Before Floyd Mayweather (43-0, 26 KOs) and Robert Guerrero (31-1-1, 18 KOs) step into the ring against each other Saturday night in Las Vegas, the duo had to officially weigh in for the mega fight.
The result was one of the most intense standoffs in recent boxing memory (h/t Showtime Sports):
While many fans and experts don’t think twice about the weigh-in and how it could reveal where each man is mentally, Friday’s showdown was a great gauge of how each of these world-class fighters was feeling heading into Saturday’s marquee bout.
It’s going to be a brutal fight, and judging from the demeanor of Mayweather and Guerrero, each man has mentally prepared himself the best he possibly could for this in-ring war.
Floyd Mayweather
The biggest note from Mayweather’s demeanor on Friday night was the lack of flamboyancy from the undefeated champion. Money is the ultimate showman, and besides chewing gum throughout the process, he hardly made a peep during the actual weigh-in and the faceoff.
Mayweather is one of the most confident fighters in the history of the sport—one of the reasons he’s gone 43 fights without a loss—but that wasn’t on full display Friday. Whether it’s Guerrero or Father Time getting in Money’s head, it’s clear that some doubt is creeping into the mind of the bona fide legend.
That doubt will force Mayweather to focus, and a focused Floyd is the most dangerous.
Money had a huge smile on his face talking to the media after the weigh-in and looked excited to be back in front of the fans. But it was his demeanor during the actual staredown with Guerrero that has some believing Mayweather’s unwavering confidence may be disappearing with age.
This wasn’t the same Money boxing fans are accustomed to seeing.
Robert Guerrero
Guerrero has absolutely nothing to lose in this bout, and with some distinct advantages over Mayweather—including the pivotal power-punching edge—The Ghost has utter confidence in his talent and his chance to win Saturday night.
While Guerrero’s father has done nothing but talk throughout this process, The Ghost has been much more subdued in the build. But his confidence showed through during the weigh-in Friday. Instead of being intimidated by Mayweather and the grand stage, Guerrero looked like the more prepared fighter mentally.
Despite that unwavering confidence, many fans and boxing insiders—including promoter Dave Coldwell—are still not giving The Ghost a chance to win Saturday’s fight:
If it wasn’t for The Ghost’s management and training team pulling him away from the face-to-face encounter, there is little doubt that Guerrero would have stayed in Money’s face until the champion walked away or the meeting came to blows.
The boxing world is used to Mayweather dominating the talking during this pre-fight ritual, but Guerrero stole the show Friday night.
If someone was watching just the weigh-in this time and knew nothing of the fighters, it would be easy to think it was Guerrero coming into as the fight undefeated and the heavy favorite, not the other way around.
If pre-fight demeanor is a true gauge of the fighters and their readiness for the fight, Guerrero’s chances of being the Buster Douglas to Mayweather’s Mike Tyson are through the roof.
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