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Steward: Zab Has The Ability To Beat Floyd
By Scoop Malinowski
Like most ring observers, Emanuel Steward is expecting a big Floyd Mayweather victory on April 8. However Steward also believes that a big upset is more than possible. Read on for what the Hall of Fame trainer/manager/TV analyst had to say about Zab vs. Floyd, also what he believes is the strategy which can wipe away the 0 in Floyd's perfect 35-0 record, and why he thinks Antonio Margarito can beat Floyd...
*************: Do you think Zab will beat Floyd?
Emanuel Steward: "I don't think that Zab Judah will beat Floyd Mayweather."
*************: Is there any kind of strategy that Zab can implement? Is there any way he can galvanize his talents together and possibly beat Floyd?
Emanuel Steward: "He could beat him. Mayweather is not as as invincible or as super as you guys have created him. He's a good fighter. Zab could beat him. But I don't think he will. I think that Mayweather might be just a little faster and maybe a little more focused. This fight here is going to be a big challenge because if Zab loses this fight I think his career as a serious fighter is going to be very much in jeopardy. One of the biggest problems I felt with Zab all the time is focus and concentration. I think training in Brooklyn is the worst thing in the world for him. I think staying at home, his mind has been too much into the rap stuff and all the other things that are not really conducive to being a good prizefighter.
If he focuses like he did with Cory Spinks, I think he could have a good fight. I will still give a short edge to Mayweather. Mayweather - as much as he might seem to be into so many other things - is an unbelievably good trainer. Does not drink, does not smoke. May go out to a lot of the nightclubs, lives a very clean life. Is an unbelievable hard trainer. And that's what sets him out a little bit from a lot of other fighters who are so much wrapped up now into so many non-boxing related activities. I'm looking at all them - I saw this cruiserweight on TV with his new clothing store - he gets beat. And I'm looking at Bernard gets to be a promoter, he seems to have lost his boxing skills. Oscar's a promoter. Roy does...and it's a pattern. Instead of trying to be the best prizefighter out here, these guys are trying to be more so the businessman and athletes. And it's proven that it doesn't work."
*************: You see flaws in Floyd? Most of are under the spell that he's like the perfect fighting machine...
Emanuel Steward: "No, Mayweather's definitely not the perfect fighter. He's very fortunate in the fighters he's beaten. The timing was very good on those particular nights. I know the behind the scenes stories. But if someone crowds him and puts pressure on him - and gets close to him before they punch - not punching from a distance - pressure - and then punching right when they get on top of him - he will have problems. I don't know if Zab is going to be focused. He has, Zab has the ability to beat Mayweather. But he's gonna have to have his mind totally focused on boxing. And not on other non-boxing related activities."
*************: Interesting. Can Antonio Margarito beat Mayweather?
Emanuel Steward: "Yes. He can beat him. Yes. He's a big guy and I think if he waits till he gets over top of him - you can't throw punches from too far out - break and counter. Because he likes to wait and counter. If you get too close to him, you can do a lot of damage. Ricky Hatton was able to beat Kostya Tszyu because Kostya Tszyu (preferred to fight) at a distance where he could control and analyze things - he was great with boxers. When I talked with Ricky Hatton - because I had trained Vince Phillips to beat (Tszyu) - eventhough I didn't work the corner, he trained at the Kronk Gym. And I said (to Hatton), Don't be intelligent, just be an animal. And keep putting pressure and don't punch till you're very close. And that's what happened in both fights where Kostya Tszyu lost. The same patterns could work against Floyd Mayweather."
Steward: Zab Has The Ability To Beat Floyd
By Scoop Malinowski
Like most ring observers, Emanuel Steward is expecting a big Floyd Mayweather victory on April 8. However Steward also believes that a big upset is more than possible. Read on for what the Hall of Fame trainer/manager/TV analyst had to say about Zab vs. Floyd, also what he believes is the strategy which can wipe away the 0 in Floyd's perfect 35-0 record, and why he thinks Antonio Margarito can beat Floyd...
*************: Do you think Zab will beat Floyd?
Emanuel Steward: "I don't think that Zab Judah will beat Floyd Mayweather."
*************: Is there any kind of strategy that Zab can implement? Is there any way he can galvanize his talents together and possibly beat Floyd?
Emanuel Steward: "He could beat him. Mayweather is not as as invincible or as super as you guys have created him. He's a good fighter. Zab could beat him. But I don't think he will. I think that Mayweather might be just a little faster and maybe a little more focused. This fight here is going to be a big challenge because if Zab loses this fight I think his career as a serious fighter is going to be very much in jeopardy. One of the biggest problems I felt with Zab all the time is focus and concentration. I think training in Brooklyn is the worst thing in the world for him. I think staying at home, his mind has been too much into the rap stuff and all the other things that are not really conducive to being a good prizefighter.
If he focuses like he did with Cory Spinks, I think he could have a good fight. I will still give a short edge to Mayweather. Mayweather - as much as he might seem to be into so many other things - is an unbelievably good trainer. Does not drink, does not smoke. May go out to a lot of the nightclubs, lives a very clean life. Is an unbelievable hard trainer. And that's what sets him out a little bit from a lot of other fighters who are so much wrapped up now into so many non-boxing related activities. I'm looking at all them - I saw this cruiserweight on TV with his new clothing store - he gets beat. And I'm looking at Bernard gets to be a promoter, he seems to have lost his boxing skills. Oscar's a promoter. Roy does...and it's a pattern. Instead of trying to be the best prizefighter out here, these guys are trying to be more so the businessman and athletes. And it's proven that it doesn't work."
*************: You see flaws in Floyd? Most of are under the spell that he's like the perfect fighting machine...
Emanuel Steward: "No, Mayweather's definitely not the perfect fighter. He's very fortunate in the fighters he's beaten. The timing was very good on those particular nights. I know the behind the scenes stories. But if someone crowds him and puts pressure on him - and gets close to him before they punch - not punching from a distance - pressure - and then punching right when they get on top of him - he will have problems. I don't know if Zab is going to be focused. He has, Zab has the ability to beat Mayweather. But he's gonna have to have his mind totally focused on boxing. And not on other non-boxing related activities."
*************: Interesting. Can Antonio Margarito beat Mayweather?
Emanuel Steward: "Yes. He can beat him. Yes. He's a big guy and I think if he waits till he gets over top of him - you can't throw punches from too far out - break and counter. Because he likes to wait and counter. If you get too close to him, you can do a lot of damage. Ricky Hatton was able to beat Kostya Tszyu because Kostya Tszyu (preferred to fight) at a distance where he could control and analyze things - he was great with boxers. When I talked with Ricky Hatton - because I had trained Vince Phillips to beat (Tszyu) - eventhough I didn't work the corner, he trained at the Kronk Gym. And I said (to Hatton), Don't be intelligent, just be an animal. And keep putting pressure and don't punch till you're very close. And that's what happened in both fights where Kostya Tszyu lost. The same patterns could work against Floyd Mayweather."
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