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February 1999
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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LISTEN TO FATHER
As predicted by Floyd Mayweather Sr, the super feather champ was a different class to Manfredy |
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QUICK & QUALITY: Slick Mayweather overwhelmed tough challenger with
speed, power and precision
- Get Big Pic Once again, Floyd Mayweather Sr. got it right. He told us that his son, Floyd
Mayweather Jr., would beat Genaro Hernandez so easily it would be no contest. He was
right. Then, he said that Little Floyd as he calls his son - would not only stop Angel
Manfredy, but that the eagerly awaited bout would be like a walk in the park. And so it
was. Mayweather, only 21 and in his 19th fight, looked dominant as he slammed Manfredy in
the second round to retain his World Boxing Council super featherweight title in the Home
Box Office main event at Miccosukee Indian Gaming, Miami on 19 December. And, over the
phone after the fight, Floyd Sr. said: "Graham, you've got to start listening to
the father. Everything I've told you has come to pass. Little Floyd was in better
shape and much stronger for this fight than he was for Genaro, and punching much harder,
and Manfredy's not even the fighter that Genaro is. We knew it wouldn't go five
rounds. We knew if Manfredy came in to Little Floyd he'd get hurt, but he had no choice
because he was too short to stay outside." It sounds easy, and it was, even though
Manfredy, emotionally pumped, was as aggressive as he had promised to be. But just
when it looked as if Manfredy might be starting to give Mayweather the predicted severe
test, he got caught and hurt - and was given no chance to recover. Manfredy, the
24-year-old from the Chicago area, protested afterwards that ex-fighter ref Frank Santore
had intervened too soon, with 13 seconds remaining in round two. But while Manfredy had
not been dropped, he was on the ropes and had not replied to a 30-punch barrage from the
1996 Olympic bronze medallist. Even though a lot of Mayweather's punches missed,
there were so many being thrown that the referee could not be faulted too much for
stepping in. This fight showed that Mayweather might even be as good as his dad says he is. When
Mayweather stopped Hernandez last October to win the super feather title, some might have
argued that age had caught up with the old champion. But the senior Mayweather said:
"Manfredy's a young man - what are they [the critics] gonna say now?" What
indeed? Mayweather is a fast, talented, hard-hitting young man who looks virtually
unbeatable in his weight class of 9st 4lbs (130lbs), although Roberto Garcia, the
International Boxing Federation champion, would make a pleasing fight with him. Some might
say that Mayweather should consider moving up to lightweight to meet Shane Mosley, the
undefeated IBF champion. But all in good time. Mayweather Sr. explained: "Little
Floyd will whip Shane Mosley, I'll tell you that. The only thing is, there's no
point for Little Floyd to move [up], he makes weight too easily. If he was struggling to
make weight, I'd be the first one to say we'd fight Shane Mosley. He's got
too many skills for Shane Mosley. "Little Floyd ate breakfast and still made weight easily. I'm not going to be
stupid, just because my son has the skills he has, and is as good as he is, to push him
[into the lightweight division] when he's not ready." The plan for Mayweather is
to clean up his own division, the way champs in the old days did it: taking on all comers. Manfredy, shunning his devil's mask on the ring walk, is a man given to imagery
and visions. He talked of seeing of seeing the green WBC belt strapped around his waist,
and Mayweather on the floor, in pre-fight dreams. But the reality was that Mayweather was
too good and hit much too hard. A right-hander in the opening round steadied Manfredy but
he came back with spirited attacks. But Manfredy was gambling as he tried to close the
distance, and in the second, after a couple of southpaw switches, Mayweather landed a big
right that in effect decided the fight. Manfredy did not go down but his legs buckled and for a moment his senses seemed as
jumbled as the tattoos that cover his arms, shoulders and torso. Mayweather jumped right
on him, letting the punches fly. A left uppercut snapped back Manfredy's head, other
big shots missed the mark but Mayweather kept throwing. With nothing coming back from
Manfredy, referee Santore - a 1970s Florida lightweight - called a halt. The great disappointment that Manfredy felt was understandable. He talked of
"politics" being responsible for the fight ending the way it did, but if the
referee might have come in a little quickly it probably would not have made much
difference. Had Manfredy survived to the end of the second it seemed inevitable that he
would have been nailed again soon after. Mayweather had Manfredy's style nicely
worked out and was able to catch him with the right. Rematch? No point, not unless
Manfredy can reestablish himself with some impressive wins. No wonder the odds in Las Vegas jumped from 2-1 on to 4-1 on Mayweather by fight time.
But back to Floyd Sr., who said: "Little Floyd is the best fighter out there without
a doubt. In two years as a pro, how many kids do you know who have done what he has done?
He's done whipped the top two guys in the division already. He won't bar [avoid]
nobody at that weight, and whenever my son decides to move up, Shane Mosley and whoever
had better start finding another division." In the other big fight on the bill, unbeaten heavyweight Hasim Rahman was winning on
all three judges' scorecards until stopped controversially by David Tua, the squat
Samoan slugger, in the 10th of their scheduled 12-rounder. But this was a tainted
win by the 26-year-old Tua, who clearly seemed to hit Rahman with a left hook after the
bell had sounded to end the ninth round. Rahman never recovered, and was overpowered after
35 seconds of round 10 as referee Tellis Assimenios jumped between the fighters. It was, by general consensus, a quick call by the ref, who was handling his first big
fight. But there was just too long to go in the 10th, surely, for Rahman to have been able
to survive against a desperate, dangerous opponent who was finally letting his fists fly.
Tua was missing with most of the punches he threw in the 10th-round barrage, but he had
Rahman up against the ropes and apparently at his mercy. Rahman protested and pushed the
referee after the fight was stopped, but his legs were not too steady and he did a little
stagger. But Rahman has a valid complaint that Tua was allowed to get away with an
after-the-bell blow. Rahman seemed to have relaxed on the ropes when the bell ended the
ninth and Tua clocked him. The 26-year-old from Baltimore weaved drunkenly on the way back
to his corner. It did not take a genius to know that Rahman would need a lot more than the
standard one-minute rest to hold off Tua in the 10th. Afterwards, the referee said
that Tua's errant punch had been on the way when the bell went. Not according to the
TV replays it wasn't. Rahman's camp has protested to the Florida commission and also to the
International Boxing Federation, the fight having been an IBF heavyweight final
eliminator. Co-manager Bob Mittleman said over the phone from Miami: "The punch was
about two seconds after the bell and thrown with deliberate intention. The referee was
incompetent but the Florida commission forced him down our throats. But, why was Rahman
laying on the ropes? He was winning fighting Tua's fight." When Rahman was on
the outside he scored points, using the jab effectively to leave his opponent's face
red and puffy. But at other times Rahman seemed content to go to the ropes or stand
shoulder to shoulder. It was at these moments that Tua was able to dig hurtful shots to
the body. Rahman seemed able to take the blows to the head, but the ones underneath could
have been wearing him down more than he would like to admit. Tua's trainer, Ronnie Shields, said the Samoan had not heard the bell to end the
ninth due to the noise of the crowd. "I had Rahman way ahead also, but the body shots
were hurting him and it was a matter of time," Shields said. "David said he felt
sluggish and it has happened to him before. We just try to fire him up in the corner as
much as we can. But when he hurts a guy he really goes after him. If they fight again,
David knocks him out earlier." The judges had Rahman leading by scores of 89-82,
89-92 again and 87-84 after nine rounds, but a puncher like Tua is dangerous till the very
end, as he showed in late-round stoppages of David Izon and Oleg Maskaev. He needs only
one clear shot at an opponent's chin to turn a fight completely around, and Rahman
gave it to him. I sympathised with Rahman, but he failed to follow the cardinal rule of
boxing: protect yourself at all times. - GRAHAM HOUSTON |
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