How I would advise Robert Guerrero to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr.

His stiffness standing straight up is an issue. But Guerrero can hang back, then catch Floyd as he tries to pull back and let his hands go. Being frugal some points, and throwing in volume in others. Do you think Floyd will get visibly older?

 

Some GIF's to illustrate some further points:

Here, what caught my eye was that Guerrero was conscious about getting lead foot positioning, and was able to lift his foot up over Berto's without taking his eyes off the target. Ward did this against Dawson while moving to his left, maybe it's a Bay Area thing. In any case, it's a good thing for him to do as he gets into range. Not only does it set up the left hand, it takes away the angle for the right hand. Although obviously Floyd knows when to duck and when to lean back and roll much better than Berto does.

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Here, Berto lands a solid right by stepping in with it and widening his stance to land it. Floyd used this set-up against Ortiz and landed solid with it. Although Floyd is a much sharper puncher, it's worth noting that Berto is very heavy handed and Guerrero was still able to recover and circle out and close the distance with his lead foot outside again.

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Guerrero would have to be careful trying this type of left hand shot. Although it's the obvious pathway for a left to follow in the Philly Shell, Floyd often times side-steps to his right to catch that left on the shoulder when backing up. We've only ever seen him play pure counter-puncher against Ortiz, and even then he mixed up walking him down behind a high guard. Floyd wants to be more defensively sound, but will hanging back give Guerrero more or less opportunities to land than if he stood his ground to land his lefts + rights?

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Looping the left hand is key for a fighter that ducks towards their rear hand. Here, Berto blocks the straight shot, but is unprepared for the looping shot. Again, Floyd's footwork is much smarter than Berto's, but he does often duck down below the waist to avoid a shot on the back-foot. The overhand left is a key punch.

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One thing I noticed in exchanges in the Berto fight, along with the Aydin fight, is that Guerrero is quite good at lowering his head and making himself small while rolling with shots and coming back. The switch from shot to shot while slipping is a good habit to have on the inside. Even as Berto displaces his movement, Guerrero doesn't make the mistake of leaning forward into a void pocket where Berto could tee off. Although against the ropes, Berto was able to bump with the shoulder and get his right uppercuts off (if anyone has a gif of that please share.)

I recommended that Guerrero switch between hanging on the back-foot and using ambush tactics, but if he gets Floyd cornered and feels confident staying in the pocket for a bit to maul, then this is a very good skill to be able to employ for avoiding counters while throwing.

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It's his third. And I don't think you'd make a very good coach

"Yeah, you're not good enough. Let's get some burgers and call it a night. We'll show up, collect, and have the doctor waiting in the back. Don't worry. We can always buy you a new face."

 

The GIF's are more after thoughts on Guerrero's skills, Berto doesn't have the footwork Floyd does as I mentioned, my main recommendations are in the first page. Switch range on his terms, not Floyd's. Floyd can outbox him on the outside and outmaneuver him on the inside, but if Robert switches range first on his own, he's the one who gets to set up shots first.

Ambush tactics. Steal the rounds. Make him chase, get in a few jabs, stay away from the left hook and right hand, then rush forward and maul while Floyd defends. Then step out. Rush in again. Get out before Floyd has a chance to counter. Repeat. Spend the next rounds circling. Spend the following round trying to bully him.

Floyd: "My opponents adjust to me. I set the tempo, I set the pace." Guerrero has to make the opposite happen.

The southpaw jab doesn't work the same as an orthodox jab against a philly shell. It aligns with the opponent's left jab or shoulder. You can land if it you circle or land it over the top, but it won't achieve the same result of splitting the guard and backing him up in a straight line. It's a good tool for distraction but not for the DLH game-plan.

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