Mayweather vs. Berto: Dissecting Boxing Styles of Money and The Beast

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to take on unheralded underdog Andre Berto on Saturday night in what could be the final fight of his storied career. A victory would tie him with the legendary Rocky Marciano with an unblemished 49-0 record.

Quite simply, it's hard to imagine Mayweather walking away after what seems more like a warm-up bout. Winning this fight would set him up to collect one more massive payday by picking a top contender to battle in 2016.

While that's a story that will play out in the months ahead, let's check out all of the key details for the clash between "Money" and "The Beast." It's followed by a breakdown of their respective styles and a prediction for how the fight will play out.

Viewing Information

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: Showtime PPV

Fight Outlook

Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Casual fans who tuned in to watch Mayweather for the first time when he took on Manny Pacquiao likely walked away disappointed. The hyped encounter fell flat as the undefeated American remained in firm control throughout, dictating the pace and cruising to a win by unanimous decision.

It's the same approach he's used throughout a vast majority of his career. You don't stay unbeaten this long by letting opponents control the fight. He sets the tone early, often by clutching and grabbing, to slow things down and then settles into a rhythm.

Mayweather can be aggressive when necessary, but it's rare. His outstanding combination of defense and counterattacking typically prevents opponents from landing enough heavy punches early on to force him out of his comfort zone.

Even though this particular bout is a mismatch on paper, "Money" is going above and beyond to ensure he's prepared, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press.

"I don't know why, but I'm just training a lot harder for this fight," Mayweather said. "I just want to go out with a bang, I guess."

Expect to see more of the same once the fight gets underway. He may even be a little more conservative than usual because of Berto's knockout power. He knows he can outbox him and won't take any unnecessary risks as a result.

Andre Berto

As mentioned, Berto possesses some pop. Of his 30 career victories, 23 have come via knockout. That includes his most recent triumph over Josesito Lopez back in May, which set him up to earn this golden opportunity.

The question is how to most effectively use that power against a defensive stalwart like Mayweather. His best option is following the lead of Marcos Maidana, who attacked "Money" right out of the gate during their first meeting in 2014 and actually had some success.

Maidana didn't waste any time putting on the pressure, and although he couldn't maintain the pace, it's the closest anybody has come to seriously challenging Mayweather in a long time. He lost by majority decision, but it was enough to earn a lucrative rematch.

If Berto is going to have any chance of pulling off the huge upset, he must follow a similar game plan and win the early rounds. One thing's for sure: He hasn't lacked confidence during the build up, as pointed out by Dan Rafael of ESPN.

"I'm coming to kick Floyd's ass on Sept. 12," Berto said. "Best believe that I plan to bring it to Floyd and I'm not concerned about what 48 other fighters have been unable to do. Somebody is getting knocked out, and it won't be me. You don't want to miss this."

Should Berto make that early impact, then he can consider being a little more tactical in the middle of the bout to save energy for the latter rounds. That's something Maidana didn't do. But if he can't gain an immediate advantage, it's an uphill battle the rest of the way.

Prediction

Mayweather is the heavy favorite for a reason. He's the far more complete fighter, and it would take a truly off night for Berto to make it competitive. Yet, even though the odds of an upset are small, there's still intrigue every time somebody takes their chances to end the undefeated streak.

If the underdog needed any extra motivation, he's certainly received it. Most comments have rightfully been along the same lines as those by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:

It's not the fight a majority of fans wanted to see, and it's fair to question whether Berto deserved this moment in the spotlight. Now he's getting 36 minutes or less to prove the doubters wrong in the most shocking way possible: beating Mayweather.

Of course, the more probable result is a relatively routine victory by unanimous decision by Mayweather. Whether it's truly his last time stepping in the ring competitively is unknown, but he's not going to let his winning streak end against such an overmatched foe.