Mayweather void of killer instinct

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By Joe Koizumi

The highly anticipated rematch of Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana was shown live here in Japan, and we hear many opinions and impressions—pro and con—on Money’s performance. Our boxing fans traditionally love aggressive fighters such as Fighting Harada or “Fierce Eagle” Yoko Gushiken (who kept his belt on thirteen occasions thanks to his furious aggression). We prefer hard-punchers or KO artists to artful dodgers. Problem is for what our fight fans come and see boxing by paying for tickets or by paying to cable televisions. People wish to buy “thrill” in return for money.

Mayweather’s showing of yesterday greatly disappointed our thrill-thirsty TV watchers—all around Japan. We had highly expected Floyd’s knockout victory this time since Marcos had a notorious weakness in the midsection shown in the first round against Amir Khan and also revealed in the process of yesterday’s rematch. This reporter, one of commentators, really wondered why Mayweather wouldn’t go out and bring home the bacon early like Joe Gans now that Maidana was apparently through in the middle of the lopsided contest. Floyd said, “Maidana bit my fingers, and my fingers were numb after the eighth round.” Should his fingers have been complete, could he or would he try to knock him out after the eighth? Probably he wouldn’t and couldn’t—because of his usual safety-first strategy.

Japanese fight fans already realized that it would be very unlikely to see a spectacular knockout in Mayweather’s fights any longer. Every hardcore boxing fan admit Floyd’s exceptional reflexes and superb defensive skills, but also admit Floyd’s knockout ratio is dropping in every bout—now 47-0, 26 KOs—so low as 55.3 percent. Mayweather will—soon or later—extend his unblemished mark to 49-0 like Rocky Marciano. But Marciano registered 43 knockouts therein to have his KO ratio 93.5 percent, while Money’s mark will be 49-0, 26 KOs, which makes the ratio lower to 53.0 percent since we cannot expect Mayweather’s triumph within the distance in the future.

When we carefully watch Floyd’s record, he scored only a couple of KO or TKO wins in his last ten fights from his De La Hoya bout to his latest Maidana rematch. In last ten years since his DeMarcus Corely bout in May 2004, Mayweather pitifully registered only five stoppages in fifteen bouts in total.

Mayweather, after piling up a comfortable lead on points, always decelerate his pace in order to distribute his stamina (he’s already thirty-seven) rather than to accelerate his attack to finish his opponent within the stipulated distance. He wouldn’t take a risk to score a KO win but only look for a safer victory. Great champions dared to show knockout victories to fully entertain the audience. Wilfredo Gomez, who registered seventeen defenses all by knockouts, always attempted to demolish his challenger since Bazooka believed he was destined to dispatch him in front of himself. Roberto Duran, who scored eleven knockouts in twelve defenses through his lightweight reign, swarmed over his challenger from the start and had the crowd satisfied with money’s worth.

In terms of thrill, excitement and entertainment, we may try to compare Mayweather with historically great welterweight forerunners such as Robinson, Napoles, Cuevas, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, Curry etc. We, of course, know only knockout isn’t boxing, but boxing without knockout is close to amateur boxing where people appreciate only speed and skills rather than thrill or power. But we may compare our impressions after watching Leonard or Hearns with ours after witnessing Mayweather. Regardless of hypothetical win or loss between Leonard and Mayweather or between Hearns and Mayweather—even though Money may be able to outmaneuver Leonard or Hearns with his tremendous reflexes—what Mayweather renders us is less exciting and less impressive than what Leonard or Hearns took a risk and tried to display to entertain the crowd.

With respect to defensive skills, Mayweather may be as great and excellent as Young Griffo, Willie Pep, Miguel Canto, Wilfredo Benitez or Pernell Whitaker—all at the prime. We whole-heartedly admire Mayweather’s excellence. With respect to offensive skills, however, Mayweather may be inferior to Robinson, Napoles, Cuevas, Leonard, Hearns, Duran, and Curry—even though Money once displayed such a masterpiece of halting Ricky Hatton in 2007. What a move he showed in delivering a left hook while quickly turning around in the corner! That’s a textbook counter that it might be hard even for many boxers to follow or imitate. But Mayweather wouldn’t display such a spectacular knockout again.

This observer greatly evaluates Mayweather’s exceptional speed and skills. But some of our people have become bored with his less spectacular showing without knockout. For our Japanese fight fans including non-hardcore fans, it is a pity to be forced to watch such a tedious performance without thrill and without knockout. Lately in every fight Floyd’s popularity is declining here in Japan simply because of his repeated failures to show a KO or TKO victory. Probably will there be no words of “Killer Instinct” in Mayweather’s dictionary. He may need a new dictionary.

 

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