Wealth of talent Boxing artistry that lifts invincible Mayweather to different level

As Mcgregor will find out on Saturday, his astonishing record rests on an imposing skill-set

An ultra-efficient method

Floyd Mayweather has often been described as a boring boxer. He rarely, if ever, brawls, or stands toe to toe in a slugfest, and never opens himself up to allow opponents openings. As Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez said after his defeat to Mayweather in 2013: “He doesn’t expose anything. He’s a fighter that, if with three punches he wins the round from you, he’s fine with that. He doesn’t expose anything and give a beautiful fight. He doesn’t care in what way he wins as long as he wins.”

Mayweather’s style is based around pure efficiency. His punch stats are greater than any modern boxer, landing 42 per cent of the punches he throws, borne out by the most testing fight he has had in recent years – his first contest with the very aggressive Marcos Maidana in 2014. Mayweather threw 425 punches to Maidana’s 858, but landed nine more – 65 per cent of his power punches in total. He boasted an efficiency and accuracy which Maidana could not match, and followed the adage of “hit and don’t be hit” to the letter.

As Oscar De La Hoya, defeated by Mayweather in 2007, explained: “Floyd just blocks everything, and then he can just come out, throws his combinations of two or three punches, wins the round, puts the rounds in the bag, and wins the fight.”

Quick brain

Mayweather’s practice of “hit and not be hit” has evolved through a complex method of throwing endless punches from a flowing dance of bobbing, ducking and weaving. He always knows where he is in the ring, and is in command whether he has his back on the ropes, counter-punching, or is in the centre of the ring, where his ultra-fast jab and lead right hand fire off with impeccable timing.

His complex dance allows him to operate freely and improvise, and not open himself up. As Ricky Hatton noted, after being TKO’D in their 2007 contest: “I was fighting a genius, a boxing artist. I was getting more and more frustrated. Lose your cool against Floyd Mayweather and what you do is you get knocked out.”

Former UFC star Brad Pickett sees Mayweather’s style as brilliant in its impregnability. “He doesn’t absorb any punishment,” he said. “He makes people miss so much. I don’t think offensively he’s amazing, but he just doesn’t get hit. Not getting hit in a boxing match really helps you out.

“That’s why he wins fights by decisions. The last proper knockout he had might have been Hatton. He’s not known for his punch power. But it doesn’t matter as he is so effective at winning round after round with his skills.”

Quick hands

Muhammad Ali was a past master at using his footwork to ease himself out of trouble; Mayweather, in a similar way, uses a shoulder roll and head movement to avoid his opponent’s aggressive punches. Mayweather has a distinctive defensive style, a type of a “cross-arm” defence which is different from the traditional hands-up method in which a boxer protects both sides of his head with a “high guard”. Mayweather holds his right hand up high to defend the left hook of the orthodox fighter, or the right hand of southpaw, with his left arm down and across his body. Thus, his fast counters from the left and right come from diverse angles, and with his broad shoulders, and narrow waist, his left shoulder is tucked and curled close to his chin, as a shield. “He makes you miss a lot in his fights, but he doesn’t make you miss the same way,” observed former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi. “He’ll make you miss the right hand in different ways. He’ll make you miss the left hook in different ways. He varies the ways he’s able to defend.”

Without the speed of hand, thought, and feet, Mayweather would not be so effective. Rarely, if ever, is his chin tested. And when he has been hit, he weathers it.

“He’s very fast and accurate and more so when he’s just trying to make points,” Alvarez explained. “I didn’t really feel his punches were that strong. But he’s scoring points [with punches] and he’s very fast.”

Another Mexican great, Juan Manuel Marquez, tells a similar story. “Mayweather has great defence, long arms, and he’s very smart. He sees what you are about to throw and is out of there before you can punch.”

Tactical flexibility

Mayweather has the ability to adjust in a championship fight, as he showed against the fast hands of Zab Judah, in his first contest with Maidana after six rounds, and against Shane Mosley, who caught him with two big right hands early in their 2010 fight.

“I felt that I had the advantage on Floyd,” Mosley said. “I caught him when he thought that he was out of the way. He was surprised and I was like, ‘Wow, this is my chance. I’m going to get him. I’m going to knock him out’. But I just couldn’t. He made the adjustment.”

Judah was equally shocked. “His defence is still impregnable, his hand speed is still super fast, his conditioning is always marvellous. He’s probably one of the hardestworking fighters in boxing.”

Smart strategy

Mayweather’s confidence is derived from having absolute control over the past 10 years, during which he has established himself as one of boxing’s greatestever technicians. He has risen five weight divisions as a world champion, undefeated for 20 years. But he has also been very smart in his matchmaking, having fought an array of opponents sure to become Hall of Famers – De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Manny Pacquiao, Mosley, Marquez, Alvarez – just at the point in their careers when they were less likely to trouble him.

That record of 49-0, and his longevity, points to the greatness of his ability in the ring. As he often says “skills pays the bills”. And his skill-set is peerless.