Though he lost the battle for the undisputed championship, gallantly, Dmitry Bivol stood his ground and took a KO artist the whole distance. During one interview, when asked what it felt like to be at the receiving end of Artur Beterbiev‘s bone-breaking punches, Bivol drew attention to a rather curious facet. When it came to a single shot, he felt that former rival Canelo Álvarez hit harder than the new undisputed champion!

Now the angle seems to have struck a chord at several corners. Former three-division Shane Mosley shares a common history with Dmitry Bivol. Like the Kazakhstan-born boxer, he fought Canelo Alvarez in the past, albeit a decade earlier. However, one of Mosley’s momentous fights was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. So the comparison invariably arose between the unbeaten champion and the Mexican superstar. As for Bivol’s case, Mosley’s response seems to have drawn notable attention.

You’re in for a surprise about Floyd Mayweather Jr.!

So this reporter asked, “Let me ask you this: What do you think about Floyd power?” And pat came the reply, “When I fought Floyd, his power was really good,” said ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley. So much so that in terms of sheer speed and power, he felt that Mayweather Jr. was as good as Canelo Alvarez.

Needless to say, from approval to sarcasm and then to plain dismissal, the commentary box has been witnessing a range of views. However, Shane Mosley’s point may hold some weight. Mayweather Jr.’s overall knockout-to-win rate just manages to stay above water. But the fact remains that when he was ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’, he did pack a punch and win fights through early stoppage.

In 2013, squaring off against Alvarez, Mayweather Jr. delivered a boxing clinic that impresses boxing purists to this day. But again, the champion’s technical superiority stole the limelight with very few insights into his power. Many believe that during the second stage of his career, probably from the Zab Judah fight onward, Floyd Mayweather Jr. transitioned to ‘The Money’ Mayweather.

Intensity that eventually fades

His fighting style witnessed a gross change; he preferred going the whole distance. One may argue that the transformation might have occurred because of his progressing age. Then one can barely downplay the quality of his opponents either.

When it comes to Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol could present a pronounced contrast. According to him, the unified super middleweight champion invests all his power into a single punch. So if there’s a combination, say three to five punches, the first incoming would hurt the most. But the subsequent ones gradually taper off in intensity. Hence, when it came to a single debilitating power shot, he definitely had an upper hand in comparison to Artur Beterbiev.

But there seems to be a caveat. “But if you ask them, let’s do like five punches, Beterbiev; every punch will be hard. With Canelo, maybe first hard and then not [so much]. If we ask him [Beterbiev] to do it, maybe his punch is harder, but he’s not using it,” said Dmitry Bivol.

For sure, millions of Mayweather fans would be elated. The technical prowess of the 50-0 former world champion remains unquestionable. A few may definitely find solace in that their icon never lacked in power either.

What is your take on Shane Mosley’s opinion?