FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR
Born: 24 February 1977Birth Place: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USANationality: AmericanNickname: Pretty Boy & MoneyDivision: Super Featherweight (130lbs) -Light Middleweight (154lbs)Height: 5’ 8” / 173cmReach: 72″ / 183cmACCOMPLISHMENTS
• National Amateur Golden Gloves Champion 1993, 1994 and 1996• 1996 Olympic Bronze Medallist• Eight Time World Champion in Five Different Weight Classes• Lineal Championship in Three Different Weight Classes• The Ring 1998 & 2007 Fighter of the Year• Best Fighter ESPY Award 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012• Regarded as the Number One Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World• Forbes and Sports Illustrated Fortune 50 of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes of 2012GREATEST ASSETS
• Defensive Skills – Shoulder Roll• Ring IntelligenceFloyd Mayweather Jr is a pure boxer who has excellent all round skills. Regarded as one of the greatest defensive fighters of all time, he has rarely ever been hit cleanly during a fight. This is due to his almost perfect defensive stance, quick reflexes and movement.The tremendous counter-punching abilities that Mayweather possesses minimizes his opponents punch output. A highly skilled technician, Mayweather’s ring IQ is remarkable. He rarely loses rounds, and is able to neutralise any advantages his opponents may have him.HOW?
No matter how superb he is, Mayweather has his critics too. He has been criticized for hand picking opponents, although he’s faced many great fighters and is still undefeated. A showdown with another all-time great and arch rival Manny Pacquiao has yet to materialize, but is almost guaranteed to be the biggest fight in boxing history.Both sides has been criticized for preventing the fight by using different reasons and excuses. Mayweather’s trash talking and behaviour outside the ring has invited much hatred but has also made him the highest paid boxer who has smashed all-time PPV records.Known for his hard work and dedication to his trade, Mayweather has a rigorous training routine.• Prefers to train in the early hours of the morning around 3AM in his hometown of Las Vegas.• Mayweather performs workouts blindfolded to improve co-ordination and balance.• Mastered a variety of rope skipping techniques which gives him his excellent footwork.• Trainer and uncle Roger provides quick reflexed based pad work which specifically focuses on speed and accuracy as opposed strength and power.Floyd Mayweather Jr has had injury problems concerning his hands in the past, so he’s very careful when hitting heavy bags. He relies on other departments to win fights rather than power. His conditioning is second to none and he always stays in shape even when he’s not preparing for a fight.ROBERTO DURAN
Born: 16 June 1951Birth Place: El Chorrillo, PanamaNationality: PanamanianNickname: Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone)Division: Lightweight (135lbs) -Super Middleweight (168lbs)Height: 5’ 7” / 170 cmReach: 66″ / 168 cmACCOMPLISHMENTS
• The Ring’s 5th greatest fighter of the last 80 years• Associated Press’ #1 lightweight of the 20th century• Five Time World Champion in Four Different Weight ClassesGREATEST ASSETS
• FerociousnessRoberto Duran wasn’t an ordinary brawler. He was a great body puncher with decent power in both hands, and unlike many brawlers, Duran had great defensive skills also.He was able to subtly slip punches often with his arms by his waist, but Duran’s greatest attribute was his ferocity in the ring. His sheer aggression would intimidate and wear his opponents down especially when he was fighting at his best in the lightweight division.HOW?
Raised in the slums of El Chorrillo, Panama, Robert Duran is no stranger to hardship. Fighting for survival and even for fun, made Duran a beast in the ring. The infamous story of when Duran knocked out a horse in his younger days for a bottle of whiskey, shows the kind of mentality he had.Even with little amateur experience, Duran often sparred with much more experienced fighters. He turned professional at just 16 and won his first world title at 21.Duran’s record was 72-1 until he moved up to Welterweight to face the extraordinary Sugar Ray Leonard. Infuriated by the fact that Leonard was making five times more than him despite having a much better record, Duran vented his frustration in their fight. Known as “The Brawl in Montreal”, Duran outfought and even out-boxed Leonard throughout the fight to win a decision.Their rematch destroyed Duran’s reputation as he quit due to being frustrated by his inability to hit Leonard while being taunted at the same time. Now coined as the “No Mas” (no more) fight, Duran had to endure mockery and criticism after this incident.After several years of ups and downs, his reputation was restored after winning some very tough fights and adding several world titles to his collection.What makes Roberto Duran such a great fighter? First and foreman, Duran is a fighter at heart. He had natural abilities but his mentality is something that cannot be emulated.At his worst, Duran would indulge in women and food even when he had upcoming fights, but at his best, he would approach training the same way he fought - with ferocity.He would rope skip at such a fast pace while performing “double unders” and jump squats at the same time. He would also bounce the speed bag around effectively with his head.Sparring with much bigger men was a normal occurrence and it helped him to succeed in the heavier weight divisions. Roberto Duran retired from boxing at the age of 50 due to a car crash, but he would’ve almost certainly continued to fight as long as he could if it wasn’t for the accident.MANNY PACQUIAO
Born: 17 December 1978Birth Place: Kibawe, Bukidnon, PhilippinesNationality: FilipinoNickname: PacmanDivision: Flyweight (112lbs) -Light Middleweight (154lbs)Height: 5’ 6½” / 169 cmReach: 67″ / 170 cmACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Ten Time World Champion in Eight Different Weight Classes• First to Win the Lineal Championship in Four Different Weight Classes• Regarded as the Number One Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World•The Ring & BWAA 06’, 08’ & 09’ Fighter of the Year / Best Fighter ESPY Award in 09’ & 11’• BWAA, HBO, WBO & WBA Fighter of the Decade• Forbes 5thWorld’s Highest-Paid Athletes of 2012 / TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2009• Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army• Congressman in the Provincial Capital of SaranganiGREATEST ASSETS
• Powerful Straight Left Hand• Fast Hands and FeetManny Pacquiao’s straight left hand is notorious for its destructive power, mainly due to its blistering speed. It has put many fighters down and out. As his career progressed, he has improved his right hooks but it doesn’t come close to the effect his straight left has on his opponents.A natural southpaw, Pacquiao’s footwork is so unorthodox that it puts him into positions where he can punch at the most awkward angles which befuddles his opponents.HOW?
Manny Pacquiao’s ascent through the weight classes is nothing short of spectacular. From Flyweight to Light Middleweight, he faced some of the best fighters in the world and destroyed many of them in the process.However, his name will forever be linked to another all-time great, Floyd Mayweather Jr, and the question as to who is the best pound-for-pound fighter in their era will forever be debated as long as they never fight each other. His high work rate,• lightning speed, devastating power and killer instinct has made him one of the greatest fighters of all time.• Stays in shape all year round and loves to play basketball to improve his coordination, agility as well as maintain his stamina.• Has six meals and six protein shakes a day when in training for a fight.• Does a lot of plyometric exercises, most notably throwing medicine balls and hitting a heavy bag continuously with a baseball bat.• Performs 1400 crunches everyday during training.• Gets hit around the entire body with a bamboo stick to strengthen his body to absorb punches.Pacquiao is very well known for his hard work ethic, and it shows in his machine like performances. It’s not unusual for his trainer Freddie Roach, to tell him to slow down or stop to let his body rest.To learn how to maximize strength, lose fat and build a lean physique without affecting body responsiveness, I recommend you to check out Show & Go Training.Click here to find out more:
