Galley combat in the centuries before Lepanto

What was naval combat like in the century or two before Lepanto?

Mainly galley warfare built around closing and boarding, with cannon gradually becoming more reliable; the reference to Byzantine Greek fire is tentative.

Galley warfare brought land-style fighting onto the water. Ships closed with one another and boarded, using weapons that retained much in common with ancient Mediterranean combat. Cannon gradually entered this fighting, but early pieces could burst and took time to become reliable. Byzantine Greek fire is recalled tentatively, without settling its exact place in the century or two before Lepanto.