Floyd “Money” Mayweather, formerly known as “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr, is notoriously one of the most hated yet most loved fighters in the history of the sport of boxing.
Love him or hate him, there is one thing that you can not deny: He is the best pure boxer of the last 20 years- maybe even ever.
A pure counter-puncher who fights in what is known as a “Philly Shell” or Shoulder Roll” stance, Floyd plays the game of “hit and don’t get it. ”
As you can see here, he keeps his right glove close to his face with his left resting down against his side. This allows him to physically roll the shoulder to deflect punches to the left while his right glove and arm can absorb punches from the right. This is the perfect stance for counter-punchers.
The right shot of Mosley rolls off of Floyd’s shoulder which puts him in a position to shoot his right hand back.
He has an unmatched ability to pull back from a punch and counter in a split-second.
While not known as a knockout puncher, Floyd does have the power to put people down with precision.
Here is another example of the shoulder roll and counter punch.
Shoot then pull back.
Timing is key. When fighting in the pocket, Floyd understands when to strike and when to get out.
Because of his style of fighting, Floyd is often called out for running around and not actually fighting.
Fair point, but to win a boxing match you have to hit the guy harder, cleaner, and more often than you get hit.
What do you think? Is Floyd the best defensive counter-puncher of all time? Let us know.
