The thing is - he did try.. but Mayweather made it impossible. Manny had a few moments in the fight. I am gonna rewatch it, but I think it was round 4 he had his best showing. Just wanna add this to the people who kept saying "Floyd ran away"
Manny knew, Roach knew, everyone knew that what Manny had to bring to have a chance in this fight was pressure and volume. If he could've attempted at least ONE flurry in each round, similar to 4.. even if he didn't land, it would've done a lot in the judges eyes. Instead, he was timid, and only took chances when Mayweather was (rarely) against the ropes. Within the first minute of the fight, Floyd was dictating the pace and center of the ring, and I knew that barring a miracle, Manny was not gonna have a chance if he fought that way.
My buddy Rick has been boxing since he was like 13. Out of all the sparring partners I've had over the years.. he was the only one I could rarely if ever get a good round against. He was so incredibly evasive, with great timing coming in and out.
SO FRUSTRATING when you are trying your absolute best to get ANY offense on the guy, and no matter what, he just gets away. Over and over and over. Even if you catch him 1-2 times, he NEVER stays put, never stays straight in front of you, is constantly cutting angles to your side etc.
I can't even imagine what it's like to fight MAYWEATHER, and to be someone like Manny who relies on offense. To be honest, the first Maidana fight, that was the exact strategy I thought Manny would go out there with. Not worry about getting countered, and when having Floyd against the ropes, just go into all out berserker mode, even if only 1 out of 10 shots land.
The judges have a hard time telling what shots land to May's shoulders or face - hence the horrible cards in the Canelo fight, despite that being a one sided win for Floyd.
Even if Manny was frustrated by the movement.. There were times when, like that one point in I believe the 4th, he just unloaded with reckless abandon. Except once the fight got halfway through.. until round 10, maybe.. Manny was content to chase Floyd around, try to get 1-2 shots off, and never smother him and make it a dog fight.
I'm not saying that's an EASY thing to do, at all. But he certainly had more than a few opportunities to try, and he just could NOT pull the trigger.
Could it be lack of PEDs (growth, EPO etc) that make Manny look timid these days? Could it be that he's fought so long and hard for years that he just can't turn it on like he used to? Could it be that he really was hurt in the shoulder? Could it be that Mayweather is just THAT DAMN GOOD and does this to EVERYONE?
I think it's everything. One thing Floyd haters don't give him credit for is that he';s an AMAZING counter puncher. Any time Manny would come in and try to jab or go for a 1-2, Floyd would immediately duck to the side and blast him with a lead right hand. Floyd's lead right is a very powerful punch, and it's deceptive because of how accurate and quick it is. People think it's just a pawing type of punch.. but late in his career, Mayweather has developed it as his single most offensive and effective weapon.
Once Pacquiao poured it on in the early going, and Floyd 1) was able to cut angles and slip away repeatedly, and 2) tag Manny HARD with the right every time he came in... I could see Manny getting discouraged.
I mean Manny was known for throwing 100+ punches per round in his prime. That's insane. People like Teddy Atlas were saying that Manny needs to throw somewhere around 800 punches at LEAST in this fight to be successful, to bring the volume, and to put the pressure on.
Instead, he threw less than 30 in some rounds.. and in at least 4 or 5 rounds, landed in SINGLE DIGIT numbers. His landing average was actually below most of Mayweather's opponents.
I think Manny may have lost that killer instinct.. but at the same time.. I just think no one can get to Floyd. Nobody. The Manny of 5 years ago, who was probably all doped up, would have had a much better chance. But even at 38, Mayweather is as good, slick, fast, and accurate as ever (in the ring anyway, because he talked about how hard it was to train the way he does and get in the gym every day with his age)
The point is... After so long, so many rounds, of not being able to even come close to Floyd.. and to literally land in single digit numbers... Manny got discouraged and became more timid. that's what happens to EVERYONE Floyd has faced - and I know first hand how frustrating it can be to not connect AT ALL to your opponent. By a few rounds in, you are losing focus, you are looking for the one big shot, you just want to hit the guy SO DAMN BAD.. and yet you can't. So instead of fighting smart, you are fighting HIS fight.
That's why Maywaether is unbeaten and a master. Not only is his defense amazing, he is deceptively tricky with his power shots, and controls the pace, rhythm and style of the fight from the opening bell. Every single time.
So many guys have come along that were gonna have the style to beat him. They'd have the pressure, they said. This guy or that guy was finally gonna "take it to Floyd".
It's not like those guys didn't try. They sure did. The thing is, you can try all you want.. but Floyd is just not gonna let it happen.
He knows he's older now and slowing down in the gym (not the ring).. but EVERYONE WILL LOSE if they keep going too long. he knows his sell by date, and that's why he's fighting in September instead of waiting another year to let father time catch up even more. He knew Manny's sell by date too, and took the fight when Manny had lost a step.
It's mind blowing to me that people actually think "Manny was robbed! The decision was so corrupt!" There's a reason every single pro boxer/legend out there covering the fights (Lennox Lewis, B-Hop, Andre Ward, Roy Jones, etc) all knew exactly what I know - that Manny was dominated.
Boxing is not "come forward and go all out" every time. It's exciting as FUCK when it is - but Floyd would not be unbeaten if that were his style.
He plays the smartest, most dominant style in the game - similar to a GSP - and while it's not entertaining to the masses.. There are purists out there who love watching it because the understand the immense skill, timing, ability and strategy involved to be able to do that kinda thing.
Like, I've heard Joe Rogan talk millions of times about how he likes watching Jon Fitch or GSP, because he understands every single thing happening in there. He knows where they are gonna do things, how, why, when... It's because he has grappled for years and as a participant he knows how hard it is to control an elite fighter in that manner, while taking no damage.
I can't see those things because I never grappled. However, I have been consumed with boxing technique my whole life. and while many find Floyd's fights boring, I enjoy watching them quite a bit, because I know just how hard it is to do what he does.. for 12 rounds.. and not make a SINGLE mistake, a single misstep, for 48 straight fights. That's really, really crazy.
I just think the absolute brilliance in strategy, movement, dictation, EVERYTHING that Floyd did to Manny.. was a complete shut out.
Obviously not many will agree with me. And yes I WANTED Manny to win, because it would've shook up the world, made a huge rematch, and been nuts. But I knew exactly how this fight was gonna go, how people's reactions would be, etc... It's called the "Sweet Science" for a reason.. not called "Brawl for All" or the "Tough man Contest"
If Floyd took the risks his contemporaries on the ATG list did.. he would not be undefeated. He takes calculated risks and is ALWAYS thinking a step or two ahead of his opponent. It's brilliance. It's not the most entertaining slug fest to watch and leap out of your seat over. But it's absolute mastery of boxing at the highest level of the sport. I can't help but respect and enjoy that when I see it.
"Running" is Kalib Starnes vs Nate Quarry. Floyd landing literally twice as many punches as Manny, while still playing a perfect defensive strategy, is not running. It's fighting smart. It's the sweet science. It's hit and don't be hit. Not appealing to all, but at its core, it may be the best way to fight if you want to have a long career, take as little damage as possible, and dominate every time out. They're prize fighters.. and he fights for the biggest prizes because he never loses, whether it's fun to watch or not.
History will be a lot more kind to Mayweather as the decades go by. People will see him as a master of his craft, and just like a Willie Pep, look back at him as a ring general who nobody could figure out.
If anything, people should get mad at Floyd's opponents for never being able to solve the puzzle. WE ALL KNOW what Floyd is gona do - they know, they plan their whole camp around it. But no one comes close, ever. Not even close at all.
That says something to just how good he is. Sorry for the rant.. it's just the same thing after EVERY SINGLE FLOYD FIGHT.. I called it Wednesday, and to me it's like.. if people go in to watch a Floyd fight and expect something different.. that is their own fault, and Manny's fault for not taking it to Floyd the way he promised he could for 7 years now. Floyd did exactly what he said he'd do across that entire half decade - fought like a master and didn't let Manny get his offense off.
Anyway.. rant over.. I just think the absolute brilliance in strategy, movement, dictation, EVERYTHING that Floyd did to Manny.. was a complete shut out. If anyone is mad about it.. be mad at Manny for not solving the puzzle. Floyd did what he always does. Manny couldn't.