Shane Mosley shows he's not finished

All hail to Shane Mosley.

On a night when he was expected to get run over by a Brink's truck, he cashed in instead.

In his ninth-round knockout of Antonio Margarito, he turned the Tijuana Tornado into a harmless squall. This wasn't a boxing match, it was a boxing lesson.

Mosley was supposed to lose this welterweight title fight Saturday night. To the victor went the World Boxing Assn. belt at 147 pounds. That was supposed to be Margarito, who looks and usually fights as if he'd just as soon stomp you as look at you. Instead, it went to the 37-year-old Mosley, who was supposed to be target practice for the seven-year-younger Mexican warrior.

But for eight rounds and 23 seconds of a ninth, Margarito was the target. As the fight went on, the only question became whether or not Mosley could continue landing power punches for a full 12 rounds. Turns out, that wasn't an issue.

In the eighth, after Margarito had started fast and threatened to finally win a round, Mosley summoned up one more barrage of energy and hit his opponent with a flurry that finally knocked down a fighter who has been about as sinkable as a catamaran.

With Margarito down in one corner, a somewhat bemused look on his face -- as if to say that this just wasn't happening to him -- Mosley went to the far corner while the referee counted over the fallen Mexican. In that moment, a snapshot of the fight was there for the taking: The indestructible Margarito, crawling and scrambling to find his equilibrium; the destroyer Mosley, leaning over the ropes, gasping for breath.

It was over at that moment, even though Margarito made it to his feet and the bell ended the round.

They mistakenly allowed Margarito to come back out for the ninth, even though he hadn't walked to his corner after the knockdown, he had wobbled. And in short order, Mosley summoned up enough energy to unleash one more flurry. As referee Raul Caiz Sr. stepped in to end the flurry 23 seconds into the ninth, white towels were already flying through the air from Margarito's corner.

They were 23 seconds late.

This turned out to be an incredible night of entertainment for an incredible crowd at Staples Center. The announced attendance of 20,820 was the largest for any event at the 10-year-old jewel of L.A. sports.

Mosley said his success was in his preparation.

"I trained so hard, and I was so focused," he said.