Floyd Mayweather has always been considered a pure boxer. When I say pure, I mean 101%. In the past he has used every square inch of the ring with his backward and lateral movements. He has avoided throwing big combinations and engaging in long exchanges. He has preferred to stay on the outside and rely on his lightning-quick counter punches.
When attacked by his opponent, it has been common practice for him to simply get on his bicycle and pedal out of harm’s way. If he got pushed to the ropes, he could block most of the punches thrown by his opponent but applying his famous shoulder-roll technique. As punches came, he would roll with them in perfect sync of the puncher’s rhythm, which would render nearly all of the punches ineffective, as they were usually nothing more than glancing blows.
I said all that in past tense, because a different Floyd Mayweather Jr. showed up on May 1. When he squared off against Shane Mosley, Mayweather seemed intent to go toe-to-toe for the whole fight, and he did just that.
After watching this fight once again, there are a few things that struck me about the differences in Mayweather’s most recent performance.
1. He can fight toe-to-toe
He really can. Yes, it nearly cost him the fight in round two, but he recovered very quickly and continued to fight aggressively. Amazingly, Mayweather spent the entire fight coming forward and backing Mosley up. This was the correct strategy against Mosley who was obviously so intimidated that he didn’t fight anywhere near the level that he is capable of. Mosley’s stiff, awkward stance caused him to become exhausted early in the fight.
2. He can get cracked and still come back to dominate
Mayweather wasn’t intimidated by the hard knocks he took in the second round. While his uncle / trainer, Roger Mayweather, instructed him to box, Floyd came out and continued to fight aggressively in round three. His total lack of respect for Mosley was amazing considering that he had just been hit with two punches that nearly sent him to the canvas. Say what you want about Mayweather, but he was no chicken in this fight.
3. He has power
Mayweather has a 61% KO rate. While he’s no Mike Tyson by any means, he exhibited that he has great punching power. Mayweather has always been an opportunist when it comes to knocking opponents out. If the opportunity presents itself, he’ll take it, but he won’t take risks in order to get it. However, when he fought Mosley, it really looked like he was going for a knockout, and in the latter rounds there were moments that it appeared he would get it done. This is impressive considering that Mosley has never been defeated by way of stoppage.
4. He does care what the fans think
Despite Mayweather’s never-ending statements about how he fights only for money, he obviously does care what the fans think to some extent. In the post-fight interview, he made this clear.
“I wanted to give the fans what they wanted to see. They wanted to see a toe-to-toe battle,? Mayweather said. ?Fans didn’t want to see me moving. Fans wanted to see me coming forward, so that’s what we did tonight.”
Mayweather is one of the most intelligent boxers in the sport. He’ll do his best to win, and he’ll make all necessary adjustments and employ whatever style is necessary to get the job done. He’s come to the ring with different looks at different times, but he’s never failed to come out on top.
The biggest challenge of his entire career still looms on the horizon, as talks of a matchup with Manny Pacquaio are said to be underway. It will be interesting to see if he can adjust to the awkward angles of the Filipino champion. He’s fought some decent opponents, but none the caliber of Pacquiao. That statement goes both ways.
