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floyd mayweather jr: dont count him out!!
www.eastsideboxing.com
05.04.06 - By Izyaslav “Slava” Koza: With a few days to go before Saturday's fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Zab Judah, for some reason I am seeing a disproportionate amount of people picking against Pretty Boy Floyd and going with Zab Judah. Yeah, it’s freaking me out to, and I can’t get over the fact that the best pound for pound fighter on the planet is dismissed by albeit a minority, still an exceptionally and surprisingly strong one. Now it could be there is something all these guys know that I don’t, but logically speaking, from my couch commando view, there is no real visible reason that I can see that will give Judah the edge over Mayweather.
Now don’t get me wrong, I can foresee a few scenarios where Mayweather loses the fight, but those are based on inherent weaknesses he can’t control. For instance, if Mayweather injures one or both hands seriously during the bout, Zab has enough skill to use that to his advantage and take the fight. Similarly, Mayweather can get sick the day of the fight, or have some such other incident, that will be beyond anything he can do in training or focus on in his head.
Still, this is not really what I am talking about, because those are external unknowns that can plague any fighter on any day, with Floyd’s hands being the twice-on Sunday. Floyd Mayweather has never, and I mean never, taken anybody lightly in the fights that I have seen, and that is precisely what has made even his super fights completely one sided, and fans like myself so fickle. This guy not only has the god’s given talent, many fighters take for granted, but the work ethic of the road warrior, last journeyman, and passion for the sport, that makes most his fights incredibly and unbelievably predictable.
With that said, sure Zab has some talent, but like he once said about Kostya Tsyzu’s defense, he has too many Swiss cheese holes in his character. This is the guy being picked to stop Floyd Mayweather?
I am sorry but Floyd Mayweather is the guy who had the mental toughness to beat the two guys in Castillo and Corrales, now heralded as pound for pound “the guys with the strongest wills in the sport.” That said, unless Floyd Mayweather gets full of himself, which sometimes he appears to display when he does interviews (and arguably for good reason, so people like me write about it and talk about) but never in the ring.
So, what advantage does Zab Judah actually have?
Speed
Perhaps, but Corley, a fairly tough opponent, said Floyd is faster, and self-promotion aside, (Corley got it worse from Floyd) why would he lie? From a practical standpoint, Zab has good speed, while Floyd’s speed looks light speed ahead of Zab’s, if my eyes don’t deceive me.
Defense
Zab has been knocked down more times than a mega fighter of his supposed caliber should ever have to be. He drops his hands, showboats, and gets caught time and time again. I mean, it’s not even comparable, Floyd knows the importance of a good defense and that is why he has basically never hit the canvas. Ask yourselves if Cory Spinks would have ever knocked Mayweather down.
Mental Toughness
Absolutely no contest, either. Check out Mayweather's fights with Jose Luis Castillo, Carlos Hernandez, Emanuel Augustus, and at a few points, the DeMarcus Corley fight. Mayweather dominated all but the first Castillo fight, and was still able to impose his style despite the opponent’s desire to win. Zab Judah, though, more talented than say Baldomir in terms of skill, just could not overcome that instance (or should I say instances) where the other guy just wanted it more.
In closing, sure it's possible that Zab can win, but I can’t see any possible reason to actually make that prediction seriously. Mayweather is due for an upset is not a reason either, because I can say that about any guy on top of his game and not catch slack for shooting in the dark . Of course, this confidence in Mayweather’s chances is not a luxury that Mayweather should treat himself to, because the absence of it is probably and precisely the thing that should motivate him to strive and succeed. I don’t see how things will be different, and especially with Zab Judah. Picking against Mayweather without any inside reason to do so, makes absolutely no sense to me. This is one fight, and one fighter, and one opponent, where the outcome just can’t seem to vary other then through factors uncontrolled by the two men. It seems that picking Judah is more of a scenario where if by some chance he does win, then those who made the lightning prediction are considered genius analysts. It just seems inconceivable to believe that Floyd will blow it and that superstar pressure has never stopped him from looking great in the past.
With all that said, I still think Mayweather seems overconfident, perhaps because he knows he has the goods. Oh well, can’t have everything.
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Originally Posted by P.G.H Angel Eyes
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