By Kristofer Williams Sr. Floyd Mayweather Sr., as much as he loves to talk and brag about his son, may finally be coming to grips with the reality that faces 35-year old Floyd Mayweather Jr, who is tied with Manny Pacquiao at #2 in Ring Magazine’s current Pound-for-Pound ratings.
While Floyd Sr. stopped short of saying his son’s skills are steadily declining as evidenced by Floyd Jr’s last two fights versus Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto, he did say something truthfully revealing not too long ago when he spoke with On The Ropes.
“Age might be catching up with him now. I’m pretty sure it’s catching up with him. He’s not Superman,” the elder Mayweather quipped.
Widely considered as arguably the best defensive boxer ever, Mayweather Jr’s fading skills are beginning to show. Although he was still able to duck and dodge a lot of Cotto’s punches, it was clear that Floyd Jr’s footwork isn’t what it used to be. He is no longer as light on his toes, he fights a lot more flat-footed, and his patented shoulder roll defensive maneuvers weren’t as effective. To make matters worse, Cotto, who will never be known for his speed, was able to land power shots effectively and numerous times had no problem penetrating Floyd’s philly shell. It’s no secret that no other fighter has ever backed Floyd into the ropes and hit him as hard and as much as Cotto did for 12 full rounds save for Jose Luis Castillo and perhaps Demarcus Corley.
In addition, there were numerous times Floyd looked helplessly out of balance with his back on the ropes, and if it weren’t for what’s left of his feet coupled by the fact Cotto is slow and lacks stamina, Floyd would have probably tasted canvas for the third time in his career.
It looks to me that Team Mayweather and Uncle Roger are getting lackadaisical in their training because Floyd has looked rather ordinary in his last two fights. Maybe all the drama and focus on HBO 24-7 is starting to affect Floyd and his work habits. Whatever the case, time is running out for him to improve and as far as I can see it, an old dog doesn’t change old habits.
But Floyd Sr made it known that he wants his son to change his style because he fears for his son’s health, especially now that his son has decided to stay active in the sport and is most likely going to face younger and more powerful punchers from here on out.
“I just wish my son would throw more punches now,” Floyd Sr. said. “He has in the past, but he hasn’t done that in quite a while.”
Mayweather Sr. added, “He’s just counterpunching now…but the thing is…his trouble is going to be with a guy that’s consistently throwing punches. When you counterpunch, you’re only throwing maybe one punch or two punches.”
Let’s stop and think about that statement for a minute. It’s not that farfetched to consider the basis of Floyd Sr’s statement has everything to do with foreseeing a potential future hazard in a bout with Filipino fighting legend Manny Pacquiao. The elder Floyd is basically expressing his concern and fear that Floyd could easily be overwhelmed by someone who has speed, power, stamina, and most importantly the ability to overwhelm an opponent by sheer non-stop volume punching from different angles.
And what best critic can there be for Floyd Jr other than his own father? The same father who witnessed Pacquiao annihilate a fighter he trained (Ricky Hatton) in 2009. The same father who knows too well the ramifications of being on the receiving end of Pacquiao’s lethal lightning quick combinations coming from so many angles that they make a mockery of geometry.
“That’s when his [Floyd Jr] problem will come in, when he’s got somebody who’s real, real busy, and that will more or less probably be with a younger guy,” stated Floyd Sr.
He’s absolutely right. Because Pacquiao is 33, and Floyd Jr is 35. And Pacquiao is the typhoon that can easily flood Mayweather’s party on any given Saturday night. That’s why one person has dubbed him “The Fist and The Furious.”
It’s time for Floyd Joy to put up or shut up because if there’s someone that stays undefeated, it’s Father Time. And there is no way, even if hell freezes over, that Floyd Jr. defeats the process called aging.
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