(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/Mayweather Promotions) By Craig Hilton: Another classic matador versus the bull encounter is awaiting fight fans on May 2nd. Many opponents have fallen to Mayweather and Pacquiao since demand for the fight was at its peak in 2010. Whilst Manny was a seemingly unstoppable force at this time, the pressure fighter has since been subject to a knockout loss to his counter-punching nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez. Pressure fighters do not age as well as counter-punchers and many could argue that Manny is now exhibiting a degree of wear and tear.
Comparatively, the counter-puncher and matador for this contest, Mayweather, is demonstrating a longer shelf life and it could be argued that fans’ wait for the bout has benefited him to a greater extent.
Floyd remains an undefeated and formidable ring general. During the course of a bout, he is frequently able to redress his tactics and style in order to triumph. Much of his skill is in his mind: he knows when to throw, how to defend; when to hold, when to retreat and when to use his legs. He keeps his chin out of harm’s way whilst stealing rounds economically. Floyd compensates for his relatively weak power with a razor-sharp mind, reflex and counter-punching ability. He possesses the mentality to overcome challenges and impose his style and will on others. What attracts fans to Mayweather’s bouts is the possibility of him being beaten. However, despite being thirty-eight, he is a shrewd and experienced campaigner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WS60_SsALIc
I don’t believe that any contemporary fighter could beat Floyd in a boxing match. In my opinion, the opponent that has posed the strongest danger to Floyd thus far is Jose Luis Castillo. This is predominantly due to the use of his rough-house tactics; he hit Floyd on the break, below the belt, head butted him, leaned on him. Castillo had a distinct advantage in terms of weight at the opening bell. The clash of styles made for an interesting and competitive contest. However, Manny cannot deploy the same tactics that Castillo did, he is not that kind of fighter. So, how can Manny impose his style on Mayweather and win this career-defining fight? Firstly, he’s a southpaw, and secondly, he’s fast. This article is written from my vantage point and endeavours to invite debate, knowledge and interest in this massive contest.
Firstly, Pacquiao’s southpaw stance, swift movement and high work rate will permit an inventive and adventurous attack. We witnessed Ricky Hatton’s varied pace of footwork and angle of attack disrupt Mayweather’s rhythm, thinking time and capacity to work strategically. Manny has often displayed an ability to mix the pace of his work. When fighting Cotto, he varied the pace of his charge in tune with the round, intensifying his onslaught in the final minute. He has to repeat this mixture of pace and rhythm when engaging Mayweather.
Jose Luis Castillo remained a persistent and exhausting menace to Floyd by remaining just out of range. Castillo became a wasp that swarmed Floyd, stinging him when he got close to the ropes or trapped in the corner. Jose Luis Castillo has shown us that Manny has to cut-off the ring against Mayweather and hit everything: those thin arms, body, shoulders, chest. Should the encounter enter the Championship Rounds, this strategy will serve to jade Mayweather and prevent him from thinking unhindered.
Castillo also experienced success because he varied his height and level of attack. He bobbed to vary the level at which he baited punches. Once he baited a punch, he stepped inside to overpower Floyd at close quarters. He often came in low to land to the body and then threw one upstairs and finished with a body shot, thus working body and head in tandem. This is a notoriously successful strategy against the Philly Shell defence and shoulder roll techniques. Manny has to produce a varying and overwhelming punch output against Floyd.
Recently, Miguel Cotto eluded to the fact that Manny’s rapid footwork and athleticism enables him to shift explosively from point to point. Mayweather’s Philly Shell defence and shoulder roll technique demands that the opponent use lateral movement to find holes for punches. Whilst Mayweather’s pad work is an admirable training technique, it does not involve the pads being thrown in short sequences from different spots. The Philly Shell defence is effective when standing toe-to-toe. However, it becomes inflexible when an opponent changes their angle of assault rapidly whilst throwing a swift, short number of punches to body and head in tandem. It will be interesting to observe how Mayweather handles speedy punches thrown from the southpaw stance when pushed against the ropes. Will he be able to lean away from Manny’s gust of punches as effectively as when defending against an orthodox adversary?
Whilst previous Mayweather opposition have often been powerful, it has also been common for them to be relatively slow. With his swift hands and southpaw stance, Manny has an unrivalled chance of ‘buzzing’ Floyd. It is a matter of debate as to whether Manny has the same power at one-hundred and forty-seven pounds that he carried at one-hundred and forty pounds. However, to score a knockout or knock down, it is not necessarily the strength of the punch, but the chicanery and speed with which it is impacted. One of Mayweather’s previous southpaw victims, DeMarcus Corley, managed to stun Mayweather with a right hand decoy to the body and left hand to the head. Should Manny go for the knockout, he has to outfox Mayweather and land something that he doesn’t register.
It is my belief that Manny must launch a high volume of shots but the number of punches per combination must not exceed more than three. Floyd’s Philly Shell defence can be penetrated and perforated by combinations of two or three punches. In my opinion, due to Mayweather’s rapid reflexes, throwing more than three punches within any combination will result in minimal success and poor economy. The punches thrown must be relatively light in order to maximise volume over the course of the bout.
Manny has to improvise in order to land shots effectively. Shots may need to be adjusted around the Mayweather shield. Ricky Hatton improvised a screw shot that rocked Mayweather back onto his heels in their introductory stanza. Marcos Maidana also experienced some good fortune by angling the Bolo Punch over and around Floyd’s manoeuvring left shoulder. Mayweather’s reflexes are so fast that the opponent must have fleeting hand speed in order to land something meaningful. Spaces for blows are only available for a split-second. Manny may be able to uncover gaps in Mayweather’s guard by use of decoys in the form of feints and fakes. Previous Mayweather opposition, Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya, demonstrated that Mayweather can be tagged by sharp, forceful shots. Mosley used a fast jab towards the body to create space for a powerful right hand to the head. This is further evidence that Mayweather foes must work the body and head in tandem to experience success against the Philly Shell defence.
Floyd Mayweather Senior has commented that Manny is too small to beat his son. Manny is five foot six and a half; Floyd is five foot eight. Despite this, Manny’s height can be advantageous as he will be capable of sliding in low as Mayweather recoils his shots. Despite Floyd’s natural speed, his lengthy arms take a longer time to retract. It will also be fatiguing and difficult for Floyd to punch downwards rather than upwards or eye-level. Pacquiao’s size will be disadvantageous should he allow himself to be leaned on at close range. Manny has to keep his hands high to thwart Mayweather’s rapid hand speed and exactness whilst maintaining a high punch output to avoid getting clinched. We saw Ricky Hatton lose out to Mayweather following a lengthy period of infighting in the middle rounds. The result was that Hatton became tired and frustrated as the taller Mayweather leaned on him whilst strategically placing his body shots. Southpaws, Zab Judah and DeMarcus Corley, were also victims of Mayweather’s body attack. Although effective with decoys and explosive left hands in the early rounds, their punch output slackened due to the uneconomical nature of their boxing combined with an effective Mayweather defence and body onslaught. Mayweather’s superior defence allowed him to manipulate them down the stretch.
Floyd’s economical boxing and unrivalled defence often pays dividends in the Championship Rounds. A superior display during these final rounds leaves a lasting impression on the judges’ minds. As approximately two-thirds of a fight is spent on defence, his outstanding ability avoid to shots allows him to prevail at this stage of a bout. One of Mayweather’s few weaknesses is his apparent lack of power and seemingly inability to land a knockout blow. In view of this, his fights often go the full twelve rounds. Comparatively, Manny has shown an everlasting punch output over the course of his bouts. Should this super-fight go the scheduled distance, it will be interesting to observe which contender has the upper-hand down the stretch.
So, who are you choosing? A duel of tremendous magnitude awaits fight fans on May 2nd and let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint. Many of Mayweather’s previous opponents have been strong but have not blended this with speed. Southpaw versus orthodox battles can be cagey affairs but the skill set and abilities possessed by both boxers should make for a great contest. The jab can be nullified in southpaw versus orthodox bouts. However, this punch has long been discontinued by Floyd. Mayweather has become reliant on his lightning-fast left hook and right hand. These punches are the most effective tools when fighting a southpaw. In view of the two conflicting stances, this bout may be decided by the combatant that has the required footwork to enable them to angle and land shots their most effectively. Although I believe Floyd will emerge victorious by decision, I also believe that Manny’s combination of speed and power will provide Mayweather with his toughest bout to date.
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