All of Floyd "Money" Mayweather's fights tend to transcend the boxing world, and his bout with Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero on Saturday night fits the bill as well. Not only is Mayweather's WBC welterweight championship on the line, but so is his unblemished 43-0 record as a professional.
Mayweather is heavily favored as he is in most of his fights, but Guerrero definitely poses a major threat. He is 31-1-1 with 18 knockouts and is coming off a decisive victory over Andre Berto. The 30-year-old Guerrero is six years younger than Mayweather and seems to truly believe that he has the tools necessary to defeat Mayweather.
Many fighters before him have been confident in their ability to beat Mayweather as well, but nobody has been able to. Regardless of how things play out, history will be made as Mayweather will either improve his record to 44-0 or Guerrero will become the first man to defeat him.
Check back throughout the night for round-by-round updates courtesy of Bleacher Report's live blog, and keep reading to learn how each fighter can potentially triumph on Saturday night.
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*Be sure to follow all the action on Bleacher Report's live round-by-round blog.
Keys to Mayweather Victory
It is no secret that Mayweather is an extremely special fighter; a big reason for that is his ability to adapt to any situation. Mayweather is a virtual chameleon in the ring as he tailors his game plan to his opponent. The main constants in Mayweather's arsenal, however, are his top-flight quickness and defensive skills. Mayweather has sneaky power as evidenced by his 26 career knockouts, but as he has gotten older he has resorted to outsmarting and outlasting his opponents.
Mayweather must do precisely that to defeat Guerrero. Even though Guerrero is the younger fighter, it is clear from watching both men that Mayweather is significantly faster and more difficult to square up.
One of the biggest things that Mayweather's opponents struggle with is finding a rhythm. Mayweather is constantly a moving target, and even when they think that they have Mayweather dead to rights, he somehow manages to squirm away and avoid damage.
Mayweather is incredibly frustrating to fight against, and he has a tendency to throw boxers off their game. In all likelihood, that is what Mayweather will try to do against Guerrero. Mayweather will attempt to nickel-and-dime Guerrero throughout the contest and ultimately go to the scorecards.
It's very hard to imagine Guerrero beating Mayweather by decision, so Mayweather's best bet is to go the distance, but if an opportunity for a knockout presents itself, he shouldn't pass it up either.
Keys to Guerrero Victory
While Guerrero isn't known as the most devastating power puncher in the welterweight division, he definitely has some knockout potential with 18 of them in his career.
Mayweather, on the other hand, has never been knocked out. Not only does he have a strong chin, but it's extremely difficult to hit him with combinations as it is. Even so, Guerrero's best chance to win this fight is likely by way of knockout, as beating Mayweather on the scorecards is nearly impossible.
Mayweather generally lets his opponents be aggressive and creates his own offense based on that aggressiveness. Even though Mayweather is incredibly dangerous as a counter-puncher, Guerrero has to push the pace in this fight and force Mayweather to change his strategy.
Mayweather is great at winning early rounds and building upon his lead throughout the fight. If Guerrero can get up early, though, perhaps Mayweather will do a bit more freewheeling and leave himself open.
Even if Mayweather falls behind, his stamina is so incredible that he can thrive late in the fight and come back. Guerrero needs to get Mayweather out of his element and force him into a slug fest. Mayweather may not take the bait, but Guerrero could potentially corner him. If Mayweather is forced to abandon his defensive posture, then Guerrero may be able to catch him flush and knock him out. If he can't do that, it will be tough for "The Ghost" to prevail.
Final Prediction
Saying that something is a "sure thing" is very dangerous in boxing, but Mayweather has been as close to a sure thing over the past 17 years as is humanly possible. There have been very few instances during his career in which he has found himself in a precarious position. Guerrero will do everything in his power to flip the fight in his favor, but Mayweather is one of the best ever when it comes to adjusting over the course of a fight.
Rather than worrying about his opponent, he tends to stick to his own game plan by using his speed and elusiveness. As long as Mayweather sticks to his guns on Saturday night, Guerrero will be in a world of trouble.
Mayweather is at a totally different level than pretty much any fighter in the sport, and his opponents find that out when they step into the ring with him. Guerrero may feel like he is prepared, but it will probably be a different story when the bell rings.
Mayweather won't do anything too crazy in this fight and he'll be happy to go to the scorecards. If that happens, then a unanimous-decision victory for Mayweather is likely. That has become Mayweather's bread and butter in recent years, and he'll go to that well once again against Guerrero.
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