#4 Power
Now although most critics and fans have never been too high on Floyd’s KO power, he was, in fact, a knockout artist early on in his career — right from the amateurs to the professional circuit.
However, ironically enough, his hands have always been his biggest weakness, which, in turn, makes the fact that he is one of the greatest pugilists of all time even more impressive. He has been known to break his hands multiple times in training as well as in a few of his bouts.
For those who aren’t too familiar with the intricacies of the Sweet Science, here’s something that may surprise you: You don’t need to carry that one-shot KO power in order to knock someone out.
Here’s why:
The reason behind a human being getting knocked out is the sudden, unnatural rotation of the brain inside the skull. On that note, one ought to understand that severe blunt force trauma can also cause the brain to temporarily shut down, resulting in a KO. However, even boxers with brittle hands like Floyd are skilled enough to generate just enough amount of leverage in their punches that causes the opponent’s brain to violently rotate within the confines of their skull. The result? Floyd Mayweather wins by KO/TKO.
This power is generated through the skilful placement of one’s feet on the ground and the correct rotation of the hips and feet depending on the punch and the location of the target.
Floyd needs to stay light on his feet and pepper Conor with long range shots. Should there be a clinch (something that I’ve explained in detail in the points that follow), Mayweather ought to tweak his strategy accordingly. For those doubting Mayweather’s power, you’d be remiss to rule out the point that he does, in fact, possess the power -- through the sheer beauty of his pugilistic technique -- to score that kill-shot over any man at a given time.
However, he’d have to plant his feet in order to unload his power punches, hooks and uppercuts, apart from that snapping right straight/cross. I see Floyd starting to sit down more on his punches after Round 3.