Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been forced to defend his recent lack of knockouts, claiming his opponents are scared to make it a fight. 'Money' Mayweather is days away from his next fight, taking place this coming Saturday against WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mayweather, ten years older at 34, has been listed as the heavy favorite given his perfect 41-0 record.
However, that hasn't stopped some quarters of the boxing community from questioning his power at 147. Mayweather has recorded just one win via knockout since 2005.
Mayweather's one stoppage win came against Ricky Hatton in 2007. The Manchester star is the only opponent in the last couple of years that Floyd gives credit for "coming to fight" - which gave him the opportunity to secure a stoppage.
He says the reason for his lack of knockouts is because of his opponents going into "survival mode" due to his dominance of them, citing his last win over 'Sugar' Shane Moseley as an example. The style of Ortiz has made Mayweather confident of getting another KO win.
"It's just that these fighters go into survival mode," he said. "Once they're down on the scorecards or once they feel they have no chance of winning, they go into survival mode. Mosley did the same thing. Marquez did the same thing. These guys go into survival mode.
"Hatton was a little different. Hatton came to fight, and so, I get knockouts if a guy comes to fight and puts it all on the line, but once you get to the pinnacle, you get to Floyd Mayweather - you get to elite level, the guys - they go into survival mode."