For Floyd Mayweather Jr., his 36 wins, his claim for pound-for-pound status and his hopes (and expectations) of retiring undefeated as a Hall-of-Fame lock are direct results of his discipline.
And why shouldn’t he think that way? He is a professional these days in all manners of the term. Just like the differences in work ethics between pick-up basketball players ?who strive for competition on the blacktop, and NBA superstars ?who improve their games by practicing free throws and jump shots by the thousands everyday, Mayweather views the sport of boxing as a job that has to be done to perfection.
Thanks in part to the growing library of gym footage on the Internet, Mayweather’s workout routine is growing in legend, spawning imitators who strive to catch on to the methods that have worked so well while hoping to catch up to Floyd before he pulls even further away. Like Tiger Woods, he has forced his competitors to raise their games. After spending time as a sparring partner in Mayweather’s camp, DeMarcus Corley ?who lost to Floyd in 2004 ?told HBO that he had decided to incorporate 500 daily sit-ups into his own routine.
It speaks plenty to Mayweather’s discipline when he weighs in at 146 for his welterweight fight with Zab Judah and then maintains the same poundage when HBO puts him on their unofficial scales the next day. There are no massive weight drops through dehydration, no additions of over a dozen pounds between weigh-in and pre-fight instructions and no problems with stamina or facial cutting and swelling as a result.
But as much as Mayweather’s dedication in training camp has gained exposure, there was an extra emphasis on his qualities this time around when they were contrasted with his opponent this past weekend, Zab Judah. [details]
And why shouldn’t he think that way? He is a professional these days in all manners of the term. Just like the differences in work ethics between pick-up basketball players ?who strive for competition on the blacktop, and NBA superstars ?who improve their games by practicing free throws and jump shots by the thousands everyday, Mayweather views the sport of boxing as a job that has to be done to perfection.
Thanks in part to the growing library of gym footage on the Internet, Mayweather’s workout routine is growing in legend, spawning imitators who strive to catch on to the methods that have worked so well while hoping to catch up to Floyd before he pulls even further away. Like Tiger Woods, he has forced his competitors to raise their games. After spending time as a sparring partner in Mayweather’s camp, DeMarcus Corley ?who lost to Floyd in 2004 ?told HBO that he had decided to incorporate 500 daily sit-ups into his own routine.
It speaks plenty to Mayweather’s discipline when he weighs in at 146 for his welterweight fight with Zab Judah and then maintains the same poundage when HBO puts him on their unofficial scales the next day. There are no massive weight drops through dehydration, no additions of over a dozen pounds between weigh-in and pre-fight instructions and no problems with stamina or facial cutting and swelling as a result.
But as much as Mayweather’s dedication in training camp has gained exposure, there was an extra emphasis on his qualities this time around when they were contrasted with his opponent this past weekend, Zab Judah. [details]
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