A Nightmare for Opponents

Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t the toughest guy on the planet. He doesn’t posses incredible power and he isn’t that exciting to watch, but he is certainly a nightmare for opponents. He’s arguably the smartest boxer to enter the ring, and although his style doesn’t lend itself to highly entertaining fights, his record of 48-0 speaks for itself.

Whether you like it or not, one of Floyd’s most effective characteristics is his ability to pick opponents in the right time of their careers, often when they are in a slump or on their way out. This was clear with De La Hoya and Pacquiao. Acknowledging that this has been said a million times before, the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight should have happened 5 years ago. Instead, it came at a time when when age has caught up with Pacquiao, which isn’t overly beneficial to his style. But enough of that.

Although Mayweather is boring to watch, he has captivated many boxing fans with 24/7, and HBO series that provides a unique look into the preparation of boxing matches from both fighters’ perspectives. Without Mayweather, this series likely wouldn’t be as successful as it is today, where it has actually branched out into other sports like hockey.

Back to why Floyd is a nightmare for opponents. Top boxers typically don’t have to be too worried about being knocked out by Mayweather, as his punching power isn’t very intimidating. Furthermore, apparently he prefers boxing gloves with more padding in the front of the knuckles, as it has been rumored that he has experienced hand injuries in the past. Not that any of us have ever fought him, but this makes him extremely frustrating to fight, as opponents can never figure him out, even when his offense isn’t typically dangerous.

Mayweather is extremely skilled on defense, and his hand speed makes it extremely difficult to take any risks, as the second any fighter opens up they are immediately tagged. It seems like one of his best tactics is to lean back and cover his chin with his shoulder, a position that doesn’t allow much opportunity for his opponents. Even though it doesn’t bode well for attacking, it has certainly proved to be a wise strategy.

Lots of people think Mayweather is arrogant, selfish, and a downright bad person. We don’t know him personally, so can’t say one way or another, but one thing people lose sight of with all of this in mind is that he actually puts in the work to see his results. If you’ve ever seen footage of Mayweather training, it’s clear that he’s an absolute beast in the gym. Weather it’s jaw-dropping jump rope exercises, bag work, sparring, or anything else, he puts in 100% and takes his job seriously. This is a sign of an extremely strong person, both physically and mentally, and and is something that no one can really argue with.

Overall, as much as Mayweather is hated by boxing fans, and with all the controversy surrounding his personal decisions (many of which we despise), he’s clearly one of the best technical boxers in history and continues to see incredible levels of success. We hope that one day he will provide an exciting boxing match for fans, as this would definitely help get people back to appreciating boxing for the amazing port that it is.