Floyd Mayweather
For me what makes boxing the ‘Sweet Science’ is not two guys just slugging it out in a 'see who falls first' scenario. It is seeing some real skill and artistry in the ring. The Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Phillip Ndou fight on November 1st 2003 was a joy to watch not just because Floyd won, but because of the 'way' he won.
In Boxing defense is not often given the credit it deserves and Floyd's defense is one of the best that I have ever seen. The only other boxers whose defense is similar in some respects is James Toney, Roy Jones Jr. and De La Hoya (who recently has admitted after the Vargas fight that he adopted this form of defense from Floyd Mayweather). Ndou's trainer Nick Durandt brought in veteran trainer Tommy Brooks to assist him in this fight and that was a good move. To my eyes it seemed like it was mostly Brooks who was calling the shots. However Ndou still has to execute the instructions and this is easier said than done. Brooks kept telling Ndou about Mayweather's 'shoulder' and his 'laying on the ropes' technique that they had focused on during training, but Ndou could not execute what Brooks had told him in the gym. It is one thing to know something and another to do something about it. Ndou admitted after the fight that he did not understand the speed of Floyd Mayweather until he got into the ring with him, it was not that Phillip was slow, it is that Floyd made him look slow.
I said above that Toney, Jones Jr. and Oscar all use a defense similar to Mayweather’s defensive technique to some extent but it is Floyd who has completely mastered it (I would say that James Toney is a close second). It is not just a matter of keeping his hands up. It is a defense that involves rolling with the punches in a very interesting way. In Floyd's case this technique begins with 'angles' plus a high left shoulder while his right hand is held close to the right side of his face. Mayweather turns his body alternately slightly to the right and
In Boxing defense is not often given the credit it deserves and Floyd's defense is one of the best that I have ever seen. The only other boxers whose defense is similar in some respects is James Toney, Roy Jones Jr. and De La Hoya (who recently has admitted after the Vargas fight that he adopted this form of defense from Floyd Mayweather). Ndou's trainer Nick Durandt brought in veteran trainer Tommy Brooks to assist him in this fight and that was a good move. To my eyes it seemed like it was mostly Brooks who was calling the shots. However Ndou still has to execute the instructions and this is easier said than done. Brooks kept telling Ndou about Mayweather's 'shoulder' and his 'laying on the ropes' technique that they had focused on during training, but Ndou could not execute what Brooks had told him in the gym. It is one thing to know something and another to do something about it. Ndou admitted after the fight that he did not understand the speed of Floyd Mayweather until he got into the ring with him, it was not that Phillip was slow, it is that Floyd made him look slow.
I said above that Toney, Jones Jr. and Oscar all use a defense similar to Mayweather’s defensive technique to some extent but it is Floyd who has completely mastered it (I would say that James Toney is a close second). It is not just a matter of keeping his hands up. It is a defense that involves rolling with the punches in a very interesting way. In Floyd's case this technique begins with 'angles' plus a high left shoulder while his right hand is held close to the right side of his face. Mayweather turns his body alternately slightly to the right and