After breaking down film, world-class trainer Naazim Richardson revealed that he saw some tendencies in Floyd Mayweather that would allow Shane Mosley to land his right hand when the opportunity presented itself. That fact would turn out to be true when, in the second round of their long-overdue clash, Mosley was able to land three clean right hands that appeared to buckle the undefeated Mayweather. "I knew we would land that right hand. I seen some tendencies in Mayweather that made me know we could land that shot," Richardson stated in a recent interview with FightHype's own Percy Crawford.
Although Mosley would ultimately lose that bout, the fact that he was able to make Mayweather look vulnerable is a sign that there are indeed some flaws in a fighter that has yet to taste defeat. Richardson would go on to reveal that the key to taking advantage of those flaws might possibly lie in one of Manny Paquiao's greatest assets...his footwork. "See, the right hand landed because of foot placement. I saw some of Floyd's tendencies and told Shane it was going to be about where his feet were and not his hands," Richardson would explain. "When Tarver landed that shot on Roy, it had nothing to do with Roy pulling back with his hands down because he always pull back with his hands down, but it was where Tarver's feet were placed. The way Tarver had his feet placed, he couldn't do anything but land that shot."
Anyone that has ever sparred with Manny Paquiao will tell you that one of his best assets is his footwork. "He has the fastest feet you ever want to see in your life. When I tell you that, I don't think you guys understand that. Like, with Manny, you could be two feet out of range, he jumps on you so quick," up-and-coming welterweight Rashad Holloway once said as he described his experience working with Pacquiao. No stranger to the Filipino superstar, Holloway has served as a chief sparring partner for for many of Pacquiao's biggest fights. In fact, it's Holloway's opinion that Pacquiao's foot speed is much more difficult to deal with than anything else he brings to the table. "His hands are pretty quick, but not the fastest. His feet are what's so quick. He jumps on you and closes the distances so quick, you don't even understand. You think you're out of range and he pops you," he added.
Whether or not Pacquiao's footwork will open up the same opportunities that Mosley had on May 1 remains to be seen. That being said, the fact that he's younger, quicker and more energetic is a sign that he could have many more opportunities than the older, slower Mosley had in the second round. Regardless of the outcome of the fight, Pacquiao's assets will provide a much more difficult challenge for Mayweather than Mosley provided. If Freddie Roach sees the same tendencies that Naazim Richardson saw, you can bet that Pacquiao will indeed succeed where Mosley failed.