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"We are working on the same game plan for Mayweather that we used against Julian Wheeler, one of Juan Manuel's first fights in the United States," Beristain said through an interpreter. In 1995, Marquez took on Wheeler at the Great Western Forum, and scored a TKO in the tenth and final round. A former U.S. Olympian and U.S. National champion, Wheeler was listed as 5'8" ½, but when he stepped into the ring, TV announcer Tom Kelly said, "Marquez is decidedly shorter, and in fact listed as 5'7". I would think Wheeler would be closer to 5'10" from the look of him as they stand out there." Wheeler also had a freakish 74-inch reach—almost unheard of for a featherweight—which is two inches longer than Mayweather's.
So how did Beristain neutralize Wheeler's size advantage? He devised a strategy in which Marquez would tire out Wheeler and then batter him in the final rounds. He had Marquez stay in the middle of the ring and not move around except to pivot. This forced Wheeler to constantly expend energy while trying to square off with Marquez and kept him dancing on his toes all night.
The strategy paid off in the closing rounds when the wheels started to come off for Wheeler. In the final round, Wheeler's legs looked leaden and his gloves seemed to be moving in slow motion. Marquez pounced, landing virtually everything he let fly. In the final minute of the fight Marquez tattooed Wheeler with a four-punch combo that wobbled the bigger man's knees. Wheeler, who had been described by Kelly earlier as "a magnificent boxer," was reduced to looking like a punch-drunk wrestler. With five seconds left, and Wheeler still grabbing the referee—somewhat controversially—stepped in and stopped the fight.
http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/200...ezprofile.html
So how did Beristain neutralize Wheeler's size advantage? He devised a strategy in which Marquez would tire out Wheeler and then batter him in the final rounds. He had Marquez stay in the middle of the ring and not move around except to pivot. This forced Wheeler to constantly expend energy while trying to square off with Marquez and kept him dancing on his toes all night.
The strategy paid off in the closing rounds when the wheels started to come off for Wheeler. In the final round, Wheeler's legs looked leaden and his gloves seemed to be moving in slow motion. Marquez pounced, landing virtually everything he let fly. In the final minute of the fight Marquez tattooed Wheeler with a four-punch combo that wobbled the bigger man's knees. Wheeler, who had been described by Kelly earlier as "a magnificent boxer," was reduced to looking like a punch-drunk wrestler. With five seconds left, and Wheeler still grabbing the referee—somewhat controversially—stepped in and stopped the fight.
http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/200...ezprofile.html
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