Floyds Decline

You can't see the decline because he fought a fighter in Marquez who was 36 years old moving up TWO weight classes.

You didn't see a decline vs. Mosley because Mosley was 38 years old and well past his best days, the only fighter he had beaten was a crude brawler in Margarito that arguably cheated his way to title.

This time he's fighting a guy who is in his 20s, who can pull the trigger. It's easy to appear like you're not on a decline when you're fighting men who are above 36 years old and way past their best.

You'll see the decline this time my friend.:deal I've already seen it myself in both of those fights.:yep

 

I don't see any decline to be honest? The ONLY thing that bothered me about him was his willingness to put his combinations together when he got to 147.

But he does show flashes of it like he did against Hatton.

Also he doesnt use his check left hook quite as much, which I put down to him maybe not being able to take the opportunities as much as when he was younger.

I really believe if Freddy Roach hadn't had said his legs were gone no one would be talking about it!

 

i've discussed this before and I'm still not sure where I stand, which tells me a lot.

it's hard to be convinced what he has left when it was marquez and mosley he fought in the last 3 years.

if marquez performs great against pac it'll tell us something.

even though mosley was number 1 at the time it's pretty apparent the guy is shot.

berto looks young, prime and hungry, so let's see how he does in this fight.

 

Jumps around and does all he wants with his legs in the Marquez fight. Promises a good fight with Mosley in which he will stand his ground and fight. Delivers what he promises.... HIS LEGS ARE ****ING GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is old and declining but his skills are evolving and he is the type of a guy who can adapt.

 

Marquez and Shane were 36 and 38 years old. Marquez was coming up two weight classes. You're being biased by even acting like fights against near 40 year old men prove something.

What are you trying to say, are you trying to say Floyd will actually have better performances/results than he did against Mosley and Marquez? Are you trying to tell me that Floyd will win all 12 rounds vs. Ortiz or possibly even stop him?

I guarantee he won't do any of those things mentioned and I will bet you a lifetime ban. Step up to the plate.:smoke

 

It's hard to tell, since he adjusts to opponents styles every fight, a tid slower on footwork...or he just standing in front too long waiting to counter..
But if he looses hes footwork/movement its time to retire.

 

The problem with ortiz he's trigger happy, but no doubt both pac and floyd have declined due to age. no one can beat age and death not even the undefeated.

 

Didn't he say,in one of the 27/7 shows that his body was breaking down? That may not be a diminution of skills but it does affect overall fighting ability. The long lay off is a double edged sword. It can give him time to heal and rest but ring rust is a real thing.

 

he seems to becoming the type of fighter with no wasted movement, like a Charley Burley. He only moves when he has to now, stays in range and counters, or gets off first. Has he slowed a little? prolly, given his age and ****, but I doubt it effects him all that bad.

 

Good point, most people just don't seem to understand this about guys who use little movement. They see Joe Louis footwork and think he has none.

 

This reminds me of what Malignaggi said after he lost to Khan -- something about the fact that, as fighters age, they tend to get more flat-footed. Even one of the undisputed Kings of Movement, Ali, eventually had to stop dancing and box in more of a stationary way. That just what happens when you get older, no matter how good you are.

That being said...I don't really see much decline in Floyd at all. His speed is still top notch, he still has great reflexes, stamina, etc. The only thing that's different is that he doesn't move in the way he did in the Hoya and Hatton matches, to name some recent examples. (About four years ago?) To be honest, he hasn't really needed to use a lot of movement since then -- Marquez was undersized, and he was hardly going to bully and rough up the bigger man in Floyd, so Floyd could stand his ground, lean away from shots and counter quite comfortably. Shane, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to box from mid-range rather than pressure, and after that he was actually the one moving away from Floyd as he realised he was outmatched.

Ortiz, however, will be looking to use constant pressure...boxing from a distance will get him picked to pieces, and he surely knows this. Floyd will need to move a bit more in this fight, and we'll see what happens. Ortiz is simply not good enough for me to picture Floyd having serious trouble though, let alone losing.

 

That always drove me nuts. Joe's footwork may have been used for offence mainly, but it was amazing.

 

deal

 

Floyd's not as agile or fast as he used to be. That's to be expected. He's not 21 and he doesn't weight 130-135 pounds anymore.