In
the eighth round of the Floyd Mayweather-Robert Guerrero fight, Floyd
consistently landed a punch that I had never seen him throw previously. It was
a punch that few fighters would even consider having in their repertoire. I'll
call it a lead sweeping right hook. First of all, the majority of orthodox
fighters don't throw even a traditional rear-handed hook. There's a lot of
inherent danger with the punch. If ineffective, it leaves the whole right side
of a fighter exposed. If you observe Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. or Erik Morales,
you will often see them throw a right hook when at close range (incidentally,
Abner Mares scored his first knockdown over Daniel Ponce de Leon on Saturday
with a cuffing right hook). And although Floyd did throw some traditional rear
hooks on Saturday, this sweeping shot was something different entirely, and he
certainly didn't throw it from close range.
Often,
when orthodox fighters end combinations or counter with a left hook, they will
throw it to a specific area and not where a fighter is presently when they
start the punch. (Danny Garcia is a master at it. Consider his left hook that
dropped Amir Khan) For instance, if Fighter A throws the straight right
hand/left hook combination, he will start the left hook anticipating where his
opponent, Fighter B, will wind up after he reacts to the right hand. So, if
Fighter B avoids the right hand, he most likely will move to his right,
providing the opportunity for Fighter A to land the left hook.
These
types of left hooks are often called "clean-up" left hooks – they end
a combination and cause serious damage when landing. "Clean-up" left
hooks are wide shots and are far less surgical than something like Floyd's
"check hook" that derailed Ricky Hatton, where he stepped back from
close range and unloaded with pinpoint precision, or a typical left hook to the
body often seen during infighting.
Again,
the above was referring to "clean-up" left hooks at the end of a
combination. What Floyd did with his right hand on Saturday was completely
different. In the eighth, he fired this "clean-up" type punch, but
with his right hand, and often as lead shots, not counters. Floyd repeatedly
connected with the punch and by the end of the round Guerrero was battered and
cut. It was a wonderful new wrinkle from Floyd. But what did he see in the ring
that enabled him to land this untraditional shot?
As
Guerrero started to get hit more throughout the fight, he would duck down and
to his left after exchanges. Perhaps thinking he was out of reach or at a bad
angle for Floyd to land his straight right hand, Guerrero soon found out that
this strategy provided him only temporary shelter.
Floyd
waited for Guerrero to throw a quick combination and then he unloaded to a
spot. He landed big with the sweeping rights. Ultimately, these were the most
impactful blows of the fight. And like a veteran athlete, Floyd kept exploiting
his opponent's weakness. It was Guerrero who needed to make an adjustment, and
it was too late in coming.
Everything
else Floyd did on Saturday was worthy of one of his vintage performances
– finding the range with pinpoint shots, dazzling with quickness, scoring with
single right hands, working in his large arsenal with increasing effectiveness,
spinning out of trouble along the ropes and neutralizing his opponent's
strengths with his combination of technique, reflexes, accuracy and feints.
But
what stood out to me on Saturday was that sweeping right hook, which was a
further symbol of Floyd's compulsive quest to achieve perfection. In Floyd's
last fight against Miguel Cotto, he scored consistently with a looping overhand
right. Mayweather claimed that he stole the punch from Shane Mosley, who had
success with the shot in his fight against Cotto. So, in the last two fights,
the best boxer in the world decided to add two new punches to his arsenal.
How's that for not resting on one's laurels!
When
Michael Jordan was in his prime, it was said that every summer he would add an
additional dimension to his game for the next season. One year it was a
turnaround-J; another year it would be the 18-foot pull up jumper or the spin
move to the baseline. Jordan was the best of his time, but in his eyes there
was always room for improvement. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have shown the
same type of initiative in working on their games to continually get better.
It's
fair to put Floyd in that category of athletes who compulsively strive for
perfection. The great competitors are never satisfied with their past accomplishments;
they're always looking to improve. And for Mayweather, it wasn't only the
sweeping right hook as a means to get better.
In
the lead up to the fight, and certainly after the bout, Floyd admitted that he
worked on defensive improvements for Guerrero. For Floyd, this meant bringing
his somewhat estranged father back as lead trainer to work on defensive
technique and footwork. In the Cotto fight, Miguel had some success against
Mayweather along the ropes. Although he didn't win a lot of rounds, he
certainly got more than a few good shots in and Floyd granted Cotto extended
time to try and hit him. Perhaps it was an off night for Floyd, but he didn't
look particularly sharp.
With
Floyd Sr. back in the fold for Guerrero, the results were evident, not just in
defensive positioning but in temperament. Instead of permitting Guerrero to
wail on him along the ropes, Mayweather would leave exchanges and find a new
angle for engagement. In addition, if Mayweather couldn't goad Guerrero to
engage, he would use the ring to find a different plan for attacking or
countering. He didn't stand in front of Guerrero nearly as much as he did
against Cotto.
But
back to that right hand, I'd be surprised if the Mayweathers practiced it that
often in the gym, if it all. It's an untraditional punch and normally fighters
work on their straight right hands or uppercuts instead of trying out hybrid
offerings. I'm fairly certain that Floyd improvised in the ring on the fly as
the greats often do. He recognized the opportunity instinctively and
he successfully executed the punch without hesitation. I can't imagine Floyd
Sr. (who's not very verbose in the corner) telling his son, "O.K., I want
you to throw a lead, slinging right hook, and that's the key to the
fight." No, Floyd saw the opportunity, and he capitalized on it. It was a
way for him to win the fight, an admission that something new was needed.
Saturday
was my first live Mayweather fight, and it was quite a pleasure. To many,
Floyd's performance could have been considered workmanlike. There were no
knockdowns or very few sustained moments of action. But Floyd's
"workmanlike" was wonderful and humbling. Dominating a good fighter
with relative ease, I was enthralled.
To
watch him think his way through the match was a special experience. Everyone
can talk about the straight right hand, but what about his counter jab, which
was pulverizing and was his first counter shot to land consistently. His legs
looked great as well and he seemed so much faster live than on TV.
Because
of Floyd's superior speed and accuracy, Guerrero had to respect almost every
feint. Floyd's athletic and technical gifts forced Guerrero to become a
spectator in his own fight at points because he was so worried about defending
himself from getting hit cleanly. In addition, Floyd showed yet again how good
his chin is. Guerrero actually rocked Floyd with some bruising shots in the
first two rounds, specifically a counter left uppercut in the first and a
counter right hook on the top of the head in the second. Floyd took Guerrero's best and continued on with his game plan.
Saturday
may not be remembered as one of Floyd's more memorable fights, but when Floyd
is at his best, his matches most often won't be worthy of ESPN Classic. He's a neutralizer
on a grand scale. Even when Guerrero did well in the first two rounds, Robert
still stood there, semi-motionless, waiting on Floyd; he was fighting the wrong
fight.
Floyd's
renewed commitment to defense will mean fewer opportunities for his opponents
and more boos from the crowd. However, the best version of Floyd does not
make blood-and-guts fights. He's a fighter on the top of his game at the
highest echelon in the sport. And if that's boring to you, it's not my problem, or,
with buckets of guaranteed money, his.
Adam Abramowitz is the head writer and founder of saturdaynightboxing.com.
He is also a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board.
Contact Adam at saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com
@snboxing on twitter
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Beautiful article bro.
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