(CNN Philippines) — It was the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
A 19-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. took the ring for a semi-final bout against Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov and the chance to fight for the gold in front of a partisan American crowd.
During the course of the bout, a young and very active Mayweather took Todorov head on and exchange blows in the middle of the ring.
It seemed that Mayweather did enough to advance to the gold-medal round. But in a decision that shocked even the referee, who, in fact, raised Mayweather’s hand first, Todorov emerged as the winner after scoring 10-9 over the American.
With the help of boxing analyst Quinito Henson, we’ll give you a round-by-round breakdown of the controversial fight, the last time Mayweather tasted defeat in a competitive match.
ROUND 1
If you are familiar with the way Mayweather fights today, you wouldn’t be able to recognize the fighter bearing the same name in 1996 if you judged him solely on his style.
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“That particular fight, I thought that Mayweather should’ve scored a lot more than 2-1 in the first round… 2-1 in favor of Todorov, that’s how the judges saw it,” said Henson after viewing the fight.
Mayweather came out aggressive and fought fire with fire against the bigger and longer Bulgarian, since in an amateur bout it is usually the more active fighter who gets the victory.
Mayweather now is famed for his defense and movement, the nature of the Todorov fight showed a more offensive fighter that we aren’t used to associating with the man we see today.
“Mayweather may have connected a lot more than Todorov, although that wasn’t reflected in the judges score cards, I thought that he was a little bit careless in the sense that when he was coming in, his defense was opening up,” said Henson.
When he was not looking to attack, though, we see glimpses of the fighter he would become which was more evident after the second round began.
JUDGES SCORECARD
TODOROV 2
MAYWEATHER 1
ROUND 2
The second round was dominated by Mayweather.
The American was relentless in working Todorov around the ring and gave the crowd a preview of the move that he would perfect as he grew in stature as a professional fighter.
“In the second round, Mayweather showed us a glimpse of his shoulder roll… Something that we’re now very familiar with in his professional career,” Henson pointed out.
Mayweather in the second round also showcased that quick over hand right that usually followed him dodging a punch from his opponent as he rolled his shoulder.
Though not as refined yet, at a tender age of 19 years old Mayweather was already working on the foundations of the technique that would cement his place in the boxing hall of fame.
“I was surprised that he already applied that as early as his amateur career, but in the second round I saw that. I didn’t see much of it in the third round, so I thought he was mixing up his defenses,” said Henson.
JUDGES SCORECARD
TODOROV 6
MAYWEATHER 7
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ROUND 3
In the third round, Todorov woke up and Floyd felt it.
The Bulgarian started dictating the proceedings in the third round as he actively bothered Floyd throughout the fight and bullied him around the ring.
“I thought his work rate dropped dramatically in the third round,” said Henson on Mayweather’s third round. “That gave an opportunity for Todorov to come back strong and score some points.”
Mayweather didn’t look like the same fighter as in the second round, and he paid for it.
“In the third round, I thought that maybe that either number one he coasted, cause maybe he thought he was way ahead on points, secondly, because he may have gotten tired, thirdly, I thought that Todorov, because he is bigger and longer than Mayweather, I thought he was getting some solid shots in the third round,” said Henson.
The Bulgarian was very physical, and even dragged Mayweather onto the canvas at one point.
It was that aggressive bullying that stopped the rhythm that Floyd had built in the second round.
JUDGES SCORECARD
TODOROV 10
MAYWEATHER 9
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FINAL ANALYSIS
“I thought that the work rate of Todorov might have stymied the attack of Mayweather (in the third round). He (Mayweather) tried to catch up in the last minute of the third round, I thought the third round was clearly Todorov’s, but I also thought that Mayweather should’ve won the first round and he did win the second round,” said Henson. “I thought that his fight could’ve gone Mayweather’s way.”
Todorov’s win was marred by controversy and conspiracy. According to Henson, the international amateur boxing scene at that time was riddled with allegations of corruptions, as evidenced by the large number of Bulgarian fighters who ended up competing in the gold medal bouts under the then technical director of officiating Emil Jetchev, who was a Bulgarian.
Mayweather as a youngster showed great promise, and even in defeat he looked exceedingly impressive against Todorov.
Now 19 years later, we have Mayweather facing the man who has the best chance of making him feel the sting of defeat once again.
For anyone trying to find out what Pacquiao can use from his rival’s last defeat, you might have better luck looking at the times Mayweather has been shaken during his professional career.
Besides, after 19 years, Mayweather is a different animal altogether.
“Again if you’re going to look at how Mayweather fought this fight, as against how Mayweather will probably fight Pacquiao, it’s like night and day,” said Henson.
