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Well he's 33, and I wonder if he loses will people say that he isnt in his prime. Because 33 is getting up there in the sport of boxing and most with the exception of BHOP, and mosley, are noticeably fading around 33-34. So is there a possibility that one might suggest that floyd got old overnight?
Another things is, before many try to dispute the fact the shane is old, and nowhere close to his prime...think about whether or not floyd will be considered as good at in five years as he is now...
I think Mayweather was born 'Prime'. There has never been any evidence to suggest his ridiculous talent is on the decline, nor do I beleive we will ever see an anything less than 100% Mayweather. The guy is a pugilistic phenomenon. He has the kind of inner pride that will always ensure whenever he fights he will never be anything less than prime.Quote:
Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather
Well look at his last fight. No sign of deterioration at all. I personally think he could have ended that fight anytime. I think he was more focused on doing 12 rounds and also making marquez look like a more credible opponant than what he was. Also Floyd is looking more muscular and stronger these days too.
I agree with Jimmy, although all it takes is one punch, I just can't see him being hit with that one punch at the minute.
People decline at different rates. It depends what your crutch is. Mayweather's ability is founded on reflexes and speed. Those are the first to go. But there is no sign that either of these attributes are on the decline. He may be on the tail end of this prime but Mayweather is still in his prime. Extending or maximizing your prime I think a lot has to do with Mayweather always staying fit, active, and not having any real bad habits to his body even in retirement.
I tink that the prime Mayweather is indeed over. The long inactivity has hurt him. The speed and reflexes may seem intact against a smaller older opponent, but against Mosley it will tell. Yes Mosley is older but I believe that Mosley is one of those wonders that overall had a greater ability than Mayweather in terms of ring generalship and power. Lets face it, Money didn't look all that dominating against an old Oscar. I think the fight with Mosley will be like Ali-Frazier I. MOney will try to dance his way in and out and Mosley will grind him down for a narrow decision.
Neither.Quote:
Originally Posted by JonesJrMayweather
The 1st thing I looked for in his fight against Marquez was any drop in that blinding velocity of his punches and tbh I felt sick to my stomach the instant Mayweather threw his 1st left hook... I think the lay off has worked really well for Floyd... It just amazes me how naturally gifted he is.
He is still bang in his prime. We can guess that maybe his prime is due to end soon, but we'd be doing just that - guessing. So far we have seen no evidence. He seems to be getting better if anything.
i believe Mayweather waz slightly slow against Marquez but that might have been ring rust...
Undoubtedly Prime,
He takes great care of his body, has a style which is meant for long careers and he fights sparingly and has never been punished in a fight I can think of
he certainly hasnt done anything to suggest his in a decline.
floyds greatest performances were against corrales, gatti but he has upped his competition in recent years
id say neither
Good thread here. I think one of the things that has kept Floyd in such tip top shape (and I can't believe more boxers don't do this) is that he stays at fighting weight year round. I know there was a hickup in the Marquez fight but Floyd has done this his whole career. So there's no issue of putting your body through dehydration/rehydration hell the last week or 2 before the weigh in. I think this is a good part of the reason why, but certainly not the only.
Floyd fights less often which means he does less damage to his hands which are fragile. It also means his skills are not deteriorating by taking hard fights but not being an active fighter makes a difference to his overall conditioning, timing and durability. He passed his best and maybe his prime at the lighter weights.
Can't really say...He shows no evidence of decline that is for sure but on the other hand when has Floyd really gone into an all out fight where we seen him truly tested to his abilities?....Impossible to say it is because he is that good because he has not fought the best in most of the divisions he has been in....
I compare him to Roy Jones in many ways...Early on he fought everyone and dominated them...as time went on he looked more for opponents that he knew would make him look good rather then fight the most dangerous available....
This is not too take away from Floyd's ability or accomplishments because the talent is undeniable....This is not to say he would not be as dominate against those opponents just that you can not tell,...
I mean can you really judge by the JMM fight? JMM was coming up 2 divisions after having only 2 fights as a lW...the second one he was pushed to the max by a 1 dimensional fighter Juan Diaz....So Floyd was not pushed he came in the bout with an advantage.....
The Mosley fight win or lose will tell us
Mayweather is as smart as ever in the ring and he is still physically in immense shape but because of his brittle hands he doesn't put punches together anymore so you could argue that because of that, he has declined by a tiny margin.
It's the same with all boxers....he's in his prime if he wins decline if he looses. Everyone floyd fights is great before hand. Then (fill in the excuse here) after.
I'm not sure how you could say he's passed his prime. We would need to find somebody that could push him to the wall to see if he's still as good as the guy who absolutely wrecked Diego Corrales almost 9 years ago. The only area I've seen were he may have gotten a bit less speedy is is footwork as he tends to stand a bit more now. But his lack of footwork now may be due to his added weight or more basically because he whips everybody without having to work that hard. Again it's hard to say he's slipping until somebody can actually bring out his best in him as I thought Corrales did...
the comparison to roy jones jr is a good one. when those natural talents go the fighter is left with a bunch of bad habits exposed... they can't fight the same style that they used to... and their ego often impedes adapting their style. when it goes it goes...
I don't agree. The only chink I see in Floyd's armour being exposed if he loses his reflexes and speed is when he baits his opponents with his head and weight over his front foot with his hands held low. I hear alot of peole saying that the shoulder roll relies on reflexes and speed when it doesn't. It depends on stance, balance, technique, experience and knowledge of your opponent's combos. This allows you to anticipate punches and essentially defend them before they are thrown. Look at Toney, Hopkins or alot of the old school fighters. Alot of the time Floyd moves out of range while rolling anyway when he could just shoulder roll counter right hand or simply parry and circle away while jabbing. That's the one thing I see catching up to Floyd. Sometimes he moves back in a straight line too concerned with not getting hit and finds himself against the ropes. This happened against Hatton and De la Hoya but they didn't have the ability to capitalize.Quote:
Originally Posted by ruthless rocco
This same mistake of retreating in a straight line is part of the reason why Roy keeps getting KO'd. However, unlike Floyd Roy routinely retreats leaving his left hand low while putting his head and weight over his front foot. This means he cannot raise his shoulder. Instead, he leans back looking for the counter left hook. This is a move that depends on speed and reflexes and nowadays anyone who can throw an overhand right with enough power has a serious chance of hurting him.
Floyd gets away with alot of things because of his speed but he always has solid fundamentals to fall back on. The problem is that he employs some old school techniques that alot of contemporaries think are too risky or should only be done by "freaks" when they really just don't undestand the principles behind them. Even his lead right hands and leaping left hooks are well set up by feints to the body or jabs. End at the end of the day Foyd can still fight the "modern" way with his hands held up too high.
I'd say still prime. He looked very sharp in his last bout and it's not as though he has been in many all out wars that age fighters!!
I think he's still prime but its hard to tell cause no one pushes him after 4 rounds he works you out and after that he wins the fight easy.He has just slightly changed his style to suit the extra weight.
I think a skilled tactician like Floyd who does everything right for his body won't "age" physically the same way Leonard and Whitaker did. Guys like him and Hopkins train so hard and properly that they can still push themselves like younger men. I think Mayweather is a little slower than in his prime which was around 140 in terms of age. I also think at welterweight he is past his prime sizewise. People never seem to bring this up but Mayweather is a really small welterweight, and unlike Pacquiao he isn't a natural puncher who throws a million combinations. So is Mayweather past his prime? I would say no and that he has circumvented that issue because of his skill level and work ethic. However Floyd's style still relies a lot on reflexes, and it could hurt him if he faces a fast opponent in a couple of years(like Berto if he improves considerably). I'm only worried because Floyd has really stopped using lateral movement lately when his back is against the ropes and I think once he slows down just a bit he may be in trouble with that style. Hopkins had a similar shoulder roll, but he would always move his feet while making defensive maneuvers. I remember James Toney against Roy Jones, and I could in worst case scenario see Pacquiao doing something similar to Floyd.
I think any athlete starts to decline between the ages of 30-32 depending on how well you look after yourself, but I think it is quite possible to hide the physical slips with effective tools and strategies. I think Floyd is probably slightly past his physical best, but because his skill set is so accomplished, it hasn't shown; especially against a smaller man fighting 2 weight classes outside his usual weight. Obviously the Mosley fight will tell us more about where Floyd is really at.
I think Mayweather is past his physical peak but still leagues ahead of most in ability. I do believe his body is now more suited to being a true welterweight. Even against the likes of Oscar and Hatton Floyd didnt appear as physically big as he did against Marquez in his last fight. The time off has allowed him to mature more into a welterweight frame which might be a good thing against the better fighters at 147.