Yes, great vision and punch anticipation are two major tools that enabled him to be so hard to hit. Speed and reflexes are great assets but Zab Judah had the same type of reflexes and was even quicker than Floyd and he was WAY more hittable, because he didn't have Floyd's vision, punch anticipation and ring IQ.
he mastered the style of avoiding the punches and then countering. To his credit he has fast hands and good reflexes. I just think he handpicked guys at the right time to make his legacy about being undefeated. He has no great fights on his record.
True though Whitaker was passed his best when he fought Oscar due to his cocaine use, plus he's naturally much smaller than Mayweather physically at only 5'6" and a 69" reach, he had to be in the pocket more to land vs Oscar as he didn't have the physical advantages the bigger Mayweather had which made it easier for Mayweather to slip and counter.
Mayweather never runs. It's called foot work and positioning. He has the best timing, spacing and reflexes which makes his defense even more difficult for opponents to land or land cleanly.
This is a big part of it. Opponents didn´t even realize Floyd was in a way misleading their offence constantly.
He is not that hard to hit.... If you look at todays boxing almost nobody does the shoulder role ake philly shell. Thats because people know how to deal with it nowadays. American fighter somehow dont use any fints but that could be because of their horrible footwork.
Interesting post. Talk about running and avoid being hit. Wlad v Fury is the rock on which you have built your church.
He also had a really good chin. When he did make mistakes and got hit hard, he took the shots well. Pretty difficult equation to solve; a defensive master with solid whiskers....
He wasn't that hard to hit. Just watch him against Augustus, Castillo, Maidana, Cotto etc. His defense is the most overrated in recent times. Rigondeaux is someone who is hard to hit, Floyd isn't even in the same conversation as someone like Rigo. Maybe compare him to Hopkins or Toney, he wasn't anywhere near a defensive genius. Someone who is hard to hit mostly because of the style he fights in and his reflexes. He couldn't fight on the inside or throw combinations, watch Augustus bust him up and bloody him.
He reads patterns so after a few rounds he knows what you are going to throw because everyone has a tell. Plus he has great reflexes.
