On Saturday, May 3rd, current WBA Welterweight title holder Marcos Maidana will step in the ring with the best defensive fighter in boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and attempt to hand him his first loss a professional.
Although the hard charging Argentine fighter possesses the mentality and style to give most fighters fits in the squared circle, the best pound for pound pugilist in the world seems to have the uncanny ability to turn a customarily offensive minded opponent into a tentative shell.
What’s the secret behind Mayweather’s defensive prowess.
Father and head trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., expounds on his theory.
“There’s a way to stop all of the punches from coming,” explains the Las Vegas based fight trainer.
“Whenever you’re facing a fighter who comes at you and usually lets his hands go, you have to make him miss. The more times he misses, the more hesitant he’ll get about throwing punches in the ring.” “He’ll think about it, but won’t be able to pull the trigger because he’ll start doubting his ability to land. That’s when my son capitalizes and scores with his own shots.”
But making an offensively potent fighter miss with regularity is a much more daunting task than it sounds.
During a recent conference call, Floyd Jr. attempted to explain how he’s able to anticipate punches coming at him so clearly.
“I can see the shots coming,” stated the undefeated pound for pound king. “Actually, I can feel when a guy’s going to punch. I can feel it. I don’t even have to see it. I can feel it. You know, this is just with experience and being around the sport so long. I can just feel when he’s going to shoot his shot. A lot of times guys will telegraph their punches. Their body language gives away when they’re going to throw a punch because of how they position themselves.”
“So when a fighter positions himself a certain way, you know what shot he’s going to throw.” Floyd can “feel” an opponent’s punches coming?
For years, fight scribes and ringside experts have insisted that the key to Floyd’s defense has been a combination of an unusually high ring intelligence with superb reflexes in the ring.
But is it something more?
The heralded best fighter in boxing admitted that he can “feel” when an opponent is about to launch an offensive attack.
How?
Although the defensive master attempted to explain how he can usually tell when his opponents are ready to fire off a shot in the subsequent statement, no other fighter in boxing has been able to replicate Floyd’s defensive technique.
Why?
Perhaps the operative word in Floyd’s previous statement is “feel”. Maybe Mayweather has the uncanny ability to sense when a fighter is getting ready to fire off punches through some sort of extra sensory perception?
Does the best fighter in boxing have a “sixth sense” in the ring?
While the world may never know for sure, fight fans will get another opportunity to see the best defensive fighter in boxing work when he steps in the ring with WBA Champion Marcos Maidana this Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
