I'm going to watch every Floyd Mayweather fight: TKO1 Jerry Coopoer

Nobody can stop me.

I'll get at least one a week though in the beginning maybe a bit more than that. I'm going to watch Floyd Mayweather from his pro debut through to the circus with Connor McGregor, everything in between. I'll be looking at style, performance, running through the opponent, having just the best time. Everyone will just ignore everything I write and argue about Manny Pacquiao probably, but it's not the destination - it's to travel.

Please feel free to join in! The subject of the thread will be the fight most recently under consideration and i'll change the title accordingly. Let me get the fight out first, please don't supersede.

Much love! And much love and respect to the Pretty Boy as he was soon to become.

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01 - TKO2 Roberto Apodaca
02 - UD4 Reggie Sanders
03 - TKO1 Jerry Cooper

 

1 - TKO2 Robert Apodaca

The Opponent: Apodaca (0-0) has the name of a debutant victim, looked like a debutant victim, and very much was a 0-0 lamb to the slaughter for Olympic bronze medallist Floyd Mayweather. The only thing that might have gone wrong for Floyd was that Apodaca was Mexican, and although it was faded, October 1996 was still a dangerous time to be fighting a no-name Mexican. This one was safe though - his sole professional victory against Juan Jose Martinez via TKO in October 1997. However, after two additional defeats, Apodaca retired with a professional record of 1 win and 5 losses.

Weight: 130lbs
Distance: 4 rounds
Title: None.
Worth knowing: Floyd Mayweather Snr. was languishing in jail at the time of his son's debut. A difficult thing for a 19 year old to deal with on such a big night.

The Fight: Floyd looks very relaxed at the bell, comes out serpentine and boxing behind a very fast left, left a little low too although he doesn't wait long to get the rights over - he knows what he has here within seconds. Described by commentary as "a power puncher - a guy who can hurt you with one punch" and to be fair, he would remain so for some pounds. He's over his front foot a little bit in the mid point of round one but gets what he wants from it with a hard body punch after pressuring the space and getting Apodaca to the ropes - two sickening body shots follow and Apodaca spent much of the last minute falling over his own front foot, but he's not providing any kind of pressure. I'd say the decision to let him out of the round was a conscious on on the part of Floyd, he hardly throws another meaningful punch after that left hook to the body which brought on an eight count and a rather curt "do you want some more?" form the referee.

Apodaca answered in the affirmative but didn't give it much in round two as Floyd scored a bodypunch stoppage without really breaking a sweat. Floyd looked absolutely Mexican his own self. The way he positioned himself for the long hook to the body, adjusting his positioning against a dipping opponent with high gloves, would take a tear to a glass eye.

Mayweather: 1*, 2*,
Apodaca:

*Apodaca down.

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2 - UD4 Reggie Sanders

The Opponent: Reggie Sanders (1-1) was a step up I suppose in that 1-1 is technically a superior record to 0-0 - reflected perhaps in the fact that Floyd was cut in this fight (how long until that happened again?) and lost a round on one of the judge's scorecards!
Weight: 130lbs
Distance: 4 rounds
Title: None.
Worth knowing: "The Assassin" was also Floyd's first southpaw opponent in the pro ranks.

The Fight: Give Sanders his due: the man, on route to become a professional loser, came to fight. Interesting then that Mayweather is much more static than we saw him in his first fight, he's leading with the right, applying pressure, clearly the genesis of the Pretty Boy style distinct from Money is here. Mayweather will delighted traditionalists here with his surrounding footwork, keeping his lead foot outside Reggie's left foot and besides being technically sure he is very very cool in terms of temperament, although I thought he got away with turning his back here will dipping out of punches at one point.

Reggie begins the second round very aggressively, Mayweather ditches most of it, keeping low, but gets snapped with a very nice southpaw jab - Mayweather steps back into the Philly Shell, giving Reggie a different look, before stealing the first half of the round with hooks. There's that left hand to the body again - joyful seeing Mayweather throw to the body with impunity, I like it a lot. Left hands his way home to a clearer round victory. Nice swap of shots there - Mayweather gets cuffed with a flat right hand after landing a left to the body, here's a lesson for the fighter, as the crowd begins to boo him as he tries to think his way past Reggie's third round success. Somewhere in this rammy, he was cut over his right eye and I think Mayweather decided to have a little think about that too. I think Mayweather landed the better punches in this round but I'd presume that this is the round taht went to Reggie and that's justifiable - he stepped off though, tried to force Mayweather to lead through the cut, which was a mistake. A brush with immortality! Although - not really.

Mayweather told off for pushing/spinning Reggie, you can see the deep urge within him to control his opponent's positioning already. Referee a bit fussy here, but let the superstar take it. A very irritated crowd watches Mayweather on his bike and you do wonder if an aggressive southpaw was the wisest opponent for the young man's second fight...on the other hand, he's here to learn. I wish this had gone six. Entertaining, interesting, and shockingly well-balanced. Judge Sandy Pino found the third for Reggie, the other judges had it 4-0, both cards are fair.

Mayweather:1,2,3,4.
Sanders:

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3 - TKO1 Jerry Cooper

The Opponent: Jerry Cooper was another little shuffle up the ranks, 6-3 at the time of the fight for all that professional loser status would become his. He actually had a decent run after this although it was halted in a disastrous defeat to Angel Manfredy in 2000 before staggering on to 16-16-1. Fair old mullet on him, though not elite.
Weight: 130lbs
Distance: 6 rounds
Title: None.
Worth knowing: A decade before they would meet, Floyd and Oscar share a ring as Oscar is pitted against Miguel Angel Gonzalez in the main.

The Fight: The jab Mayweather lands out of the corner is absolutely disgusting, Cooper wasn't ready, and Mayweather just rattled his bones. Seconds later, a jab to the body drops Cooper straight on his but - after that, Mayweather just wants to have fun. Four punch combos, flat feet, open, two handed attacks inviting the straight left, Mayweather was in a rush here and this one could have been stopped before Cooper got knocked between the ropes - I felt sorry for him and so did the referee who pulled him at about 1:15.

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