When it comes to Floyd Mayweather Jr a lot of things come to mind…you would probably first think of his excellent defence, Mayweather was such a master of the shoulder roll he could well be its finest exponent in boxing history. Perhaps you think of his millions and his show of wealth, he is after all known by his nickname of Money Mayweather.

One of the attributes he isn’t as well known for his is his right hand, but a close look at Mayweather reveals his right hand was actually very good and in this article I aim to look at one key factor which made it so good.

Now the obvious choice to explain why Floyd Mayweather Jr had such a good right hand would be to credit this to his speed and precision. Floyd had extremely quick hands when he did want to let them go and his right hand was very accurate. Becoming an accurate puncher can be down to knowing your distance and getting your timing down but there was something else to Floyd Mayweather Jr when he wanted to throw that right hand any it was so effective…

The secret was in his hand positioning. Because of the guard Mayweather used, mostly the shoulder roll – Mayweather would keep his lead hand low but his right hand would also be lower than most conventional guards – if you see his hand placement, the right hand is usually lower and under the chin as opposed to higher and to the side of or above the chin. What this means is that his right hand is closer to his opponent and has less distance to travel than if he held it higher and to the side of the chin. Now this may not look like much of a difference on the face of it, but when you are talking about boxing and getting hit in the face, a difference of millimetres can be all that is needed to avoid a punch or land a punch. Less distance means the right hand will also travel quicker to its target.

Combine this with the fact Floyd Mayweather Jr rarely loaded up on his right hand and instead snapped it out, meant not only was he taking advantage of his fast hands, but also taking advantage of the hand placement of a shoulder roll guard with the right hand being lower. This isn’t something only Floyd Mayweather Jr used alone of course, there are countless other fighters who also lower the right hand but combined with Floyd’s other attributes such as his speed and his penchant for snapping the right hand and using it as a counter punch, means Floyd Mayweather Jr is the perfect example to use when it comes to effectively using the right hand. Watch the video below for a demonstration from the man himself.