Weaknesses for Each Man
Floyd Mayweather
Photo by Tom Casino
Knowing how to beat Floyd Mayweather is easy; actually doing it is another story. Mayweather can be beat against the ropes, but he won’t let it happen, and Pacquiao is no exception. In his most recent fights, Mayweather has spent time on the ropes to make fights more exciting.
It’s against the ropes his opponents feel like they’ve “got” him, and Mayweather knows it. While fans appreciate the excitement, Mayweather makes himself vulnerable to taking unnecessary punishment, which is about the least smart thing he could do at his age. The less you get hit, the longer you last.
Until Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana 2, I never considered Mayweather’s age a hindrance. Over the years he’s adjusted his style and gotten sharper fight after fight. In the second bout with Maidana I noticed half way through the fight that Mayweather looked more tired than usual. For any other fighter, his energy level would be considered lively. However, by Mayweather standards, this was not the Floyd I was used to seeing.
His apparent decrease of energy in that fight is still a bit of a mystery. Mayweather is always in shape, even in the off seasons, and he doesn’t change much in his training camp. This time around he’s hired Alex Ariza as his strengthening and conditioning coach. Mayweather looked sharp and strong during his media day workout, so maybe fatigue won’t be an issue again.
Manny Pacquiao
As talented as Manny Pacquiao is, there are still a few things he needs to worry about going into the ring with Floyd Mayweather.
One worry is Pacquiao’s tendency to drop his hands when he comes in. Mayweather has often said to his opponents, “If you make any mistakes, you have to pay.” Pacquiao dropping his hands in close range would be a big mistake against someone with Mayweather’s kind of timing, speed, and longer arm reach.
Though Pacquiao came away with a victory from the fight against Chris Algieri, Algieri exposed that Manny does not do well with movement. Algieri’s style relies heavily on footwork and movement, but his is not nearly as complex, quick, or unpredictable as Mayweather’s. It took several rounds for Pacquiao to cut off Algieri, who posed no threat to Pacquiao in terms of speed or power.
A weakness I think both Pacquiao and Mayweather recognize is that both of them can be hurt. After the chilling second round of Mayweather vs. Mosely, I believe Mayweather sharpened up his fighting style and boxing IQ to protect himself. Pacquiao has been hurt earlier in his career, but Pacquiao-Marquez 4 was the first time he had been knocked out cold as an elite fighter. Unlike Floyd though, Manny’s adjustments since then have been slight—he still fights practically the same way.
