Would Mayweather be as effective without his reach advantage?

I think his speed and reflexes are the factors that allows him to dominate. The reach helps, but not that BIG of a factor to his dominance.

 

A reach advantage of an inch or two is not exploitative or beyond the pale. He's successful because of timing and reflexes. Case in point, the check left hook (I'm not sure why you mentiont his), because it is a punch where the arm is not fully extended, gains nothing from additional reach, yet he is very successful with it because he knows when to throw it and has the speed to do so as soon as he sees the opening.

In general Floyd doesn't stay on the outside and use his reach in most fights anyway. He fights out of the pocket or moves in and out, but he's not a rangy fighter by any stretch. He throws his straight right leaping in, which negates a reach advantage, throws an overhand right and left hook in close. His jab is the only punch that makes much use of the additional reach, but he is inconsistent with it.

Anyway, every great fighter has certain physical advantages that are simply innate. Floyd is hardly a genetic freak like a Paul Williams at any rate.

 

Floyd is a great inside fighter, too. In other words, his reach advantage isn't the most significant factor in his fights.

In the Marquez fight? Maybe. I think it had a lot to do with Marquez being too small to get around Mayweather's shoulder roll, and of course his speed.

 

Nicely put

 

Void gets every advantage. Venue, Commentators, judges, referee, ring, gloves, everything. Cherry picking is his best advantage though.

 

Well you have to think he fights the way he fights because he knows he has the reach. He could probably change his style a bit if need be, if facing a fighter with longer reach.

 

Mayweather would be a great fighter even with a normal reach.......

......but I definitely do believe that his reach advantage sends him to another level past his peers.

Not only does that reach advantage help him offensively, but defensively it helps him in two major ways......
1. When Mayweather turns his left side to his opponent and brings his shoulder up to his chin, he leans back....and as his opponent comes to him to take a shot, Mayweather is on the move back as his opponent is just missing the target, he then has a big enough reach from long range to land.

2 Defensively, when Mayweather is pinned to the ropes, his long arms allow him to cover up the whole side of his body.....fighters with short arms have trouble protecting both the lower part of their body and their facial area, they either have to choose to protect one or the other, but with Mayweather and his long arms, it seems he can protect both without much as breaking a sweat.


Certainly those long arms help Mayweather tremendously......but you still have to give the man his credit......the man knows how to use his assets to full advantage. Other fighters may have those types of advantages but dont know how to take use them to their own advantage.

The best asset a fighter can have is "know how"......Mayweather certainly knows how.





Trixie, exellent thread topic.....welcome to ESB!hi:

 

Of course he wouldn't. Reach is almost everything for a ranged fighter. That is why JMM never stood a chance.

 

Void knew that. He refused to fight Pac and cherry picked.

 

Sure would have loved to have seen him against Paul Williams when Williams was calling him at Welter.
.....it is the avoidance of fighters like Williams that may haunt Mayweather's legacy when all is said and done.

Greatness beats many types of styles.....but damn, Mayweather has the tools but it seems is fearful of putting them to the test against fighters that may hold particular advantages over him.

........overcoming advantages is ultimately is when fighters are truly exhibiting their greatness.

 

Well of course having a long reach should help a fighter.

Mayweather is effective at different ranges however, and if he weren't blessed with long arms, I'm sure he'd fight in different ways to try to make up for it. You take advantage of what you've got and adjust to make up for what you don't.

 

Well he has fared well against other fighter with the same or longer reach.

N'dou,Tony pep, Gernando Hernendez(same), Judah(same), ODH.

 

I agree with all the comments about Floyd's skill level. For me he is undoubtedly one of the most skilled, if not THE most skilled fighter, out there today which gives him an advantage over most fighters he faces. I do also think that his reach advantage plays a major part in his success however. Without this advantage we would have seen him in trouble far more often making for much more interesting fights - would be great to see him engage more often as a result of being hurt. Against JMM Floyd did get caught but each time Marquez was at full reach and therefore had no power in the shots. I think the reach often plays more of an advantage than the weight when it comes to Mayweather Vs 'smaller' man.

 

It is actually premature to gauge Mayweather's legacy at this point.

If the question points to his stay at 130-135, the evaluation and discussion would pretty much be set in fixed scenarios. However, at Mayweather's current weight class, he certainly has not been tested enough to even warrant asking whether he would be as effective without his reach advantage. Would he have been effective against the top welterweights with or without his reach?