What Is Experience? . . . Really?

I'd consider it to be developing a certain familiarity, or reaction, to situations and knowing how to handle them. I don't mean in the sense that "Mayweather has had more big fights than Canelo so he's more experienced." I mean more like Floyd can tell the difference between a weak jab and a strong jab. This enables him to know whether he should go for the pull counter or simply parry/evade the punch. It's knowing what to do in the moment. Fighters spend their careers testing out different techniques, movements and counters. Sometimes, it's wise to throw a straight right hand instead of a left hook, or slowly pacing yourself instead of getting baited into gassing yourself too early. You could see in the fight when Canelo willingly went over to the ropes to try and lull Floyd into getting careless and walking right into a counter and that shiz didn't work. It's a combination of things but it can kind of be summed up as "Been there, done that." Some fighters develop one reaction to a situation and never abandon it, even if it stops working, i.e Paul Williams routinely doing the same motions even though he was getting countered all day by Lara.

frankly...Mayweather was being very humble with the "experience" stuff...Mayweather is a once in a generation (lifetime?) fighter not because he possesses skills that are above and beyond what others have, but because he combines them with a boxing intelligence that is absolutely second to none... nothing surprises him...nothing rattles him...if something doesnt work he calmly tries something else, if for even a second you think you've figured him out he switches up the game... the perfect example is him getting caught with those bombs by SSM and going on to dominate the fight...its not that Shane stopped trying...Floyd shut down what was working...

I think a lot of it as well has to deal with perspective. You have to think.... "What is Floyd focusing on. What is he looking at that his opponent is not? I know this may sound weird, but look at Daigo (one of the greatest Street Fighter players of all time). Doesn't necessarily matter which character he uses.... He is still able to dominate his opponents in a way that's so controlled it's almost as if he can see the future. Most people simply write this off as Daigo having "UME" or being able to see the future, when in reality we know that not only does he have complete understanding of the matchup, but he also has the proper perspective to approach the matchup... I think this is a universal idea that stems to all things, not just boxing. Once one understands this concept, they can apply it to whatever they want be it boxing, chess, tennis... Any kind of 1v1 engagement. The question I'd like to know is... What event or experience did Floyd have as a young boy that made him see or realize this?

experience is the process by which one develops familiarity. the brain is like a circut board in some electronics. it establishes / develops pathways through which it sends electricity. experience is the development of those pathways. experience is experience. you've experienced things before.

That's not true though. Cotto, Castillo, Augustus, there are guys who have done well against Mayweather and were able to stick with him. They aren't the same as Ortiz or Guerrero or Alvarez, who are utterly clueless before the great skill and experience Mayweather presents. Yeah but when you add Marquez, Corrales, Hernandez to that equation too . . . ? Like I say I'm not saying experience isn't part of it per say, but in this very instance, I believe you could freeze floyd, as he is now. . . and then bring Canelo back when he's 30 and the result would still be for Mayweather One pundit on Boxnation summed it up best I think "It's not that Canelo lacks the experience, it's that Floyd hasn't degenerated enough" This was said before the fight.

Yeah, you're idea of intelligence is a bit off. If somebody injected all of the talent and skill of Floyd Mayweather into your body, and you were a really intelligent guy, you still probably would not beat Floyd Mayweather. For example, Canelo hurt Floyd with a right hand in the 10th or so round, and Floyd completely bluffed Canelo into thinking he really wasn't hurt. Floyd even stared him down and bullied him after the bell rang. Canelo should've picked up on it, but couldn't see through the bluff. That's a good counter point, Kudos

Along with everyone else whose faced Mayweather, regardless of how experienced they are. . . get me? That's not true though. Cotto, Castillo, Augustus, there are guys who have done well against Mayweather and were able to stick with him. They aren't the same as Ortiz or Guerrero or Alvarez, who are utterly clueless before the great skill and experience Mayweather presents.

IMO experience meaning there's only so much stuff that is possible with the use of 2 hands. He's been boxing since he's been 2 so there really isn't anything that could possibly surprise him. He knows his angles, when to step in at the right time to stuff his opponents and how to deal with every style

Ok of course it plays a factor to a degree, but lets think about this for a second. And even Floyd said in post fight presser that it was down to experience, but really what he means is, it was down to intelligence. I don't dismiss that Canelo lacked the experience, and experience does give you intelligence, but here's where the theory gets interesting. . . . When you look at some of the other fights Floyd's faced (forget talking primes and all that for a second) . . . Cotto, Mosely, Hatton, Corralles, Hernandez, they all had experience. . . When Floyd thought Hernandez, he was the under dog, people said "Oh he don't have the experience to beat him" . . . and that fight was stopped early, by round 6 Hernandez had no answers, and Mayweather was a fresh, fighter with not too many professional fights under his belt at the time. So to me, experience is more of a nicer way of saying, "So and so doesn't have the intelligence" . . . and at the moment, if providing you're referring to fighters from 140 (and below) to 154 well no one has the intelligence to beat Mayweather. Now I'm not saying this is the rule for every match up, experience plays a huge part, and what is experience? Surely it's your number of professional fights, if you look at the numbers between Mayweather and Canelo, they are both very close. . . Canelo (although young) has had almost as many fights as Floyd, albeit very different opposition but it still has to be considered. So when people say Canelo doesn't have the experience, what they really mean is the intelligence, and well that sort of intelligence can't really be taught. Yeah, you're idea of intelligence is a bit off. If somebody injected all of the talent and skill of Floyd Mayweather into your body, and you were a really intelligent guy, you still probably would not beat Floyd Mayweather. For example, Canelo hurt Floyd with a right hand in the 10th or so round, and Floyd completely bluffed Canelo into thinking he really wasn't hurt. Floyd even stared him down and bullied him after the bell rang. Canelo should've picked up on it, but couldn't see through the bluff.

experience is knowledge and intelligence is what's needed to utilise that knowledge to your advantage

Mayweather's been in situations like last night more than a handful of times. He knows how to prepare for and handle the spotlight, he knows how to deal with every style a guy can throw at him. That's experience. Alvarez has never dealt with anything close to Mayweather, and had no idea what to do when the things that always worked for him no longer worked. Along with everyone else whose faced Mayweather, regardless of how experienced they are. . . get me?

Mayweather's been in situations like last night more than a handful of times. He knows how to prepare for and handle the spotlight, he knows how to deal with every style a guy can throw at him. That's experience. Alvarez has never dealt with anything close to Mayweather, and had no idea what to do when the things that always worked for him no longer worked.