Floyd Mayweather Jr. is arguably one of the greatest fighters in recent memory. It used to be that Floyd rarely had a glove laid on him and like Roy Jones Jr in his prime seemed to rarely even lose a round. Floyd is able to make great fighters look like your average run of the mill sparring partners. As of late it seems as if he is slipping a bit. He has become less mobile, and in my opinion a lot more exciting as he gives fighters more chances. However, his defense is so good that he can afford to stand directly in front of his opponents and still make them miss, even if they land they slide off his patented philly defense. With all that being said, it still seems as if he is invincible. He is always in shape, despite his seemingly crazy lifestyle and outside of the ring antics. Is there a way to beat the great "money" Mayweather? I think there is and I plan on trying to demonstrate the weakness in this alltime great. Of course this is a lot easier said, or typed, then actually done. For this blueprint to be executed would take someone just as great as Mayweather to pull off.
There are a couple of ways which I think would work, both are equally difficult but in vastly different ways.
Blueprint #1 - The Punch With
Notice from the picture above that when Mayweather punches while coming forward that his chin is completely exposed. Floyd does not generally tuck in his chin when he is throwing these types of offensive punches. When he is in defensive mode looking to counter it is pretty well protected. I think this is the mistake fighters make is that they either try to overpower Mayweather and out will him, and when this inevitably fails, they stand on the outside and get picked apart. If you have the speed and the technique then you should stand on the outside and have Mayweather come to you and punch with him. So when Floyd throws a right hand, you throw your left at the same time and vice versa. Floyd is not a devastating puncher so if you have a good chin this will work, and it helps if you can punch a bit too. Floyd has been hurt from this very tactic, despite that he does seem to have a very good chin so I doubt one punch will do it unless he does not see it. This tactic would take a highly skilled fighter with precision timing and hand speed equal to or better than Floyd. It might work if you have quick enough hands and not blinding speed.
Here is another example of Mayweather coming forward punching. Notice that his left hand, his lead hand, is down while throwing the right hand. His chin is exposed and there to be hit, however, because of his unbelievable hand speed he has been able to get away with it. As noted previously, Floyd has been much more stationary in recent fights and his amazing footwork enabled him to throw these kind of shots and get the hell out of the way. Since he is more stationary this tactic would be much easier to pull off.
Here is yet another example of Floyd throwing the right hand with his left hand below his chin and his chin is completely exposed. To pull this off you would need unbelievable timing but punching with Floyd would be the best chance for someone with skill and power. This is most definetly a weakness that I am not at all surprised has not been corrected. His team seems to buy into this idea that Floyd is indestructible and this has blinded them to some of his faults, which are certainly minimal. However, this flaw is a rather big one and the right person could capitalize on.
Blueprint #2 - Pure Pressure
This one requires and unbelievable amount of stamina and punch resistance, pure pressure. In the past fighters have used pressure on Floyd but it often seemed that either the pressure was reckless, like Jesus Chavez, or that their conditioning did not hold up. I could imagine a fighter like James Kirkland employing this method with great success, he is in shape, hits hard, and is not easy to discourage. The key to this, other than supreme conditioning, is bodywork. One thing Floyd offers is his body. If the pressure is done wisely and the body is worked consistently, while utilizing good head movement and a solid chin, it could work. However, this would also take a special kind of fighter because many have tried this and all have failed. Again, this would take a fighter just as great as Mayweather to pull off as it seems unlikely to ever work. That being said, Floyd has clearly slowed down a bit and, as stated earlier, is far more stationary and willing to lay on the ropes and counter. If someone is in good enough shape and hits hard enough, they could possibly pull it off.
The other major obstacle is Floyd's defense. He has one of the best defenses in boxing by far. It is nearly impossible to get a clean shot in on his face while he is in his philly shell defense and this is why it is smart to focus on the body with the hard shots because you will no doubt land them, but you waste your energy trying to land a knockout blow on his face. So the idea is to throw to his head, but not to throw hard shots, save them for the body. Fling out a good jab or two, maybe even a hook or two, but go right back down to the body. I don't care who you are, body work pays off and if he is going to give it to you that easily, then take it, put your money in the bank. If it does not stop him it will at least slow him down in the later rounds.
The one thing that both blueprints need is a good solid jab. Oscar De La Hoya had some success with the jab when he fought Floyd, but mysteriously abandoned it midway through the fight. There are many of the young fighters out there who have abandoned the jab entirely, opting for the one punch knockout wining punches. A good hard jab should be key in any game plan, and in both of these it is a necessity, moreso in blueprint #2 than #1. #1 you are working off what Floyd gives you, looking to catch him when he punches.
I truly hope, for the sake of boxing, that someone special comes along who is not afraid of Floyd and does not buy into the hype, like so many Roy Jones Jr. fighters did. No fighter is invincible, as Marquez finally proved against Pacquiao. Study the tapes and practice the gameplan.
