‘Dangerous’ Don Moore(17-0-1, 11KO’s) is a lightweight fighter from Gary, Indiana who has been sparring with Floyd Mayweather Jr(47-0, 26KO’s) as he prepares to stake his WBA Super and WBC welterweight titles against Manny Pacquiao(57-5-2, 38KO’s) and his WBO belt on May 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
This fight will be a culmination of over five years of speculation and demand from fans worldwide and will be remembered forever after as one of those rare occasions when the best took on the best. As long as the action between the ropes gets somewhere near the hype that preceded it, it will be stand firm as a landmark event.
Moore has had a significant contribution to make by helping Floyd ready himself for the task, and he shared his thoughts with Dontae’s Boxing Nation on how he rated the sport’s biggest star.
“Floyd, he explosive man, he strong as hell.”
“I’m trying to wrap him up, learn from him, ducking and dodging and running off combinations man and he see everything. It’s like man, master of boxing.”
Floyd has always been an impressive physical specimen with a strong core. He never looks fatigued, ever, and his spine remains in that rigid upright line when he bends at the waist and knees. He is a gifted athlete whose natural talents have been sharpened by his dedication to the mastery of his craft, and so he always looks to be one step ahead of his opponents, even in sparring. He seems to have left quite an impression on Moore anyway.
Perhaps the only criticism that can be made of Floyd in competition is he rarely seems to look for the knockout. Mayweather is happy to pot shot and pull back from his foe’s attempted blows all the way to the bell at the end father twelfth round. This ‘safety-first’ mentality is one of the biggest contributors to his undefeated record, and it could be one of the reasons he hasn’t won more fights by stoppage. He has also had numerous hand problems in the past which is a more obvious reason for him choosing not to power-up on his shots. Whatever the cause Moore jumped to Floyd’s defence on the issue, drawing a fair distinction between those who write and those who fight in the process.
“They don’t know shit about boxing man.”
“Everybody talk that talk until they get hit in the mouth. You can train boxing, but you gotta be a fighter to get in that ring and actually be explosive, to actually have the agility and ability to dodge punches and counterpunch.”
It must be tiresome for any fighter to listen to and read the opinions of the uninitiated, who comment on and often criticise those who are brave enough to step between the ropes and test themselves. But that doesn’t mean some outside observations are invalid. At the lighter weights, Floyd was knocking guys out much more frequently than he does these days. It is undeniable that being in against larger men who can absorb more punishment is also a factor in Floyd going the distance so often. It is also important to point out that physical strength does not necessarily amount to having heavy hands. Look at the UK middleweight Martin Murray, for instance, the man is a tank but hardly stops anyone he faces.
Not all evaluations are personal.
