Floyd dominated Manny and forced Manny to play to his style. Manny wasn't able to do anything about it. That showed that he isn't only one of the best ever offensively but has also learned to be one of the best defensive boxers ever. Sure it would have been entertaining if they just squared up and slugged it out laying into each other but that isn't what this match was ever going to be.
Floyd got Manny to play his game and he convincingly beat him while doing so.
Surely what a man does when he is caught off his guard is the best evidence as to what sort of man he is. - C.S. Lewis
Come on ford, even you have to admit, that an unbeaten record built on carefully chosen safe opponents time and time again just doesn't have that legacy feel to it. Greatest defensive boxer we'll see for a long time, sure. That's just it though, because his career was so managed that he only took on fights that were low risk / high percentage to win. Never took on an actual fight where he stood on equal ground with an equal shot of possibly losing. Fought a De La Hoya 5 years older than his best years. Fought Shane Mosley who should've retired before fighting Mayweather. He fought the best fighters only when he had the best chance of beating them. Should a fighter come in and start to give him a go, he'd turtle up and hold, hold, and hold some more.
Last night perfect example of a Floyd Mayweather Jr fight and it was perhaps the worst of them all. Should've fought Manny 5 to 7 years ago if he wanted to even be considered "TBE", Got nearly everything he wanted and more but 5 years later. Hell, he even got to choose the judges and the venue of which his last 10 fights were held. Mayweather had everything that he could get stacked in his favor. They should've billed it as "The Fight of the Century, 5 years late". Manny had agreed to all that Floyd wanted 5 years ago except for the money which Floyd wanted split of 70/30. So why didn't the fight happen? Because the timing wasn't right for Mayweather. he knew he couldn't have beat Manny 5 years ago and waited him out. Marquez knocking Manny out is what really got the ball rolling to make this happen.
Bottom line, what should've been the slugfest we all wanted to see for so long, turned out to be the typical Floyd Mayweather, Jr hugfest we've seen his last 6 fights. That's why Mayweather's 48-0 doesn't impress anyone.
Thunder
ICQ 56183127
MSN
2010 Armchair GMs League Champion
DEFEATER OF MRFORD!
FoCuS'D
haha I can understand holding if you've taken a shot and need the time to regain your wits and clear your mind a little, but using holding as part of your defensive strategy is cowardly.
Thunder
ICQ 56183127
MSN
2010 Armchair GMs League Champion
DEFEATER OF MRFORD!
FoCuS'D
Don't think it played a part
Even the announcers said they didn't see any grimacing or favoring that arm by Manny.
But even hurt, he had to keep the date. There was way too much in the works and a postpone would have been as good as a cancel I'm sure.
Manny just got played into fighting Floyds fight is all.
He threw 1/2 the punches he was averaging and connected only on 1/4 of those.
That's what cost him the fight plain and simple
5 years ago may have been a different story, but it is what it is
fordy - his right handed stats were in the gutter compared to his usual stats...
but isn't that the idea ? mayweather can move from rights better than most of those guys that padded manny's stats?
he landed 9% of his rights..... he usually lands 25%+
mayweather isnt that good.
once again, i said it more than likely didnt effect the outcome, but to say it didnt effect the fight at all is a bit silly. you dont have to wince or grimace to be in pain like someone else suggested.
Swagger of a Chupacabra
[21:37:01] <&KILLERfluffY> when I was doing FA stuff for sof the person who gave me the longest angry rant was Mr Ford
I recall in the post fight press conference that floyd said manny hurt his arms. Would floyds hands have dropped if manny was able to throw more without the shoulder injury?