Is Floyd Mayweather out of his Prime?

[Mr. Ryan]

No but I wouldn't mind one. You commented on him not being hungry enough to beat these young up and coming guys. I am saying if hee DOES beat them you need to analyze the difference between desire to win and desire to remain the best.

Mayweather has a lot of pride and he'll give everything he has to win, but in his mind he knows he's not a welterweight. Moving up in weight was a business decision, which explains why he fought guys like Judah and went along with the chore of outclassing Baldomir. If he wanted to be a champ at that weight, he'd have fought Baldomir with no qualms.

Welterweight was a division where he knew there would be huge money fights and he could shift divisions where it made business sense. Hence Mayweather's comment on 24/7 that he ran his camp like a business. Because it is.

Mayweather has the same quality that I observed in Ray Leonard, that competitive, but calculating nature that gets a lot out of his natural talent.

[bishop2006]

Which young, undefeated fighters has he been messing with lately? There are a great deal of young fighters out there for him to fight, but he's interested in fighting Hatton, DLH, guys that are in his age bracket or older.

Look at Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. Was Taylor a better fighter, or did he just seem younger and hungrier? Answer that and you'd have learned something for cheap.

Jermain Taylor basicly threw fast left rights against a slow Hopkins,whos defence isnt close to Floyds,nore offense

Cotto isnt as fast as Taylor,he has the left hooks,but Floyd can adapt to almost everything,he would parry it with the elbow and counter it with uppercuts,Cotto is a clever pressure fighter,not relentless like Hatton,so he would give Mayweather time to think about what he does,just like i said,against Mosley Cotto had trouble,todays Mosley isnt on the level of Mayweather

[RageX]

You can argue he's not fighting at his best weight, since he still easily makes 140 and would be more effective there, but he's still clearly in his prime, since he doesn't take the punishment of a lot of pressure fighters and he stays in shape in between fights.

have you noticed though he gets hit much more now and is a lot more less willing to take a risk. I wonder floyd knows something that we dont?

at 130 and 135 he threw combinations, not the one punch at a time like he does now, and he doesn't use the shoulder roll as much as he did. I agree with most of the points you made but can you see some signs? He is not as far past his prime but he is not in it IMO as well. He is somewhere in the middle stages...btw I voted wrong had too vote (A little bit past his prime) his speed n power are affected because he moved up in weight but how do you explain his workrate now he throws less punches now than he did before.

[warp1432]

Which young, undefeated fighters has he been messing with lately? There are a great deal of young fighters out there for him to fight, but he's interested in fighting Hatton, DLH, guys that are in his age bracket or older.

Look at Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. Was Taylor a better fighter, or did he just seem younger and hungrier? Answer that and you'd have learned something for cheap.

Hatton: Age 29

Cotto: Age 27 (That isn't a huge age difference by the way when comparing to Hatton)

Bernard Hopkins at time of the Jermain Taylor fight: 40

Jermain Taylor: 26

Pretty big difference between Hopkins and Taylor there.

[ANDROID_DOES]

Which young, undefeated fighters has he been messing with lately? There are a great deal of young fighters out there for him to fight, but he's interested in fighting Hatton, DLH, guys that are in his age bracket or older.

Look at Hopkins and Jermain Taylor. Was Taylor a better fighter, or did he just seem younger and hungrier? Answer that and you'd have learned something for cheap.

actually in the first fight the first half was taylor. second have it was hopkins beating him to the punch and landing solid shots. it was hopkins who was looking younger and hungrier. hopkins looked like he wanted it more in the last few rounds. No one is in the ring not wanting it! there in there fighting! no one is in there trying to get beat up lol

[RageX]

Hatton: Age 29

Cotto: Age 27

Bernard Hopkins at time of the Jermain Taylor fight: 40

Jermain Taylor: 26

Pretty big difference between Hopkins and Taylor there.

Hopkins was almost old enough to be Taylor's dad lol.

[warp1432]

Even at 40, Hopkins still put up a close disputed fight against Taylor. I think he won both of them, but that's a story for a different time.

There isn't a huge age gap between Mayweather and Hatton or Cotto.

edit: Besides we don't even know if Cotto is really that hungry at all. He has said he doesn't like boxing and is just looking for a pay day. I've never seen anything saying he wants to be the best there is.

[Mr. Ryan]

Hatton: Age 29

Cotto: Age 27

Bernard Hopkins at time of the Jermain Taylor fight: 40

Jermain Taylor: 26

Pretty big difference between Hopkins and Taylor there.

You're looking at chronological age, whereas I'm looking at ring age. Hatton's ring age is a lot greater than Cotto's. Look at Hatton's face and his tough tests and look at Cotto's. Hatton was and is a lot older than the considerably fresher Cotto.

Hopkins was still capable but Taylor just was hungrier. That's why you see Hopkins still beating top guys, just not young guys.

[Jim Jeffries]

have you noticed though he gets hit much more now and is a lot more less willing to take a risk. I wonder floyd knows something that we dont?

at 130 and 135 he threw combinations, not the one punch at a time like he does now, and he doesn't use the shoulder roll as much as he did. I agree with most of the points you made but can you see some signs? He is not as far past his prime but he is not in it IMO as well. He is somewhere in the middle stages...btw I voted wrong had too vote (A little bit past his prime) his speed n power are affected because he moved up in weight but how do you explain his workrate now he throws less punches now than he did before.

Floyd is fighting bigger and stronger guys than he was at 130 and 135 and therefore has adapted a more cautious style of fighting. He doesn't throw combinations like he used to because his power didn't carry up to 147 (or 154) so well, so he chooses to throw one or two at a time and then go back into the shell. Like I said, he's not fighting at his best weight, but in a lot of ways he is a better, smarter fighter than he was earlier in his career at those lower weights.

[Mr. Ryan]

actually in the first fight the first half was taylor. second have it was hopkins beating him to the punch and landing solid shots. it was hopkins who was looking younger and hungrier. hopkins looked like he wanted it more in the last few rounds. No one is in the ring not wanting it! there in there fighting! no one is in there trying to get beat up lol

When you're in the ring for 10 rounds getting hit in the body, in the arms, on the back and on the face and you're 38 and have been through this ordeal a few more times than you said you would when you first started out, it doesn't seem to as important as it did when the punches didn't hurt as much when you were younger.

Of course, a better fighter is still a better fighter but in a sport of endurance and will, desire is everything.