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Floyd Mayweather's final opponent offers epic insight into what its like to face him

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I don't even think it's his style, I think it's the fact he dominates and neutralizes his opponents but doesn't have the power at Welterweight and above to seriously hurt them yet alone knock them out so the drama is sapped out of the fight and everybody is merely waiting for the unanimous decision to read. LOL

Exactly. Look at his fight with Canelo. He didn't run or shy away from exchanges with a much bigger man; he stayed in the pocket and made him miss and made him pay. If Floyd had great KO power he would be basically invincible, but shit hands combined with usually being the smaller fighter in heavier weight classes equals decision wins.
 
Exactly. Look at his fight with Canelo. He didn't run or shy away from exchanges with a much bigger man; he stayed in the pocket and made him miss and made him pay. If Floyd had great KO power he would be basically invincible, but shit hands combined with usually being the smaller fighter in heavier weight classes equals decision wins.

Yeah, and it's not like he hasn't been in exciting fights at welterweight. Watch the first Maidana fight, Cotto fight, Judah fight, Ortiz fight, first two rounds of the Shane Mosley fight, and Hatton fight for exciting fights he's had at that weight division.
 

highrider

Banned
I don't even think it's his style, I think it's the fact he dominates and neutralizes his opponents but doesn't have the power at Welterweight and above to seriously hurt them yet alone knock them out so the drama is sapped out of the fight and everybody is merely waiting for the unanimous decision to read. LOL


I think there's definitely truth to that. I boxed for two years in the army, I'm no expert but I understand fighting and movement. I think the risk/reward aspect of fighting appeals to people, putting yourself in harms way to potentially land a damaging shot. And most fighters aren't talented enough to avoid having to do that. Floyd had that level of athleticism and could generally avoid taking that kind of chance, he didn't need to.

And he always talked shit, it's no wonder people wanted to see him knocked out. His persona would have been perfect if he was knocking cats dead, but he was really a points fighter, a surgeon. As I said, he's one of the greats, but there's no definitive, awesome Mayweather fight, he was a great technician in a bloodsport.
 
I think there's definitely truth to that. I boxed for two years in the army, I'm no expert but I understand fighting and movement. I think the risk/reward aspect of fighting appeals to people, putting yourself in harms way to potentially land a damaging shot. And most fighters aren't talented enough to avoid having to do that. Floyd had that level of athleticism and could generally avoid taking that kind of chance, he didn't need to.

And he always talked shit, it's no wonder people wanted to see him knocked out. His persona would have been perfect if he was knocking cats dead, but he was really a points fighter, a surgeon. As I said, he's one of the greats, but there's no definitive, awesome Mayweather fight, he was0 a great technician in a bloodsport.

They're are plenty of awesome Mayweather fights. I just named a few at welterweight he's been in.
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQjvXRcnPvw

Fantastic video interview with Andre Berto (Floyd's last opponent prior to retiring). It's hard to explain why the interview is so great, but he gives really interesting insight about what it's like to be in the ring with an all-time great. The mind games, the subtle tactics. Super interesting.

Here's a write-up, but it doesn't give the video interview justice:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/andre-...ts-floyd-mayweathers-greatness-175830456.html



And here's a GIF from Floyd's fight with Berto:

i2MM7eG.gif

Damn those body shots.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
This is why the NBA invented the shot clock, because players stood around just doing jack-all-shit like Floyd does. Reading that piece it sounded like Berto's praise was...ehhh a thinly veiled jab too?

I never bought into the hype and I never will.
 
I don't agree with you there at all. Maybe awesome to a fan of defensive fighters.

Or a fan of Boxing being fought at a high level between top ranked world class champions and contenders in a deep and talented division.

Have you watched those fights? You mean to tell me the first Maidana fight didn't have exciting action througout, or the Cotto fight, or the Judah fight?
 

ZOONAMI

Junior Member
This is why the NBA invented the shot clock, because players stood around just doing jack-all-shit like Floyd does. Reading that piece it sounded like Berto's praise was...ehhh a thinly veiled jab too?

I never bought into the hype and I never will.

Yeah it's backhanded praise.
 
Ricky Hatton, Judah, Gatti, dudes had no defense at all. To be fair it isn't all Floyd's fault, he never had a great rival to push him. Manny could have been that but it never materialized until they were both well on the decline.

Judah won the first 3 or four rounds in their fight. I didn't name Gatti because that was a one sided beatdown. You still didn't address the other fights I named.

Manny was always going to lose to Mayweather. The problem Manny has is he doesn't have the mentality to fight dirty against a technical fighter like Mayweather in order to disrupt their rhythm. Maidana's mentality in Pacquaio's body with his athleticism and skill set had a great chance in beating Mayweather

This is why the NBA invented the shot clock, because players stood around just doing jack-all-shit like Floyd does. Reading that piece it sounded like Berto's praise was...ehhh a thinly veiled jab too?

I never bought into the hype and I never will.

There is no hype to buy into though. Floyd's been the real thing since being cheated out of the Olympics for Gold.
 
He's a freaking surgeon with those hits. Such slick movements and weaving too

So wack when pplwhine about him moving around too much. He's doing his job. Technically he's amazing
 

highrider

Banned
Judah won the first 3 or four rounds in their fight. I didn't name Gatti because that was a one sided beatdown. You still didn't address the other fights I named.

Manny was always going to lose to Mayweather. The problem Manny has is he doesn't have the mentality to fight dirty against a technical fighter like Mayweather in order to disrupt their rhythm. Maidana's mentality in Pacquaio's body with his athleticism and skill set had a great chance in beating Mayweather



There is no hype to buy into though. Floyd's been the real thing since being cheated out of the Olympics for Gold.

I don't disagree, if maybe you can acknowledge what makes a great fighter is different to everybody.
 

abuC

Member
He made "gaming the system" an art form. When he goes into the ring with a "fighter" looking to knock him out, you're watching two people with completely different objectives. One is looking to exploit the rules to be awarded a win by the judges, and the other wants to fight.

This is why so many people including myself can't stand Floyd. He wins on the letter of the law, not the spirit.

No, he won't. That's not what Floyd does. Did you watch the interview or read the OP? He'll get hugged and take a couple jabs.



The objective of boxing is to hit without getting hit, or as Brother Naazim eloquently put it

"Knock the grease off this dude then swim without getting wet"
 

Shadybiz

Member
I mean.... his record speaks volumes. I hate him as a person but respect him as an athlete.

Yep; I don't like him, but there's no denying that as far as boxing goes, he's clearly one of the greatest. Maybe not that exciting to watch compared to some, but he gets the job done, and has the record to show for it.
 

Supast4r

Junior Member
He made "gaming the system" an art form. When he goes into the ring with a "fighter" looking to knock him out, you're watching two people with completely different objectives. One is looking to exploit the rules to be awarded a win by the judges, and the other wants to fight.

This is why so many people including myself can't stand Floyd. He wins on the letter of the law, not the spirit.

No, he won't. That's not what Floyd does. Did you watch the interview or read the OP? He'll get hugged and take a couple jabs.
All these years and you are still salty that manny lost? Running away is a very viable strategy in fighting. In fighting games we call it zoning
 

BajiBoxer

Banned
He made "gaming the system" an art form. When he goes into the ring with a "fighter" looking to knock him out, you're watching two people with completely different objectives. One is looking to exploit the rules to be awarded a win by the judges, and the other wants to fight.

This is why so many people including myself can't stand Floyd. He wins on the letter of the law, not the spirit.

No, he won't. That's not what Floyd does. Did you watch the interview or read the OP? He'll get hugged and take a couple jabs.
It's a sport. The objective is to win. It's not like he's cheating.
 

Zok310

Banned
Floyds in a different reality when it comes to boxing. His presence alone in the ring fills his opponent with doubt.
Not the brightest guy but when it comes to the job that dude knows how to go to work.
 

Nafai1123

Banned
When did you start watching Floyd? The problem is by the time he got mainstream famous he was already an older accomplished future HOF'er veteran fighting in his 4th or 5th highest weight division and was slowly declining from his physical peak of his prime despite being fresh for a fighter his age.

Most people didn't start watching him till his De La Hoya fight at Jr. Middle Weight.

I say that to say Floyd was one of the most skillful and exciting fighters coming up but by the time he reached Welterweight his power leveled off, and his brittle hands caused him to be more economical with his punches, and he fought smarter in order to extend his career and maximize his chances of winning.

I admit I haven't seen his earlier fights at the lower weight. I'll have to check some of them out. I absolutely respect his skill, but I guess I just prefer fighters who are feared because of their knockout power and that's not really his MO in recent history. Definitely a casual boxing fan but I understand why he's considered one of the GOAT.
 
He made "gaming the system" an art form. When he goes into the ring with a "fighter" looking to knock him out, you're watching two people with completely different objectives. One is looking to exploit the rules to be awarded a win by the judges, and the other wants to fight.

This is why so many people including myself can't stand Floyd. He wins on the letter of the law, not the spirit.

No, he won't. That's not what Floyd does. Did you watch the interview or read the OP? He'll get hugged and take a couple jabs.

The very epitome of YDKSAB.
 

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Great video.

Also, I love watching Floyd. So clinical, precise, and patient. His patience is especially great to watch when he shuts down brawlers.
 
The way my boxing following friend puts it, hes 'infuriatingly disciplined'. He knows exactly how to win that round and keep you off balance, and avoid taking the sort of heavy hits that will spell defeat.

And nothing will shake him from that gameplan.
 

Kaizer

Banned
As a watcher, isn't the objective of sports to entertain, so why would you like a fighter that's not entertaining?

I get what you're saying as a viewer of any sport, obviously you want to be entertained when watching it. However, then you could argue what's the definition of "entertaining" when it comes to sports. Different people are excited by different aspects of a sport or certain play styles of athletes. Personally, I think baseball is boring as shit & on the level of watching paint dry, but I'm sure plenty of GAF members would VEHEMENTLY disagree me. My father loves watching Mayweather's fights - he finds his technical prowess to be fascinating to watch and fun to see how each boxer plays into his hand.

And obviously from the perspective of the actual athlete, I know I'd personally would rather be able to make as much money as I can, while keeping my health in good standing for as long as possible. Floyd's a businessman at the end of the day and he truly has found a winning formula for longevity. You can hate that that leads to fights with no true epic moments/knockdowns or isn't in the true "spirit" of the sport, but you can't really knock the hustle.
 

rackham

Banned
Getting mad at floyds fighting style is like being mad that you can't throw kicks in the ring. This is boxing, not the UFC or anything else. There is no common "spirit" in the ring. Everyone is there to win and that's why boxing awards points because technical fighters are important for people to understand how a fight is not just about throwing a strong punch.
 

mozfan12

Banned
Mayweather might be the ultimate tactician in boxing. Dude is just so honed into those details that make the different between a good fighter and those that make a top tier fighter. Of course, his fights were almost always one sided or boring but it's because almost/all every boxer that stepped into that the ring with him was inferior to his tactical ability. Still sucks that we never got a proper Pacquaio fight. I think he'll go down as the best defensive boxer of all time.
 

LordKasual

Banned
Floyd Mayweather is the Chris G of boxing.

He finds what works, and he plays the game.

People hate him because he doesn't play the game like everyone else usually does. But he's still playing the game...he's just playing to win.
 
Here's a great video of Mayweather's highlights throughout his entire career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26v_qC81db8

23vl4ivjpg.gif



pretty.gif



mayweather-vs-gatti.gif


mayweather-rd-7.gif



Master class.

These should be in the OP for the nay-sayers.

If Floyd is moving, it's just a waste of energy trying to swing because you'll miss and take a counter punch. If he's still, that's because you have not tried to swing, and he'said lining you up in his crosshairs. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
 
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