Watch: Olympic Medalist Exposes Floyd Mayweather’s Secret Behind Speed of His Punches

Ever wondered what distinguishes Floyd Mayweather from the rest of the fighters of his time? Avid boxing enthusiasts have always been in awe of his defensive skills, and counter-punching, but mostly his speed in landing powerful jabs at his opponents. Over the years, multiple boxers have tried to imbibe that peculiar style of ‘Money’ in their regimen; however, it’s been hard to decode the secrets behind it. Until now.

Mayweather has fought and defeated the likes of Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Alvarez, and Shane Mosley. After having passed through all of these stalwart opponents, Mayweather retired with an untainted record of 50-0. To his credit, these wins were anything but a fluke. In an effort to decipher his strategy and the way he operated in the ring, an Olympian has chimed in with his analysis.

It’s All About Reducing the Distance

British boxer and 2008 Summer Olympics bronze medallist, Tony Jeffries, in his attempt to deconstruct the jabbing technique of Floyd Mayweather, struck gold. On his YouTube channel, he uploaded a short video, in which he explained why Floyd Mayweather’s punches were faster than those of his contemporaries. While doing so, the fighter noted, “Here’s the secret Floyd Mayweather used to use to get more speed into his punches. Regularly, when we throw punches from our fists like this, it is pretty fast, but Floyd, one of the greatest fighters of all time, could punch even faster.”

The light heavyweight, who last fought in 2011, further noted, “And what he used to frustrate his opponents was to do was put his arm here and throw jabs from this position. Now, if you think, because it’s halfway out, it’s got half the distance to travel, and if it’s got half a distance to travel, it’ll go twice as fast. And it’ll look like this.”

Jeffries, who remains undefeated with 9 wins in his corner, explained how the focus remains on speed and not power, and putting his hand up and punching from that position helps reduce the distance, thereby reducing the time it takes to strike at his opponents. He remarked, “Now, we’re not generating any power in the punch, but it’s not about power. It’s about Floyd Mayweather’s speed. Just like that.”

While Jeffries might have hit the bullseye in realizing how Floyd Mayweather was so fast in his jabs, the latter believed that it was not this speed or power that contributed to his success in the ring.

The Real Reason Behind Floyd Mayweather’s Success

In a resurfaced video, a young Mayweather spilled the beans about his success in the competitive sport of boxing. Larry Merchant probed Mayweather if the reason had to do with his speed or power, but the fighter had other reasons to argue. He noted, “Yes, but that’s not the reason why I’m winning. It’s not that I’m fast, it’s not that I’m strong. It’s not cause I come from a family of fighters.” Mayweather continued, “It’s because I’m the smartest up here,” and he taps his head to emphasize his point. Here, he shifts the focus from physical attributes to mental prowess. He added, “There’s no fighter that can match me up here.”

Also read: Snubbing Devin Haney, Ryan Garcia Fighting Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero Is More Beneficial for Floyd Mayweather

Mayweather’s elaboration and Tony Jeffries’ deconstruction present a blueprint for today’s fighters to get big in the sport of boxing. It is these lessons that could help them not just get inspiration from money but also follow in the footsteps of a fighter who is counted among the greatest.

What do you think about Jeffries’ attempt to gauge the reason behind Mayweather’s speed? Let us know in the comments section below.

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