The "How to beat Floyd Mayweather" thread...

[DavilaJones]

The De La Hoya jab for 12 straight rounds.

[El Kabong]

With Canelo done in by Floyd, I really don't see anyone else really testing Floyd.

I doubt Pacquiao ever fights Floyd and hell he's not certain to beat Rios, I think Manny's magic is gone.
Tim Bradley just doesn't have what a fighter needs to beat Floyd
I don't think Broner is anything but a guy who wants to copy Floyd and he's certainly not as good as the original.

The ONLY guys who could plausibly beat Floyd are at 160...maybe Martinez, maybe GGG but they'd have to make 154 or lower just to land the fight which GGG says he can do...at his advanced age I'm not sure Martinez can do it.

Like VD said, at this point you'll need 3 crooked judges to beat Floyd.

Yes I put Floyd in the same group as Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Armstrong, Robinson, Pep.....he's pretty unbelievable in his skills as a fighter. He doesn't have the big power a guy like RJJ had but the subtleties of his skill, the attention to detail, he's an impeccable boxer.

[greynotsoold]

It will take a smart guy to beat him. Mayweather hasn't fought to many guys that are ring smart- the obvious exception being Marquez and the size differential there was huge. He fights a lot of guys that are good at throwing punches, but not so good at figuring out how to hit a guy that doesn't want to get hit, and knows how to avoid it. Another thing, smart fighters don't get hit with a lot of right hands (because you can see them coming forever) but dummies eat them like popcorn; James Toney had a real good run exploiting this same tactic, even as a weeble of a blown up MW.
"Knowing how to fight" is not a prerequisite of becoming a professional fighter; in fact, it is very very rare in this era of boxing. Mayweather controls the distance every time he fights and a guy that knows how to fight would contest that with him. It may not lead to an exciting fight, but that it the beginning of the way to beat him.

[El Kabong]

It will take a smart guy to beat him. Mayweather hasn't fought to many guys that are ring smart- the obvious exception being Marquez and the size differential there was huge. He fights a lot of guys that are good at throwing punches, but not so good at figuring out how to hit a guy that doesn't want to get hit, and knows how to avoid it. Another thing, smart fighters don't get hit with a lot of right hands (because you can see them coming forever) but dummies eat them like popcorn; James Toney had a real good run exploiting this same tactic, even as a weeble of a blown up MW.
"Knowing how to fight" is not a prerequisite of becoming a professional fighter; in fact, it is very very rare in this era of boxing. Mayweather controls the distance every time he fights and a guy that knows how to fight would contest that with him. It may not lead to an exciting fight, but that it the beginning of the way to beat him.

Floyd is brilliant in the ring but not only that he's brilliant at implementing his game plan. He can adjust and change his game during a fight like nobody else. Either someone will have to get lucky or just simply outmuscle him and over power him and again I don't see him losing to anyone. Even if there was a prime pressure fighter it would be very difficult for such a fighter to beat Floyd. Floyd is too crafty to be outboxed and too quick and too in shape to wilt under the pressure from another fighter. Floyd could fight 30 rounds if he had too, amazing talent.

[greynotsoold]

It will take a smart guy to beat him. Mayweather hasn't fought to many guys that are ring smart- the obvious exception being Marquez and the size differential there was huge. He fights a lot of guys that are good at throwing punches, but not so good at figuring out how to hit a guy that doesn't want to get hit, and knows how to avoid it. Another thing, smart fighters don't get hit with a lot of right hands (because you can see them coming forever) but dummies eat them like popcorn; James Toney had a real good run exploiting this same tactic, even as a weeble of a blown up MW.
"Knowing how to fight" is not a prerequisite of becoming a professional fighter; in fact, it is very very rare in this era of boxing. Mayweather controls the distance every time he fights and a guy that knows how to fight would contest that with him. It may not lead to an exciting fight, but that it the beginning of the way to beat him.

Floyd is brilliant in the ring but not only that he's brilliant at implementing his game plan. He can adjust and change his game during a fight like nobody else. Either someone will have to get lucky or just simply outmuscle him and over power him and again I don't see him losing to anyone. Even if there was a prime pressure fighter it would be very difficult for such a fighter to beat Floyd. Floyd is too crafty to be outboxed and too quick and too in shape to wilt under the pressure from another fighter. Floyd could fight 30 rounds if he had too, amazing talent.

I agree with that. But I don't know that he is too crafty to be outboxed, as I have never seen him fight another crafty fighter that tried to out box him. I don't know of anybody currently fighting that fits that bill, either, not near his weight class.
The biggest part of Mayweather- or, really, any smart fighter- being able to implement his game plan is his ability to control distance. To keep it at range when he chooses, or to make the other guy come to him to get pot-shotted with right hands, or to make the other guy stand there and wait on Mayweather to steal the right hand. The guy that can beat Mayweather is the guy that can force him to close distance when he doesn't want to, or make him fight when he doesn't want to.
It can be done, no fighter is unbeatable, but I don't think that there is anybody around to do it because it requires a skill set that is very rarely taught any more.

[Master]

Marco Antonia Barrera "type Rambo attack" like against Eric Morales where you punch for every second of every round to knock him off his stride.

Hearns with height, reach, jab and brutal power.

Sugar Ray Leonard/Robinson with speed, accuracy and power.

Pernell Whitaker with speed and unorthodox guile.

[El Kabong]

Marco Antonia Barrera "type Rambo attack" like against Eric Morales where you punch for every second of every round to knock him off his stride.

Hearns with height, reach, jab and brutal power.

Sugar Ray Leonard/Robinson with speed, accuracy and power.

Pernell Whitaker with speed and unorthodox guile.

Well yeah but those guys are all-time greats...nobody is going to beat Floyd unless Floyd has a gigantic brain fart or fights injured or gets cheated.

[Ron Swanson]

A good jab is where you start. It keeps him occupied rather than thinking 3 steps ahead.
(While it's exaggerated how "close" Oscar was to beating him it was clear the jab troubled him. You'll also notice when the Mayweathers describe why someone can't beat Floyd they almost always say he has no jab. They know what can trouble Floyd)

Feignt. He'll transfer his weight to an easier position to exploit.
(See RJJ vs James Toney)

Change rhythms. Floyds game is built off knowing what you will do and when. Don't comply.
(See Augustus vs Floyd. Augustus wasn't good enough but he was tricky and awkward)

Change patterns. Floyd will give away portions of the fight to make sure he knows what you are doing.


Now that you've kept Floyd busy with your jab, kept him off balance with feignts, kept him guessing by changing rhythms and patterns. GET BUSY! Being the best is Floyds entire identity he's going to fight for it. Now you MUST fight at a pace you couldn't possibly have maintained all fight but you've bought time. Now you have to suck it up and go earn it.

[ykdadamaja]

A good jab is where you start. It keeps him occupied rather than thinking 3 steps ahead.
(While it's exaggerated how "close" Oscar was to beating him it was clear the jab troubled him. You'll also notice when the Mayweathers describe why someone can't beat Floyd they almost always say he has no jab. They know what can trouble Floyd)

Feignt. He'll transfer his weight to an easier position to exploit.
(See RJJ vs James Toney)

Change rhythms. Floyds game is built off knowing what you will do and when. Don't comply.
(See Augustus vs Floyd. Augustus wasn't good enough but he was tricky and awkward)

Change patterns. Floyd will give away portions of the fight to make sure he knows what you are doing.


Now that you've kept Floyd busy with your jab, kept him off balance with feignts, kept him guessing by changing rhythms and patterns. GET BUSY! Being the best is Floyds entire identity he's going to fight for it. Now you MUST fight at a pace you couldn't possibly have maintained all fight but you've bought time. Now you have to suck it up and go earn it.

I said it before and believe it more now, especially since the Mayweather/Cotto fight- the only fight I have seen him truly busted up.

Cotto forced him into the ropes and didn't just throw right hands, but was hitting him all night with left hooks and straight HARD left jabs.

Then all of a sudden Cotto stopped!?!? Inexplicably and let Floyd control the center of the ring and pot-shot him all night.

The left jab, a good and hard left jab and a short hook is the only way to disorient Floyd and make him, at least, lose a few rounds if not get a KO.

Floyd can take a punch, however... the reason why he takes a good punch is because he doesn't get hit all the time, if at all. So, even when you happen to graze him or hit him cleanly, he just goes on his defense and you forget what brought you to the dance.... start to flail away at Floyd, which is what he wants you to do, and then you tire out and then it's back to business for Floyd.

One needs patience and a strong belief in your left jab and short left hook... everything else is going to come off of that.

[ykdadamaja]

... and not a weak, flicking jab either. A good STIFF AND HARD left jab. One that breaks noses and blackens eyes. The kind that guys fall back 2 steps from the sheer power of it. One that sticks in and comes stiff!!!

[THE THIRD MAN]

It will take a smart guy to beat him. Mayweather hasn't fought to many guys that are ring smart- the obvious exception being Marquez and the size differential there was huge. He fights a lot of guys that are good at throwing punches, but not so good at figuring out how to hit a guy that doesn't want to get hit, and knows how to avoid it. Another thing, smart fighters don't get hit with a lot of right hands (because you can see them coming forever) but dummies eat them like popcorn; James Toney had a real good run exploiting this same tactic, even as a weeble of a blown up MW.
"Knowing how to fight" is not a prerequisite of becoming a professional fighter; in fact, it is very very rare in this era of boxing. Mayweather controls the distance every time he fights and a guy that knows how to fight would contest that with him. It may not lead to an exciting fight, but that it the beginning of the way to beat him.

Floyd is brilliant in the ring but not only that he's brilliant at implementing his game plan. He can adjust and change his game during a fight like nobody else. Either someone will have to get lucky or just simply outmuscle him and over power him and again I don't see him losing to anyone. Even if there was a prime pressure fighter it would be very difficult for such a fighter to beat Floyd. Floyd is too crafty to be outboxed and too quick and too in shape to wilt under the pressure from another fighter. Floyd could fight 30 rounds if he had too, amazing talent.

The only time he was in any serious trouble was when Mosley hit him in round 2, Floyd immediately adjusted the game plan and made sure that didn't happen again and he never lost another round.
Mayweather is a very smart fighter, he has made the old saying "hit and not be hit" his own. He is the best defensive fighter i have ever seen, Canelo had no answer to him and that was plainly evident as early as round 3, the only person in the world who didn't was CJ Ross...I don't know how you can beat Floyd Mayweather jr.

[X]

Floyd is a magical fighter, and his beaten opponents look like a who's who of two generations of fighters.

I wonder whether someone like Aaron Pryor could have pressured him so much that his technique began to disintegrate, I wonder what would have happened if a young, fast, vicious Terry Norris tagged him or if a long armed intelligent boxer/puncher like Arguello was in front of him.

Ray Leonard v Floyd Mayweather at welterweight would have been fantastic.

The two people he might have struggled with would be Roberto Duran at 140lb, or Tommy Hearns at 147. The fact I'm even mentioning Mayweather in the same breath as some of these names shows how highly I rate him, and always have as a boxer

[KickMuck]

There is only one person that can beat Floyed and that is me.