Train Like Floyd or Manny: Shadowboxing Drills for Pressure and Counter-Punching

You can’t copy their careers, but you can train their styles. With the rematch on September 19, 2026 (Sphere, Las Vegas, Netflix), here are shadowboxing drills for pressure (Manny) and counter-punching (Floyd) so you can feel the clash in your own training — and why each drill maps to what we’ll see in the ring.

Manny-Style: Pressure and Volume

Pressure fighting is about relentless forward movement, volume (think 75–95+ punches per round in spirit), and mixing body and head. In the first fight, Manny’s pressure worked in rounds 4 and 6 when he had Floyd on the ropes and let his hands go; the rest of the night his volume wasn’t there. So drilling pressure isn’t just “throw a lot” — it’s sustained, purposeful combos that simulate cutting the ring and overwhelming a defensive fighter.

Theme rounds:

• Round 1: Defensive movement and footwork — step in, step out, cut angles, no heavy punching. Get your feet and head moving. This mimics the “dance before they throw” that Roach says decides fights; you’re working the footwork that cuts the ring (move right, not left) before you throw.
• Rounds 2–3: Aggressive combos — short, sharp combinations (3–5 punches), body then head, then reset and step in again. Emphasize speed and variety, not one-shot power. The idea is “he just kept coming” in a controlled way.

Use jab pyramids (e.g. 1 jab, then 2, then 3, then 2, then 1) and mix in upward jabs and body jabs so you’re not one-note. Coach and film-study breakdowns suggest thematic rounds: e.g. Round 1 defensive (footwork, pivots), Rounds 2–3 aggressive (long to close range), which builds muscle memory for both pressure and the need to close distance. That’s the Manny side of the rematch: pressure that lands, not just pressure that looks busy.

Why This Maps to Manny

Manny wins if he can sustain effective aggression — get to the ropes, land combinations, body then head, and not let Floyd reset. Your pressure rounds are training that pattern: forward movement, volume, and reset so you’re not chasing blindly into counters. The first fight showed that when Manny did it (rounds 4 and 6), he won the round; when he didn’t, Floyd’s timing and counters won. So the drill isn’t just fitness; it’s the movement and combo structure that pressure fighters need to beat a counter-puncher.

Floyd-Style: Counter-Punching and Timing

Counter-punching is reactive — you respond to an imagined opponent — but you can drill it proactively with patterns that mirror Floyd’s system:

• Feint → layback → attack: From range, feint, bend the back leg (layback) as if slipping, then fire the straight right or hook. That’s the pull counter in shadowboxing form. Floyd uses it vs the jab; vs a southpaw he’ll duck or slip the left and counter.
• Feint → slip outside → attack: Feint, slip your head to the outside of the “punch,” then counter. The rear leg stores energy for the counter. This trains the “faster to react” quality that opponents always mention.
• Feint → step (pendulum) → attack: Short explosive steps in or out, then punch. Simulates controlling range and then firing — Floyd’s “single-shot then escape” and ring generalship.

Do a round of only defense (Philly Shell, shoulder roll, pull back) and then a round of counter-only (every “punch” you throw is a counter after a slip or pull). That builds the habit of “make them miss, make them pay.” Southpaw counter drills from the research:

• Double lead (left) while walking outside the jab
• Right hook over the jab
• Slip orthodox right, counter with power hand
• Catch/slip/roll, footwork, timing If you’re orthodox, you’re playing Floyd; if you’re southpaw, you’re playing the entries Manny needs.

Why This Maps to Floyd

Floyd wins by winning exchange after exchange — he either initiates or ends each one. Your counter rounds train that: don’t stay in the pocket, don’t trade for the sake of it. Slip, pull, counter, then reset. That’s how he imposed his rhythm on Manny and why the first fight felt like “12 rounds of sparring” to Teddy Atlas. So the drill isn’t just “practice counters”; it’s the discipline of only throwing when the opening is there, and then getting out.

Mix Both

Alternate rounds: one round Manny (pressure, volume, combos), next round Floyd (distance, counters, single shots). That’s the rematch in miniature — and it gets you ready for September. You’re not just getting a workout; you’re feeling the two styles that will decide the fight. Train both, and you’ll read the rematch with a clearer eye.

For a full breakdown of Floyd's style — Philly Shell, shoulder roll, pull counter — see How to Box Like Floyd Mayweather: The 50-0 Blueprint.