Floyd Mayweather is the best pound for pound fighter in the world and he is up against one of his toughest opponents, Robert Guerrero, this weekend in Las Vegas. For us to accurately predict his fate this weekend we must take a look at his dominance over the last decade.
Floyd has an overall record of 43-0 but his last 10 wins are what we will focus on in this article. He has won 7 Welterweight bouts, 2 Middleweight bouts, and 1 Light Welterweight bout. His ability to move between weight classes are what differentiates Mayweather from his peers. No matter the weight class his speed, quickness, and power remain in tact.
Over those 10 fights Mayweather has 4 knockouts and one stoppage. He has never been praised for his power but his hand speed and endurance allows him to finish his opponents late in fights. Floyd Averages 10.6 rounds per fight over his last 10; a true testament to his work ethic and training.
Many point to his age as the reason why he will lose this weekend, with his opponent Robert Guerrero saying that he has lost a step. Critics say that he is prime to lose his first fight this weekend because all great boxers lose eventually. Floyd is proving to be in a class of his own and the numbers show just how impressive his undefeated streak is compared to some of the best fighters in history. Below is a list of some of the greatest boxers of all time and the age when they suffered their first losses.
- Roberto Duran – 21 years old – Lost to Estaban De Jesus
- Sugar Ray Leonard – 24 years old – Lost to Roberto Duran
- Marvin Hagler – 22 years old – Lost to Bobby Watts
- Manny Pacquiao – 20 years old – Lost to Rustico Torrecampo
- Shane Mosley – 31 years old – Lost to Vernon Forrest
- Oscar De La Hoya – 26 years old – Lost to Felix Trinidad
- Roy Jones Jr. – 28 years old – Lost to Montell Griffin
To the age critics these numbers prove that the best fighters lost their first match in their 20’s, before their primes. Floyd is past the point in which he makes novice mistakes and allows his opponents to surprise him during a fight. Age isn’t a disadvantage for a boxer of Floyd’s caliber, lack of experience is though. Floyd’s has done everything and has seen everything inside the ring.
Now age does take a toll physically; father time waits for no one, not even Floyd Mayweather. The following video was taken at his media workout and if he has in fact lost a step, he is still two steps faster than any other boxer in the industry.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poVdf5kUVWE]
Let’s take a look at Guerrero’s recent fights and break them down statistically. Guerrero has one all five of his fights at the welterweight level by decision. In fact he hasn’t had a knockout since April 2010 at the featherweight level. He’s has made a living on out conditioning his opponents and sticking to what film says are their weaknesses. Against Floyd neither of those are really an option. A reactive approach won’t work against the versatile styles of Mayweather. A fighter must push the tempo and be the aggressor for them to have a chance against Floyd.
All the stats in the world won’t matter when these two get into the ring, but history says that Floyd isn’t close to slowing down yet, which means Guerrero will have to fight a perfect fight to beat the most consistent boxer ever.