By Jaime Ortega: In the world of boxing styles make fights. The right style will counter the right technique. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has shown a pattern that he seems to have avoided at all cost. Certain body styles, and technical abilities posses a dangerous outcome to Floyd`s ultra defensive style.
Any class C boxing amateur should know by now, that Floyd takes on rouged opponents, opponents who like to brawl and go all out in the ring. 95% of Floyd’s fights have shown that brawlers pair up perfectly with his defensive style. But can he take on other styles?
It is interesting because there was a story back in 1999, by a reporter called Damon Diamond from Fight Mania, where Diego Morales spoke about an incident that happened in Big Bear, California while training at high altitude during a sparring session involving Floyd and Erik Morales.
The story writes how Floyd as a light middle weight was trying to teach Erik defensive tips, and how Erik thought these were useless on ringside. Both sparred for 3 rounds, and using his defensive abilities, Floyd was outmatched by Morales who kept landing very good shots at him. Floyd upset with the outcome decided to train in the afternoons to avoid sparring Erik, on the mornings. The story still circulates the internet today, and was confirmed in an interview with Erik Morales in Youtube a few years back.
One curious outcome from the story is the fact that when Floyd rounded the super feather weight and light middle weight divisions he could have banged with prime Erik, but he never took on the challenge. Instead, in 2011 there was a rumor that Floyd wanted to take on a finished Erik, who was more or less the shadow of his prime. Floyd took on Ortiz instead as the fight hype with Erik never resumed to anything but rumors.
Marco Antonio Barrera, was also a dangerous opponent that rounded the super feather weight division during Floyds progression, who over a decade ago also roamed that same weight-class. In my opinion, Floyd was probably scared to face Barrera at his natural weight class, specially after he beat Erik twice in what would be an epic trilogy. So is no surprise that he avoided both of these monsters when they were at their prime. However, I believe Floyd would have beat Barrera at light welterweight but would have had trouble defeating the Mexican at 122-130.
Paul Williams not long after came as a threat to Floyd‘s legacy. He beat Winky Wright, Sergio Martinez (who won the rematch) and beat prime Margarito. Why did he not fight Floyd? Well it turns out the Paul Williams wanted the fight badly, but TMT was not interested. He later said in an article on the Examiner 2010, that “Floyd won’t fight me because I don’t have a vagina.” and added, “Manny might do it, he might step up, but not Floyd.”
The point is that Floyd picks and chooses who fits his style better. And bellow is the type of fighters he wont normally fight.
1) Tall lengthy boxers with long reach, hard to counter because of their reach that posses mobility and KO power. This would explain why he never took on Antonio Margarito, and Paul Williams. In fact, Floyd never took on fighters of their dimensions.
2) A boxer who likes to switch his style during the fight. That includes phenomenal accuracy, good or decent power, stamina, good chin, good counters, timing, decent defensive skills, light legs, who can brawl, masters the jab and hooks, and the overhands to close distance well. That type would include fighters like, Erik Morales, Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman.
3) A boxer who’s best quality is quickness, fast hands and foot speed. That would include Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Sergio Martinez, and I might even add Amir Khan who has become more defensive, but still has quick hand speed.
Nothing is written in stone, so I base this on what I have seen from Mayweather for well over a decade. He will beat any brawler, or modified brawler like Miguel Cotto. But Hatton, Marcos Maidana, Provodnikov, Canelo, Castillo, Ortiz, Guerrero, Rios, Corrales, Augustus, Baldomir, Gatti…won’t give him the challenge we fans deserve. He will have a bigger threat with boxers who can switch to other dimensions.
Floyd’s record is vastly composed of brawlers, and to be called The Best Ever, he needs to supply his boxing diet with fighters who poses multiple boxing styles. Other than that, if Floyd doesn’t take on Pacquiao May fight, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone at this point.
Bob Arum, Les Moonves from CBS, and even Al-Haymond are waiting for Floyd to sign the contract.
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