punches to win a unanimous decision and become the undisputed 154-pound champion. Though the arena was not sold out, the 8,000-plus spectators got their money's worth as Wright got the biggest fight of his career. The unheralded Wright consistently beat the speedy Mosley to the punch, ruining his planned $10 million megafight with Felix Trinidad later this year. There were no knockdowns, but the fight was fast-paced from the opening bell as the two champions went after each other. Mosley, though, was never able to get inside and Wright, reports Maxboxing.com's Doug Fischer, seemed to have the answer by keeping his opponent outside his southpaw jab and throwing hard, straight lefts to his head and body. Judges Dave Moretti and Chuck Giampa scored it 117-111, while Paul Smith had it 116-112. "[Mosley's] fast but I tried to keep him away with the jab, and it worked," Wright told Maxboxing.com after the fight. "He's a very strong fighter but I got my chance and I proved it. If everybody wants it, we can do it again." Sensing he was behind, Mosley came out in the final round throwing everything he had. But Wright responded, and the two fought toe-to-toe as the crowd stood and cheered. As the final seconds ticked down, Mosley swung so hard with a right hand that he fell down as the bell sounded. He got up and the two fighters embraced. Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in his last fight to win the WBA and WBC titles, was the odds-on favorite against Wright, who held the IBF title but had been largely shut out of big fights in his career. "For some reason when I came into the ring I felt like I was dehydrated," Mosley said. "I couldn't move. It was a monkey on my back." There was a rematch clause in their contract, according to Maxboxing.com, and Mosley's promoter Gary Shaw says they plan to exercise it. But unless Mosley learns how to deal with a tall boxer who knows how to utilize his jab and time counter punches over the former lightweight's wild hooks and crosses, there doesn't seem to be any point to holding a return bout. Wright will likely repeat tonight's masterful performance. Mosley came out quick in the first round, but it soon became apparent that Wright was landing harder punches, and he began controlling the pace of the fight. "If you box him like this, it will be an easy fight for you," Wright's trainer Dan Birmingham said. Wright heeded his trainer's advice and began piling up the rounds, relentlessly going after the shorter Mosley, who tried to counter him by moving about the ring. "I always felt I was the better fighter," Wright said. After the sixth round there was a growing urgency in Mosley's corner, where his father and trainer, Jack Mosley, urged his son on. "The rounds are going by quickly," Mosley told his son. "You have to do the right things to win this fight." Mosley (39-3) was fighting at 154 pounds for only the third time in a career that began as a lightweight. Wright (47-3) fought his entire career at the weight, and seemed both bigger and stronger than Mosley. Punch stats showed Wright landed 250 punches to 166 for Mosley. After 14 years in the business and 50 pro fights, Wright's undercard days are finally over. He's a major player in the game, and nobody recognizes that more than Mosley. "This fight was great for fight fans. It showed them that there are a lot of great fighters out there right now," said Mosley. "It's not just Sugar Shane, Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad; now we have Winky Wright." Mosley said he took the fight with Wright to make history by unifying all three titles. But he was also looking for a big win to set up a possible November fight with Trinidad where both fighters would make at least $10 million. "It was not a mistake. I have no regrets," Mosley said. "I wanted to find out who was the best in our division. I was fighting for history." Mosley earned $2.1 million, while Wright was paid $750,000. Offered here is an original HBO poster which was used to advertise this event.

FULL DESCRIPTION: This is an original, paper, HBO poster which pictures both fighters. Bold color and print. Bold, clear images. Clean. Minor creasing. Minor edge wear. No tack holes. 27" x 40."