By Jason Kim: Popular trainer Freddie Roach thinks that undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. (40-0, 25 KO’s) has lost something as he’s moved up in weight from the super featherweight division where he started out. Roach believes that Mayweather was perhaps a great fighter as a super featherweight but isn’t the same fighter he once was now that he’s moved up to welterweight. In an article by Yahoo Sports writer Kevin Iole, Roach says “He [Mayweather] was a very good fighter, maybe even a great fighter, when he was at 130, 135 and maybe even 140. But he’s not the same fighter to me since he’s been at 147 and [154]. He struggled with Oscar [De La Hoya] and less than a year later, Manny [Pacquiao] demolished Oscar. He had a hard time with Hatton and not long after that, Manny beat the [stuffing] out of Hatton and knocked him out in two rounds. I don’t see greatness at 147. He’s good, but he’s slower. He’s easier to hit and he doesn’t throw the punches like he did before.”
Roach is mentioning the same thing that many of the boxing fans have been noticing from Mayweather since he moved up to welterweight in 2006. He doesn’t throw nearly as many punches as he used to in the lower weight classes, and has become more of a pot shot fighter instead. Mayweather throws just enough punches to get the win, but no more than that. He’s no longer throwing combinations and his work rate has dropped off.
Mayweather isn’t nearly as exciting as he was back when he was fighting in the lower weights against the likes of Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo. It’s hard to what is the cause of Mayweather’s drop off. Some of it could be the weight that has slowed his offense down to a trickle or it could be the face that age is creeping up on him. It’s fair to say that a fighter in their early 20s is going to be a much more active and energetic fighter than they are when they reach their 30s. In Mayweather’s case, he’s fast approaching his mid-30s, which is considered old for smaller fighters like him.
The smaller fighters, unlike heavyweights, typically start losing their speed and reflexes in the their early to mid 30s. What Roach could be seeing is the effects of age on Mayweather. Physically he looks a little older, but the age seems to be showing itself in a drop off of his work rate.
To his credit, Mayweather has continued to pile up wins in the past four years, albeit against smaller fighters. Despite taking more punishment now than he ever has before, Mayweather has been bragging lately about being better than Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson. But what makes that seem kind of pointless and sad is that Mayweather hasn’t backed it up like those fighters constantly did against the very best fighters in boxing. Mayweather has taken on strategic money fights against smaller fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and an older De La Hoya.
Those are all good fighters, but not the best in the welterweight division. And Mayweather took shots from all of them. He didn’t dominate them like he did with his opponents in the past. More and more, Mayweather is starting to get hit. That tells you something about what’s happening with Mayweather. Tonight, you can expect for Mayweather to get hit a lot by Shane Mosley when they fight at the MGM Grand. This is going to be an incredibly tough for Mayweather, and I’m not so certain he’s going to be able to get through this fight. He’s been so used to coasting on talent alone; he’s going to be in for a shock when he is actually forced to fight in order to get the win. This is where boxing fans will see if Mayweather has the heart to match his fading talent.
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