How hard can Floyd punch?

I'm making this thread purely because of a couple of comments from Kenneth and Sly.

Kenneth said a few days ago that he thinks Floyd punches "very hard" and stated he thinks he punches harder than Cotto.

Sly said yesterday he thinks Floyd punches as hard as Forrest.

Now, although I quite like Sly, I don't really take what he says seriously - Floyd punching as hard as Vernon, or having accomplished as much as Pacquiao - I don't think he really believes it. But he obviously thinks Floyd punches fairly hard to even suggest such a thing.

So what about the rest of you? How hard a puncher do you think he is?

Ironically, I always say Floyd has slightly underrated power. But that's more in response to the notion that he is feather fisted or can't punch at all. That's clearly not true.

I think he has average power at 147, and in all the weight classes he's campaigned in. Similar sort of power to Casamayor. Sharp, stinging, accurate punches that can no doubt hurt, and get knockdowns/stoppages, but not true KO power.

I think the only time Floyd has exhibited what looked like KO power was against Hatton, but even then, Hatton was tired and frustrated and literally ran into the punch then smashed his face on the turnbuckle ::

I think Vernon could hit considerably harder, and so does Cotto. Cotto isn't a true KO puncher either, but he has effortlessly heavy hands.

So what say ye about Flid's power? Below average, average, above average?

 

you will rarely see mayweather jr put everything or nearly everything on his punches. one of the few times i saw him do so was against vargas. he was moving a lot and outboxing vargas until he was cornered and then he let loose and dropped vargas with a body shot. if there ever comes a time when mayweather jr is actually in a tough, gritty fight where he has to dig down then people will see he has more ability that he has yet to show.

 

I think it's RELATIVE.

The same way we can't talk about Margarito's career without mentioning the loaded wraps. Has he been fighting with plaster all those fights and how he would do with or without them?

The same goes for Floyd and his use of XYLOCAINE injections in his hands. ILLEGAL in 49 states except Vegas. How hard would he punch with or without XYLOCAINE?

Having said that, I think he has average power. He has incredible speed and punches very sharply and accurately ADDING to any power he has.

Without the XYLOCAINE and with PAIN in his hands, he wouldn't punch as hard as he does.

 

Brittle pussy hands!

 

At 130 and even 135 to a degree I'd say Floyd was P4P one of the hardest punchers in the game. he was underrated in my opinion. At 147 I don't think he's a hard puncher, but a very sharp puncher. Kinda like James Toney.

Toney could hurt guys simply because he'd hit when and where it wasn't expected...how else could he have hurt and stopped Holyfield?

The same holds true with Floyd.

 

Sorry, Mex, but this will be one of those threads where there will be a lot of views but Floyd groupies won't come near opining about it. Not a subject they like to talk about.

Sure there might be some DELUSIONAL drible about Mayweather hitting harder than Forrest, but when it comes to getting to the bottom of what he does in order to be able to throw the number of punches that he does, they EERILY become SILENT.

 

Agreed.

 

what is your pick for may 1st?

 

Musze you have to be kidding me. I agree he was underrated, power wise, but a P4P puncher?

Even impressive stoppage wins like Manfredy, it was just a non stop barrage of punches that caused the stoppage, Floyd has never been a 1 punch puncher. Corrales was a P4P puncher that could put someone away or change a fight with 1 punch.

After he fought Chico, against Chavez, Hernandez, Castillo, Sosa etc, he didn't even look close to being a P4P puncher, his power looked just... average.

I've always said Floyd had underrated power, now it seems his power has become overrated ::

 

whiskey I'd like you to disagree more.

 

No, Floyd doesn't hit as hard as Cotto or Forrest. He's a sharp puncher though and sometimes accuracy and the ability to land shots your opponent doesn't see matters more.

 

P4P Toney hit way harder than Mayweather AND he did it in the POCKET. Agree they are extremely accurate sharp shooters.

 

Basically yeah. I don't think there's much force on Floyd's punches to be honest, in regards to pure power, but sharpness, accuracy, and speed can result in effective punches that can hurt an opponent.

But a P4P puncher? As effective a puncher as Vernon or Cotto? Nah.

 

Floyd is not featherfisted and yes he punches as hard as vernon Forrest did.

Vernon, like Floyd, was no devastating puncher (took ages to get rid of chinny Adrian Stone when Mosley cleaned his clock in just 3 rounds) and couldn't hurt Mayorga in two fights, but vernon had weight to his punches...as Mosley himself felt.

Floyd punches as hard as Forrest definitely. All of Floyd's opponents say that his punches hurt. Oscar may pretend otherwise...but he too was shaken a little bit by Floyd (3rd and 5th) and Oscar has a granite chin.

By the way....Pacquaio didn't KO Oscar or even drop him. People seem to forget this. Oscar's coner retired the fight (quite rightly) as Oscar was basially just eating punches and offering nothing in return.

Hatton had walked through Tszyu's punches and Tszyu punched hard (ask Mitchell, Chavez and Judah) but Mayweather was hurting Hatton as early as the 4th round.

So mayweather is not a BANGER or a huge puncher...but he has heavy hands and rather sharp punches.

bottomline is...contrary to popular fightbeat opinion...mosley can't just walk through Mayweather's punches as if his (Shane's) name is Marvin Hagler.

 

This boy's onto something

 

I'll consider it.

 

Wow.

 

Floyd was a GOOD Puncher @ 130, but his Power has DISSIPATED as he's Moved Up Thru the Weight Classes...He's an AVERAGE Puncher (@ Best) @ Welter...Probably Slightly BELOW Average...


REED:hammert:

 

Dunno...

below average puncher doesn't KO Hatton...

 

::

kinda takes your breath away doesn't it

 

I don't know about that. At 147 Hatton looked downright vulnerable.

The somewhat light punching Collazo had hatton badly hurt. And that was a Hatton that was 1.5 years fresher than the one Floyd fought.

I think Hatton used to have a solid chin, but pies and copious amounts of guiness somehow dissipated it's strength.

Plus "like I said before" - Hatton was tired/frustrated and ran into the punch. It's not like he knocked Hatton out cold in the second round, like Pacquiao did.

 

Couple things though, Mex - Floyd's power, even at 147, isn't what it used to be. Furthermore, Floyd uses pillows. I suspect that if he used Reyes, for instance, he'd shock some of you guys. But like you pointing out that he needed a barrage of punches to stop Manfredy, I suggest you go back and watch again. He was wobbling him with every punch he threw beginning in round one. The same Manfredy that Gatti had difficulty moving. Floyd just doesn't put his all into punches, as someone noted earlier. But when he does...

 

Yep, pretty much.

I'd actually say he was an above average puncher at 130, and in all the other weight classes his power has looked average at world level.

 

BTW, I'm not saying Floyd has one-hitter quitter punches. But like he said himself prior to Corrales, "Why is it that he's considered the bigger puncher when all the guys we both fought, I stopped them earlier?" Obviously, he's not in Corrales' league in terms of power but he makes a valid point.

 

ya gotta ask yourself...Why was Hatton tired when he was only throwing a few punches per round and he's fought at a much higher pace than that previously (against Tszyu for instance)?

Maywather punches are what sapped his strength hombre...

 

Cheering for Mosley (obviously) but I'll go with Floyd winning a closer than expected decision.

Kinda like the Cotto fight...Shane closes well but gives away too many early rounds.

 

seen

i see it the other way...

Shane starts well...perhaps is up after 3 rounds...then it's all Floyd from there on out.

We'll see (hopefully) how it plays out...

 

I haven't seen that fight for a while, well, since it happened. I just remember him slapping Manfredy around on the ropes with a barrage of fast punches, but I don't even remember him dropping Manfredy etc.

I don't remember him wobbling him with every punch, what I do remember clearly though is Corrales against Manfredy, it looked like man vs boy, and I remember clearly the jelly legs dance and baby deer run in the 3rd round ::

You think Floyd has lost power at 147, in the last few years?

Power is usually the last thing to go (ie foreman) - and Floyd looks more solid and strong than ever at 147 now.

You think he showed more power against Zab than he has recently? What top opponent DOESN'T stop Zab? Floyd was being more aggressive than usual late in that fight, when Judah was basically done, and he couldn't KO him.

Doesn't Floyd use winning gloves like Morales did?

Morales still looked to be a decent puncher with winning gloves.

I do love Cleto Reyes gloves though, I used to use them to train, because they are so comfortable. I think the effects they have on power is overrated though.

An 8oz glove is an 8oz glove. It's not like Reyes have half the padding of other 8oz gloves, otherwise it wouldn't still be an 8oz glove and wouldn't be fair. I like Reyes gloves because they fit... like a glove :: and ironically, they hurt my hands less than pad/bag gloves.

 

He also had major hand problems after he moved up and as Neil said he stopped punching full power. When he sat down on his punches he hurt guys.

He managed to visibly bucket Oscar...no?

Because of the hand problems he doesn't punch as well to the head as he does the body. It's not as painful on the hands.

 

Floyd is an average puncher, nothing more, nothing less.